Why consumers trust businesses that speak their language more
Updated: Oct 21
Many Brazilian brands still look abroad for reference. They copy the aesthetics of foreign brands, adopt a tone that is not their own and speak to a generic audience. The result is often a beautiful but distant brand.
Recent research shows that the opposite path works better: brands that recognize the culture of those who buy from them earn trust.
Culture is a trust criterion
In the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer special report, 73% of people said their trust in a brand would increase if it authentically reflected today's culture. Only 27% would trust a brand more if it ignored culture and spoke only about its product.
In Brazil, this connection is even stronger. The "Brasilidades" study by MindMiners, from April 2025, showed that 77% of Brazilians are proud of their national identity and value brands that recognize the particularities of each region.
Brazil is not just one country
Speaking to "the Brazilian consumer" is almost always speaking to no one. The country has accents, habits, references and rhythms that vary greatly from one region to another.
A survey by Influency.me and Opinion Box, released in 2025, helps illustrate this. In the Northeast, 73% of respondents said they follow regional influencers, the highest rate in the country. And 69% said national brands should research local cultures before creating regional campaigns.
For a business in the Northeast, this is not a limitation. It is an advantage. Those who know their audience's culture up close have a differentiator that large brands must pay a lot to build.
Culture also starts at home
There is another culture that shapes a brand: the company's own culture. The way the team serves, communicates and makes decisions is perceived by customers at every touchpoint.
A brand that promises warmth, but has a team that does not live that value, quickly loses credibility. That is why positioning and internal culture must go hand in hand.
How LakeLab works
In the LAKE Method©, culture is part of the study from the start. We investigate the audience's cultural context, the references that make sense to them and the way your team lives the brand's values.
This way, the strategy does not come from an imported formula, but from the reality of those who sell and those who buy. That is what makes a brand close, authentic and hard to copy.
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