Is your brand as trusted as you think?

Is your brand as trusted as you think?

You know your brand through and through. You probably wouldn’t work for your company if you didn’t believe it was a quality, trustworthy organization with valuable offerings for customers. In that sense, you’re similar to most leaders we surveyed—nearly 80% of whom think their customers have somewhat or very high trust in their company’s brand.

The question is, do consumers agree? Not according to our research.

Barely half of surveyed consumers said they feel somewhat or very high trust for the brands they have purchased from or used in 2021. And even the most trusted brands have room for improvement. For example, a net of 33 customers out of 100 said they believed the brands they trust most are transparent—that is, that those brands openly share all information, motives and choices in straightforward and plain language. A net of 48 out of 100 said their most-trusted brands consistently deliver on their promises.

The shortage of trust in brands is all the more striking given fundamental human nature.

If people are inclined to trust, why do they have so little trust even in the brands that they trust most? And why are so many leaders out of step with the perceptions held by consumers?

The answers lie in the complex ways that trust is built—and the many easy ways that it can be broken.