527 In a recent episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Deloitte Global CMO Suzanne Kounkel emphasized the importance of turning employees into deliberate brand ambassadors. She argues this shift is key to boosting trust and authenticity in the current marketing climate. Kounkel highlights that employee-driven brand advocacy can expand trust and offer a powerful counter to sanitized corporate messaging. “Every employee is a marketer,” she tells host Matt Britton, pointing out that consumers increasingly view employee voices as more credible than brand slogans. Deloitte is rolling out internal programs to equip its global workforce with brand-aligned content, storytelling tools, and clear guidelines to share on LinkedIn and other platforms. Kounkel views this as a way to humanize a large organization and foster consistent messaging. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 77% of consumers trust “people like yourself” over CEOs, underlining why employee ambassadorship now matters more than ever. For Kounkel, internal branding isn’t optional—it’s foundational. Personalized employee-led content builds more sustainable trust than top-down campaigns. She believes this trend will shape how brands invest in marketing for years to come: “If we don’t evolve internally, we’re missing the point.” As marketing evolves, Deloitte’s model signals a broader industry shift: trust-driven growth comes not from polished ads, but from empowered employees who authentically embody brand values. You Might Be Interested In Why Today’s Marketing Leaders Are Exhausted NWSL’s new marketing push signals a bigger brand opportunity CMOs At Cannes Reveal AI’s Marketing Infancy Why AI search is making brand trust a CMO priority Legacy ESPs fall behind modern marketing Wendy’s focuses on service as sales slow
