trust in us

In our latest newsletter, we explored the value of brand action in these times of mistrust. We've examined five categories we think are particularly interesting for the current market, and have looked at how they establish and maintain consumer trust.

These proactive brands anticipate social changes, prepare, understand consumers' needs and provide for them, rather than begging to join the party after consumers have had to ask for what they want. In doing so these brands earn respect and maintain a trust that truly runs deep.

clean brands

were originally championed by premium and organic foods such as Daylesford Organic, and body and pharmaceutical products like Ren, and are often distinguished visually by translucent white and clear packaging with colourful pastel accents. Consumer trust in clean brands is based on transparency: product sourcing, production and manufacture, fair trade policies, organic credentials and environmental awareness are all unblemished and open to public scrutiny. These brands become most volatile when trying to conceal something they do.

keywords: fair trade, untainted, organic, free-from, untouched, transparent, pure

do brands are actively earning consumer trust and respect through the activities they do. They might be giving back to the community, providing particularly worthy services or promoting causes beyond their own remit through experiences like Innocent's Village Fête, or the recently launched RockCorps by Orange. Their promotion of charitable, community activities turns brand ambassadors into brand

activists as they invest in doing rather than just saying.

keywords: involve, give back, participation, action, community, engagement, provide

inherited brands are trustworthy because they've been passed from generation to generation. Their brand status has less to do with branding and everything to do with how people come to know about the product. Inherited brands need little marketing and often draw simply on nostalgic value when they do. Even more than other categories, inherited brands such as Heinz, Lyle's Golden Syrup or even British Airways are the 'brands your grandmother recommends', and trust is lost usually through re-designs and brand re-positionings that disregard their past and alienate existing loyal customers.

keywords: heritage, authentic, local, &Sons, classic, original

useful brands make your life better, easier and exist as invisible daily staples in our lives. Trustworthy for their sheer utility and seamless integration in our world, brands like Google, Oyster, IKEA, meat producers, banks and other financial institutions are usually only noticed as brands when they cause problems or stop working properly. In other words, if we notice these brands, they've done something wrong.

Useful products and services should focus on their inherent utility and avoid letting expansion and marketing expose these invisible brands to potential mistrust.

keywords: utility, customer, services, staple, lifeline, daily

innovation brands change as quickly as the times, evolving, ducking and diving to make sure they're always ahead of the curve. These brands become known for change, innovation, creativity and style. Innovation brands like Apple, Nokia, Topshop and Audi take revoltionary change seriously, and they do it on a regular basis. The brand doesn't change, but products do. Every season provides an opportunity to re-establish trust, and their greatest risk is in not delivering enough change. Every product launch becomes an event, consumers become fans, and their leaders become icons.

keywords: evolution, season, innovation, leader, trendsetter