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I have a favorite word game I play when I need to wind down from writing. Like most phone games, it comes with ads. There’s one in particular you may have seen. It claims that playing their word search for just one hour a day can improve your memory.
It sounds impressive. It sounds simple. It also sounds highly unlikely.
On the surface, the message is straightforward: it's not just entertainment, it's brain health. But it raises an important question: where is the credibility?
Where is the scientific backing, testimonials, or even awards for this spectacular app?
Well, they obviously don't exist, leaving this claim questionable at best and unbelievable at worst.
There are key factors when we see ads we question so that we can make decisions safely. When we encounter claims like this, our brains look for two things: credibility and believability.
When a brand wants to be credible, there are trust signals like the ones mentioned above. A brand that says 'you can trust us' will have the expertise of doctors to evaluate its claims with a statement on their behalf, the brand will have awards for its excellence, high-quality content, and users who are delighted with the benefits.
Think toothpaste commercial.
You may not be consciously thinking, that's an actor with a lab coat on, but there's still a sense of credibility that makes you consider and perhaps, eventually buy that product.
Although credibility tends to take time, it's based on facts, and its trustworthiness can be traced back to a source.
Believability, on the other hand, can be instant, sensational, and emotional.
Ads that feel true-to-life resonate to the core of our being. Believability feels familiar and is easy to process. It looks, sounds, and feels realistic.
In wellness spaces, believability becomes especially powerful. People approach wellness with deeply personal beliefs. Some trust clinical science. Some trust natural traditions. Others put their trust in personal testimonials.
What feels believable in wellness is shaped as much by worldview as it is by evidence.
A supplement promising to support focus may feel believable to someone already struggling with brain fog. A calming tea might resonate with someone who prefers natural remedies over pharmaceuticals.
In wellness, people don’t just evaluate claims. They evaluate whether those claims fit the way they already understand healing.
And when claims sound too perfect, believability collapses.
No amount of credentials can fully repair it. In wellness marketing, credibility earns attention, but believability earns people's trust.
Until Next Tuesday,
~Aliya
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