Brav·er·y: courageous behavior or character

When we are young girls, the beautiful naivety of childhood presents the combination of fewer inhibitions paired with constant encouragement to branch out and try new things. This makes us less hesitant to be bold – to be the child that volunteers to go first in class, to stand up to bullies on the playground, to be the first to walk across the balance beam.  

All too often, this sense of untainted bravery and confidence wanes as we mature into adulthood. No matter the reason, we see this change presented in many ways personally and professionally: Not wanting to “ruffle feathers” and disrupt the facade of peace. Being uncomfortable talking about “taboo” topics. Letting the chance of failure get in the way of proposing a risk-worthy idea at work. 

But, the status quo is changing. At Insider, we don’t just believe that bravery is a timely topic – it’s integral to our ethos.

We see this bravery put into action every day from women in leadership, from our President Barbara Peng to our Chief Revenue Officer Maggie Milnamow, who navigate us through tumultuous times to the courageous Gen Z fellow writing about stories that matter. Our first-person storytelling demands braveness and the ability to deeply connect with the real people behind the screen. 

We know this makes a difference among our readers and partners alike, and this is primarily why we expounded upon this topic and took it out into the world where we asked 2,000 global consumers what brand bravery means to them. 

We debuted an exclusive preview of our groundbreaking insights at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity where our leaders asked a room full of the world’s most influential CMOs, “Is your brand brave enough?”. 

Consumers see through purposeless advertising and disingenuous promises. In fact, our study found that ads presented on an article told in the first-person resulted in a 20% higher purchase consideration, and 74% of respondents cited they feel fulfilled when buying from brands they consider brave. 

“One of the biggest misconceptions in advertising is that being brand safe means shying away from bold storytelling,” said Maggie (Kiselick) Milnamow, Chief Revenue Officer at Insider. “Our research proves that today's audiences recognize brand confidence and bravery and engage deeply with real, relatable storytelling.”

There is tremendous power behind authenticity, but to harness it requires decision-makers to be bold, challenge conventions, embrace innovation, and stand up to naysayers. 

And we’re here to help. Whether it's custom insights from Insider Intelligence, groundbreaking ideas from Insider Studios, or editorial destinations like our recently launched CMO Insider, we are here to support brave marketeers on their journey. Julia Goldin, CMO of the LEGO Group, told Insider that she believes the most important skill is the ability to learn and relearn in a rapidly evolving world. We strive to never stop learning, to be human, to be women, to be nimble and ever-evolving changemakers. That takes bravery.