Social Matter — Credibility, silence, and leadership in the post-hype era – VOL 05

Three strategic keys for brands to transcend the algorithm and build real connections with their communities.
 

01. CULTURAL CAPITAL AS A REFUGE FROM ATTENTION INFLATION

Credibility is the new intangible asset in the face of ephemeral visibility.

In an ecosystem saturated with ephemeral impacts, the real value of a brand lies in its ability to confer status and meaning. This is what we define as Cultural Capital: the symbolic wealth that a brand accumulates and transfers to its community, becoming the only asset that does not suffer from inflation.

We see this phenomenon in the trajectory of Apple, which, before becoming a sales giant, built a niche identity for creative profiles that continues to sustain its desirability today. Currently, this search for relevance translates into movements such as the alliance between FIFA and TikTok, where the priority is no longer the live broadcast of the match, but the construction of narratives that connect with the codes of the new generations. Even in the consumer goods sector, brands such as llaollao have managed to evolve from a functional product to a love brand based on “intuition,” offering their audience a space for emotional disconnection.

The competitive advantage, therefore, is no longer to join every viral conversation, but to cultivate a cultural authority that allows the brand to be relevant only when it has something genuine to contribute from its own purpose.
 

02. THE STRATEGY OF SILENCE: CAPITALIZE OR IGNORE?

Silence is not neutral; it is a contextual tactical decision.

Managing silence in the face of a viral conversation is now as strategic as the message itself. In a context where 99% of what is said about a brand happens without its intervention, deciding when not to participate defines the maturity of its reputation.

The case of Nike is paradigmatic: faced with the viralization of a political image of Nicolás Maduro wearing its equipment, the brand opted for absolute silence. This decision allowed the situation to be managed in the realm of memes and organic sales success, avoiding unnecessary political positioning. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we find Target, whose silence in the face of internal ethical crises was perceived by the audience not as neutrality, but as indifference, damaging its credibility. Two different cases.

This teaches us that, while silence is an effective tool for protection against external or viral noise, it ceases to be a valid option in the face of human conflicts or corporate values, where the absence of a response inevitably becomes the worst possible message.
 

03. SOCIAL LEADERSHIP: WHEN THE MESSAGE IS THE MESSAGE

The authenticity of the leader as a guarantee of genuine messages.

Trust has definitively shifted from logos to people. A message has an exponentially greater reach (specifically 561% more) when shared by an individual than when it comes from an official account. Social leadership is no longer a personal branding option; it has become the most effective driver of a company’s reach.

Leaders such as Luis Quintiliano (President of McDonald’s Spain) have demonstrated the impact of this approach, positioning themselves as opinion leaders through direct and authentic communication on LinkedIn that breaks down traditional corporate barriers. Similarly, the virality of María Cerdán de VICIO‘s departure announcement showed how the use of personal and emotional storytelling connects with the audience much more than any press release. Even the adaptation of cultural trends, such as the “Wrapped” format used by Natalee Shimerdla (NGSD) to communicate company milestones, shows that effectiveness lies in adopting the codes of the community.

The challenge for executives today is to act as their own narrative protagonists, understanding that their own voice is the best guarantee that the company’s message will transcend and generate real connections.