In an era of information overload, fractured attention, and eroding trust, how can marketers successfully persuade? It’s a question that top brand strategists, agency leaders, and media executives explored at Swayable’s second annual Persuasion event, which took over The Standard, East Village hotel in New York on May 7.
Swayable CEO James Slezak kicked off the event by emphasizing the company’s science-driven mission to help companies tackle the challenge of persuasion: measuring what truly changes minds, not just what gets clicks.
“To measure marketing success, the real question we need to ask is: How do we persuade better? Are we having an impact on what people think and their intentions?" said Slezak. “We created this event to bring together a community of practice that is transforming industries, campaigns, and ways of working, to get better and better answers.”
The first of two panels zeroed in on the modern persuasion challenge: breaking through a noisy media ecosystem where people encounter thousands of messages daily, yet only a handful actually make an impact.
Maxwell Tani, Media Reporter at Semafor, moderated the discussion, which featured expert panelists Maura McGill, Global Head of Paid Media, DoorDash; Franklin Parrish, Head of Brand Marketing and Creative Services, Kaiser Permanente; and Brynna Aylward, Chief Creative Officer, DDB.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s top of mind in the business of persuasion for our panelists, and the marketing and measurement opportunities they’re leveraging to create campaigns that resonate with consumers.
Gaining trust is essential to drive favorability
Concerns around misinformation and inauthenticity are top of mind in today’s media landscape, where people are inundated with messages. As consumer trust declines, it’s vital for brands to build it back through their marketing campaigns.
Parrish at Kaiser Permanente explained that brands can effectively build trust by being consistent and relevant with their messaging.
“When you think about the people who are part of your lives, you trust them because they consistently behave in a way that matches expectations they’ve set,” said Parrish.
He also noted that partnering with experts—specifically influencers—can help brands establish trust by bringing in people whom audiences are familiar with, and who have demonstrated knowledge about certain topics and industries.
“Influencers can be very influential for brands, especially if you have a product or concept that requires a lot of explaining,” said Parrish. “You need a voice other than the brand’s in order to bring it home for the prospect.”
McGill at DoorDash added that for brands that produce advocacy ads, it can be extra challenging to create and maintain trust in today's political climate.
“People are being told they should care about certain issues, and it can be extremely overwhelming,” said McGill. “Building trust is about establishing a relationship with your core audience, slowly building awareness, and then getting a place of favorability.”
The takeaway: Developing trust with consumers takes time and requires iterative testing to understand what resonates with audiences. Marketers must produce messages that are consistent with their brand identity and values, and leverage industry experts to help tell their brand’s story.
Relevancy involves capitalizing on cultural moments—and channeling consumer outrage
Breaking through the noise with relevant, timely messaging—in other words, tapping into what audiences truly care about—is also imperative to maintain trust, favorability, and loyalty.
Doubling down on data analysis is a core strategy. Access to accurate, real-time consumer insights helps marketers keep track of what’s happening in today’s culture, from media consumption patterns and social trends to top-of-mind social and policy issues. Teams should use the most up-to-date insights to inform advertising that captures the current moment.
“What people need varies from moment to moment, based on what’s happening in culture,” said Aylward. “With this year’s Super Bowl ads, for instance, everyone wanted a warm hug. There’s a lot happening in the world, so we needed a reprieve to laugh and not take ourselves too seriously.”
The fact that today’s world is defined by disruption and uncertainty also gives brands another opportunity: acknowledging consumer outrage in their marketing messages. This requires brands to be strategic about the positions they take, which can pay off if executed in a thoughtful way that fuels a positive perception of the brand.
Kaiser Permanente, a player in the U.S. healthcare industry that is widely considered broken, is an example of a brand that can benefit from acknowledging and spotlighting customer issues in its messaging. Parrish explained that his team has continuously advocated for Kaiser Permanente to use its campaigns to go against the status quo of U.S. healthcare.
“People are outraged at the system, and we can direct that outrage into something positive,” said Parrish. “Identify what is broken and what the world could look like if we fix it. Then, prove that your brand has the tools to do so with the audience’s assistance and permission.”
The takeaway: It's a responsibility of marketers to use storytelling to address consumer outrage. If there’s a significant event impacting a brand’s particular industry, marketing teams can build brand equity by strategically channeling consumer reactions into their messages.
Grabbing attention is a key persuasion milestone
Consumers are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of ads per day. But research shows that people only remember as much as 10% of the ads they’re exposed to daily.
The persuasion challenge for brands isn’t just creating content that stands out from their competitors. It’s also breaking through banner blindness by getting the attention of consumers who ignore about 90% of ads served to them while scrolling their smartphones or watching a show on their smart TV.
Aylward at DDB said the key to creating ads that stand out is prioritizing emotionally resonant messaging.
“What really breaks through is emotion: ads that evoke surprise, make you laugh or cry, or that you want to share with friends,” said Aylward. “It’s about making that connection with people.”
Getting attention also requires a deep understanding of target audiences, especially where and how they consume media. McGill shared that in her team’s case, successfully persuading consumers about DoorDash in certain states requires meeting certain segments on the platforms they use.
“We’re running a Wisconsin campaign right now, where the persuadable consumers skew older and rural. We reach them on linear TV and Facebook, which is where they consume media,” said McGill. “On our team, we’ve achieved high video completion rates by meeting our audiences where they are.”
The takeaway: The key to grabbing consumer attention is creating emotionally resonant and relevant campaigns—and delivering those messages where audiences are most likely to see them.
For a complete rundown of insights and best practices, watch our full “Persuading through the Chaos” panel from Persuasion 2025 below:
Interested in measuring the persuasion across your creative campaigns? Book a demo with Swayable today.