Mar 10, 2021
Josh Mcloughlin
Trust has never been more important or in shorter supply. Advertisers and marketers used to think winning loyalty was the ultimate campaign aim. But if the public does not trust a brand to begin with, building the loyalty needed for long-term success is that much harder.
“Trust is the fundamental reason brands came into existence and why they became so valuable”, says Matt Waller, creative director of London-based advertising agency Recipe.
Yet trust in many public institutions is declining. This year’s
Edelman Trust Barometer found that confidence in government (-8 points), the media (-6 points), NGOs (-6 points) and business (-3 points) was down as the pandemic, protests and politics polarised opinion. In the resulting “infodemic”, trust in all information sources slumped to record lows.