pay a lot more attention to what other people are saying This is the final of five thoughts on the subject of ‘trust’. Trust is essential to effective branding, and central to the long-term success of any business. Consumers are reluctant to buy a brand they don’t trust, and conduct as little business as possible […]

pay a lot more attention to what other people are saying This is the final of five thoughts on the subject of ‘trust’. Trust is essential to effective branding, and central to the long-term success of any business. Consumers are reluctant to buy a brand they don’t trust, and conduct as little business as possible with organisations they do not trust. A survey of consumers in the United States found that 53.9% of respondents do not trust sponsored content. That is, they question the veracity of content provided by the brand or business about itself. Consumers prefer third party content upon which to base decisions. One survey found that 70% of consumers were influenced, in determining whether they should trust a brand or business, by content published by peers. Another survey put this as high as 83%. Yet another survey found that 46% of consumers trust what other consumers say…