Trust and transparency are key components of brand success. However, in an era of fake news and fractured consumer behaviour, cynicism towards brands seems more intense than ever before.
So, what can companies do in response?
Steve Jobs famously proclaimed, “A brand is simply trust”.
Data from an annual study carried out by Kantar Millward Brown proves the strong relationship between the trust in a brand (in this case measured by their TrustR score) and their brand value. Among the most valuable brands in the world, the higher the level of trust in the brand, the more valuable it is, proving that trust is inherent in brand success.
2017 seems like it may prove a somewhat seminal year for programmatic advertising.
Ahead of a lengthier take on what 2018 might hold, our experts take a look at four key trends from this year.
New research suggests that today’s consumers are more distrustful than ever before.
According to Shoppercentric’s latest report, a whopping 46% of people fall into the ‘cynical’ bracket – displaying a distinct lack of trust in others. This naturally extends to brands, with the majority of shoppers rating corporate retailers and companies poorly when it comes to putting consumer interests first.
Fintech companies are already disrupting established financial services institutions in markets like banking and auto lending, but their future fortunes could be based in large part on government policy.
On that front, one of the biggest regulatory developments in years could be on the horizon in the United States.
Bad news for pharma marketers: Physicians are becoming harder to reach.
According to data from global sales and marketing firm ZS, the number of physicians who will meet with at least 70% of the pharma sales reps who request a meeting has dropped to 44%, down from 46% a year ago and 80% in 2008.
The past year has been tough for Chipotle Mexican Grill.
After multi-state E. coli outbreaks infected dozens of customers, the high-flying American fast food chain fell back to earth and has been struggling to heal its brand and encourage consumers to stay loyal.
Artificial Intelligence has been prominent in tech news recently, and was a hot topic at SXSW.
The technology has massive potential for use in customer communication, yet will it ever be able to completely replace the need for a human element?
Remember all those ‘data is the new oil’ articles?
Well, to continue the tawdry analogy, is that oil burning with a clean flame?
Are companies using data to improve services for customers, or is it merely about advertising to them? And how will data brokerage and sharing need to change in the coming years?
The cookie law. Wasn’t that a car crash?
Ugly banners stuck on top of beautiful designs, obscuring functionality and doing nothing for anybody except forcing a pointless click to get it out the way and get busy living.
Whose fault was that?
Can’t find a good .com domain for your company?
Thanks to new top-level domains, there is more opportunity than ever to find a catchy, highly-brandable domain name that’s still available for registration.
But is using a new top-level domain instead of a .com domain a good idea?
In many markets, competition is fierce and customer loyalty seems harder and harder to develop.
One of the reasons: consumers are increasingly a sceptical lot.