Is ad fatigue getting worse? In a media landscape saturated by loud advertising, consumers are beginning to ‘tune out’ pushy brand messages.
According to a recent survey by Capterra of 500 UK shoppers, a staggering 91% agreed that they were tired of digital ads and the culture of ‘over-selling’ had negatively impacted their perception of brands online.
In fact, the study found that just over a third of all consumers now block specific advertising, and a further 35% have since unfollowed ‘loud’ brands in the past 12 months.
The question is, how can brands respond? Regularly advertising products and services is key to driving brand traffic, but striking a balance between building visibility and overselling is becoming increasingly difficult.
The answer is quiet branding. As a PR tactic quickly gaining traction in the marketing industry, subtle selling continues to drive success for some of the biggest brands.
With this in mind, let’s unpack the process of quiet branding as we discover why subtle is selling in 2025.
What is Quiet Branding?
Quiet branding is taking the marketing world by storm in 2025. Swapping flashy ad tactics for minimalism and calm messaging, brands adopting a subtle selling strategy are having more success than ever before.
Subtle selling focuses on authenticity, user-centric design, and understated confidence rather than over-promising.
In an era where audiences are overwhelmed by digital noise and aggressive ads, quiet branding offers relief and builds trust by respecting the consumer’s space.
Are Consumers Bored of Loud Advertising?
It’s no secret that consumers are regularly tuning out of the advertising world. What started with changing the channel has now evolved into repeatedly clicking off popups, unfollowing ‘hard-sell’ brands, and even installing ad-block software on devices.
Audiences are tired of being bombarded with over-promoted celebrity collaborations, influencer marketing and constant brand messages.
However, much of the marketing industry is yet to catch on.
“Marketers still erroneously believe that more messages will deliver more results,” says Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove. “In fact, less is more. Fewer right messages at the right time will probably deliver equal or better results.”
In 2026, Gen Z is projected to become the largest consumer group. Known for valuing transparency, subtlety, and aesthetics over traditional sales tactics, this is the generation of shoppers driving quiet branding forward.
In fact, among Gen Z shoppers, 58% have unfollowed a brand on social media due to cringey or inauthentic content.
Another 48% claim that they feel closer to brands that advertise real people instead of polished models in their PR campaigns.
Subtle brands align with values such as sustainability, mental wellness, and purpose-driven business, all factors that influence purchasing decisions from this demographic.
4 Ways to Introduce Quiet Branding in Your Next PR Campaign
If you’re a brand aiming to appeal to Gen Z and Millennial audiences, quiet branding could be the key to driving more traffic.
Implementing quiet branding into your next PR campaign may send you back to the drawing board, but reshaping your approach is likely to pay off in the long run.
Here are four easy ways to subtly tone down your brand messaging, along with some great examples from brands that are already seeing success.
Lead with Transparency, Not Hype
Today’s consumers value transparency. In fact, 94% of shoppers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that’s completely transparent.
Instead of exaggerating product benefits or leaning on aggressive CTAs in your press materials, focus on honest messaging. This means being upfront about your mission, product origins, or even your limitations.
This kind of quiet confidence resonates with modern audiences and journalists alike.
A brilliant example of transparent branding comes from the clothing brand Everlane.
(Image Source: Business Insider)
The brand’s “Transparency Tuesday” campaign is a socially-led initiative that allows the brand to directly connect with customers and answer questions via Instagram Stories.
This campaign focused on generating honest dialogue between brand and consumer on issues to do with supply chains, pricing and even sustainability.
This quiet branding approach works for so many reasons. The campaign is not overproduced, and the low-key communication helps make customers feel involved with the brand’s mission.
Throughout the replies, Everlane also found space to subtly sell products while providing answers to their most frequently asked questions.
Embrace Minimalist Visuals
Consumers are becoming more focused on aesthetics. If we think about the products going viral on TikTok, nearly all of the brands behind them invest in aesthetic packaging, minimalistic marketing and quiet luxury.
Brands that prioritise flashy product launches often stand out for all the wrong reasons. If you want your next launch campaign to embody luxury and exclusivity, it’s time to remove the salesy language and clean up your visual branding.
Your press kit, media images, and even website design should prioritise natural tones, clean layouts, and whitespace to convey sophistication and clarity.
Using branding website templates is a great place to start. Here you can choose design layouts for your website and your social feed that look clean, minimalistic and more high-end.
Take a look at the website branding from Away, for example:
(Image Source: AwayTravel)
Using a muted colour scheme and plenty of empty space to draw focus to the products, this quiet branding approach helps lift the quality of Away and position it as a luxury seller.
Lean into Emotion
Move away from trying to sell a feeling to your consumers. Campaigns that focus on being disruptive, game-changing and the ‘best ever’ offer little to no value to an audience that purchases based on emotion.
Think about reframing your campaign with value-based language and appeal to user needs, rather than overstatement.
The best example of this comes from Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign.
(Image Source: SparkCreative)
Apple’s long-running campaign is driven by real, unedited photos taken by users around the world.
While promoting the quality of their camera, they handpick images that conjure emotion from their audience. Nothing flashy, nothing promotional, just raw moments with a quiet tagline.
Let Your Customers Tell the Story
Quiet brands rely on the power of word-of-mouth marketing. According to Nielsen experts, 74% of consumers cite word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions.
Instead of partnering with celebrities and online influencers, get your message across in the form of customer testimonials and UGC.
In a PR campaign, this could include case studies from previous clients, social proof from happy customers and even compelling user stories that illustrate your brand’s success.
Glossier do this well in their “Every Woman Is a Glossier Woman” product launches. Before releasing a product, the brand sources user feedback and UGC to influence their selling approach.
(Image Source: Glossier)
When releasing their products on socials and the web, they then ditched flashy celebrity endorsements and featured some of their real users within their ads, all telling a story of how this product helped them individually.
Word-of-mouth campaigns feel authentic and personal, with messaging that reflects the community’s voice rather than a salesy tone.
Wrapping Up
Branding is evolving, there’s no doubt about it. If you want to reach your demographic effectively, it’s time to switch up your PR strategy and stop oversaturating your targets with loud ads.
Quiet branding is trending for a reason. If you let your products and services do the talking, rather than dressing up your brand to ‘fit’ in the mainstream, you’ll attract long-lasting consumers who spread the word for you.
