Robbie Thain
Founder, CEO
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McKinsey research shows consumer trust in generative AI is below 40%. Learn why brands must combine digital visibility with operational field marketing.
Consumer brands are pouring millions into digital optimization while ignoring the one thing algorithms cannot fake. Shoppers are asking artificial intelligence what to buy, but they do not trust the answers they receive. Relying purely on generative engine optimization is a massive liability for consumer packaged goods companies today. Your expensive digital strategy might win visibility, but it is bleeding you dry when it comes to actual consumer belief.
Brands are optimizing for artificial intelligence citations while completely neglecting the physical proof required to close a sale. If your marketing strategy ends at a screen, you are actively losing market share. Competitors who prove their value in person will steal your target audience. A massive interactive digital booth without a grounded conversion mechanism is simply a waste of capital.
The mainstream approach to modern marketing is frequently a beautiful dumpster fire. Chief Marketing Officers spend six figures on giant pop-up events that look great online but generate zero qualified pipeline. This aesthetic obsession ignores a critical commercial reality regarding modern consumer behavior. Danielle Bozarth, McKinsey’s global leader for Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods Practices, says the research found significant skepticism toward algorithm-driven channels.
Consumers are using these digital tools but seriously doubting the results they get. McKinsey reports that consumer trust in generative AI is below 40% on its net consumer trust index. People are bringing more information sources into consideration while trusting those sources less. CMOs lose sleep over this exact disconnect between high-cost awareness and zero tangible sales lift.
Digital visibility does not automatically equal consumer confidence or immediate brand loyalty. McKinsey analyzed 25 brands across six months and examined 2.6 million individual citations used by large language models. Approximately 1% of those citations came directly from brand websites. Brands are losing control of their own narratives in the fragmented digital space.
This lack of digital control amplifies the anxiety marketing leaders feel when trying to justify their budgets. Meanwhile, nonessential goods are growing at less than 1%. Spending your budget on unmeasurable digital clicks or generic event aesthetics will not save a brand in this tight environment. You need a mechanism that forces the consumer to believe your claims.
We believe that live marketing must function as a rigorous proof layer for skeptical shoppers. Warm, human authenticity combined with brutal operational discipline is the only way to convert these buyers. An algorithm might shortlist a beverage or snack, but a physical interaction lets consumers assess taste and quality. You need operators who know how to manage logistics, staffing, and routing perfectly.
This approach requires treating field teams and operational consistency as critical trust infrastructure. When asked what they would do with an additional $200 or €200, a majority of consumers said they would spend it on experiences. McKinsey says experiences have outpaced products for years and that the gap is widening. We turn that demand for experiences into a controlled environment where consumers can validate brand claims.
It takes more than a friendly face to drive retail growth in a crowded grocery aisle. It requires a field general mindset to ensure the event experience quality translates directly into product confidence. Consider the health and wellness sector as a primary example of this dynamic. McKinsey reports that roughly half of consumers or more report falling short of their wellness goals across countries and generations.
It also reports that half of consumers from Gen Z to boomers say they are actively reducing alcohol consumption. Brands cannot just label a product as healthy and expect immediate trust from cautious shoppers. Field teams must educate consumers with precise, credible, and measurable details during every activation. Operational discipline ensures that every brand ambassador delivers the exact same verified message.
A Director of Brand Strategy in the CPG snack division shared: "The Makai team turned our product launch into a sensory event that shoppers still talk about. From creative storytelling to flawless in-store execution, they made snack time unforgettable. We couldn't have asked for a stronger partner." Our team created an in-store experience that left a lasting impression on consumers and became a memorable brand moment.
A fragmented decision journey creates a severe execution problem for consumer packaged goods teams. A shopper might see an artificial intelligence answer, watch a social video, and then walk into a store. If the in-store experience fails to match the digital promise, the entire conversion funnel collapses instantly. Field teams must act as the physical extension of a brand's digital marketing campaigns.
Marketing leaders must design live activations that act as a definitive proof point for consumers. If shoppers are consulting generative tools but remaining skeptical, physical experiences must answer the unresolved questions. For a beverage brand, this might mean running side-by-side taste comparisons or precise preparation demonstrations. The live activation should make the value of the product observable rather than merely asserted.
Operational consistency is the most critical element of this entire trust-building process. Low trust in algorithmic recommendation channels automatically increases the value of credible human interaction. However, inconsistent execution by poorly trained staff can quickly undermine that strategic advantage. Staffing, training, product availability, and retail compliance should be treated as fundamental trust infrastructure.
A polished event that cannot answer basic product questions creates attention without generating any real confidence. Experiential marketing must connect the consumer directly to a purchase path to be financially viable and deliver a positive Return on Investment. When teams focus entirely on building a pretty booth, they usually forget the sales mechanism entirely. This lack of strategic focus is exactly why so many experiential budgets fail to deliver returns.
The goal of experiential marketing is no longer about estimating foot traffic or counting social media mentions. Measurement must shift toward tracking tangible outcomes like samples distributed to target buyers and retail meetings booked. Measurement experts cited by Event Marketer recommend evaluating events through experience, emotion, and action. If an activation does not lead a shopper to take a measurable next step, it is merely expensive decoration.
Physical proof is completely critical for modern consumer behavior and purchase decisions. The Drum reports that 71% of shoppers say touching and experiencing a product before buying matters. Furthermore, nearly six in ten say spending time with others is sometimes a primary reason they go shopping. Brands must capture this intent by pushing for immediate trials and concrete retail actions.
The modern shopper is highly resourceful and cautious with their discretionary spending habits. McKinsey says its annual consumer research draws on industry reports, quarterly consumer-sentiment work across almost 20 countries, and cross-industry work. These resourceful consumers evaluate durability, repairability, and overall usefulness before committing to a purchase. Experiential programs provide the perfect venue to demonstrate this specific value physically.
You must build a measurable bridge between physical excitement and the actual checkout counter. The Drum notes that 63% of Gen Z shoppers reported purchasing something because of the surrounding experience. Capturing Gen Z shoppers driving mall traffic requires linking that physical interaction directly to a purchase mechanism. By optimizing for pop-up experiences that drive retail growth, operators can prove their exact impact on the bottom line.
The core takeaway is that demanding flawless execution over mere aesthetics is the only way to survive. Digital visibility and artificial intelligence recommendations can only introduce a product to a skeptical public. Real-world physical experiences provide the undeniable proof required to actually close the sale. Marketing leaders must mandate operational excellence to turn fleeting attention into permanent market share.
Relying on algorithm-driven product recommendations without real-world validation creates a massive trust deficit, which is why Makai strictly focuses on tangible proof. We eliminate the problem of low quality leads from crowded trade shows by deploying our Brand Activations capability. The team creates high energy activations that turn awareness into participation and drive measurable consumer response.
30 Years Experiential & Retail Activation Partner for CPG & Beverage Brands | Multi-Market Demos, Roadshows & Costco/Club Programs That Actually Sell
