Key Takeaways:
- Trust is everything; it’s earned, not claimed.
- Audiences are increasingly skeptical due to deepfakes, scandals, and greenwashing.
- The demand for transparent, authentic leadership is reshaping marketing.
- In a trust economy, brand equity is built through proof, not pitches.
The Aha Moment: It’s Not About Attention, It’s About Belief
In the early days of marketing, we chased impressions. Then, we measured engagement. Today? We’re in the era of belief.
A client recently said to me, “It’s not that people don’t know our brand, it’s that they don’t trust it… yet.” That hit me like a lightning bolt. The goalpost has moved. Attention is easy. Belief is hard. And that belief and that trust is the currency that buys long-term loyalty, referrals, and advocacy.
But earning trust is no small feat.
The Great Trust Recession
Let’s face it: trust is in freefall.
- Only 59% of people trust businesses to do what’s right, down from 64% in 2022.
— Edelman Trust Barometer 2024 - 74% of consumers say they’ve encountered misinformation online at least weekly.
— Pew Research, 2024 - And 71% believe that brands exaggerate their commitment to social causes.
— Havas Group Meaningful Brands Report
From deepfakes to ethics-washing, the signals are loud and clear: audiences are fed up with inauthenticity, and they’re watching, closely.
The Trust Trifecta: What It Takes to Win
1. Authenticity Is Non-Negotiable
Consumers don’t want a rainbow-colored logo in June. They want to see your policies, your board makeup, your donations. They want receipts.
2. Leadership Is on Stage, Ready or Not
As CMOs and CEOs, we are now public-facing symbols of our brand’s integrity. If we say we stand for equity, how do we show it? If our brand promises sustainability, are we leading it visibly?
When the CEO of Patagonia donated his company to fight climate change, it wasn’t a PR stunt, it was a trust amplifier. That level of alignment between brand promise and leader action sets a new bar.
3. Consistency Over Campaigns
Trust isn’t built in a moment, it’s earned over time, through every interaction, email, chatbot response, and Instagram story. Your next campaign doesn’t build trust. Your ongoing delivery does.
How We Rebuild Trust: A Strategic Blueprint
This isn’t about reputation management. This is about strategic brand design, rooted in:
- Radical transparency: Open up. Share more than you’re comfortable with.
- Hard truths over soft selling: Audiences respect vulnerability.
- Stakeholder-centered storytelling: Showcase the real humans behind and impacted by your brand.
Third-party proof: Press, partners, employees, and customers are your best credibility tools.
The Brands That Will Win
The brands poised to thrive are those who treat trust as a strategic asset, not a PR line item. They’re embedding trust into the DNA of every customer journey, every campaign, every decision.
And here’s my big takeaway: When trust is high, everything else, loyalty, referrals, lifetime value, Net Promoter scores, and media coverage, gets easier.
Questions to Consider
- Where is our brand saying one thing but doing another?
- Is our leadership visible in the values we claim to stand for?
- Are we chasing applause or trust?
- What would it look like to be radically transparent in our next campaign?
- Are we building relationships or renting attention?
Let’s Rebuild What Matters
At Avocet, we don’t just help you craft a message; we help you earn belief. If you’re ready to move beyond buzzwords and into bold brand truth, let’s talk. Contact us to start building trust that sticks.
