Today, audiences are shaping the cultural agenda. Empowered to speak up for the causes they believe in, people are actively calling out brands they see as inauthentic. What are the main drivers of this behavioural shift? And how can brands win the trust of these outspoken advocates?

People are taking a patchwork approach to self-expression to feel like they have control over how their identity is generated. Yet as individual expression becomes more mutable and mistrust in social systems abounds, there’s one place above all that people are seeking integrity and guidance: brands.

A blurry picture can ruin the chances of a dog being adopted, so Google Pixel is offering animal shelters a kit that professionally captures their rescue dogs. By providing a helping hand through a tech elevation, the tech giant is tackling the rescue shelter crisis while building brand reputation.

The Petivity Smart Litterbox Monitor provides real-time insights on a cat's health through litterbox behavior sent to owners via an AI app. With a growing emphasis on pet wellbeing and preventive care, this appeals to busy pet parents seeking data-driven insights and pet care automation.

When OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, the text generator made a clear case for the sheer disruptive force of AI – making it apparent that such technology will change the way we experience information and engage with brands. But major challenges remain before AI elbows humans out of the way.

Consumers expect brands to be activists, yet many attempts fall short or are perceived as opportunistic ‘woke washing’. How can brands participate in activism while maintaining authenticity? Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Abas Mirzaei about the key dimensions of brand activism authenticity.