Cheap date wrong way to build trust

I couldn’t agree more with Branwell Johnson’s leader column (MW last week) that brand trust is absolutely critical for today’s premium brands.

However, it strikes me that this is particularly pertinent given the increasingly loud signals being sent out by deals websites such as Groupon, which serve to devalue the customer relationship by encouraging promiscuous consumer behaviour.

Building trust has long been one of the keystones of the content marketing industry and last year we determined that more than three-quarters of brands listed in ‘most trusted’ surveys, including John Lewis, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Virgin, Land Rover and BA, all subscribe to content marketing initiatives within their overall marketing strategy.

The most recent Edelman trust barometer reinforces this, showing that consumer trust in media sources is increasing. It is therefore clear that brands that engender trust are those that actively seek to engage, inform and entertain their customers, as opposed to offering a “cheap date” with their brand through discounting.

Julia Hutchison
Chief operating officer
Association of Publishing Agencies

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