Building Consumer Trust in Brands During Global Challenges

I had the privilege to take the stage and discuss a topic that's becoming increasingly crucial in today's digital landscape: Trust. As AI continues to weave into the fabric of our daily lives, the rise of deep fakes and other manipulative technologies has blurred the lines between reality and fabrication. This is not just a tech issue—it's a broad market challenge that affects all of us, particularly in marketing and business leadership. The old playbook won't cut it anymore. We need to pivot towards creating authentic moments throughout the buyer journey, ensuring transparency and integrity are at the forefront of what we do. "Trust is a good business practice." This isn't just a saying; it's a mandate for our times. Creating authentic moments in the buyer journey is all about fostering genuine connections and transparency. Here are a few examples on how businesses and marketing leaders can implement this: Storytelling with Real Impact: Use real customer stories and case studies to highlight your solutions' impact. This isn't just about showcasing benefits, but also being upfront about the challenges and how your company worked to address them. Authentic storytelling can resonate deeply with potential buyers, making your brand more relatable and trustworthy. Behind-the-Scenes Content: Share behind-the-scenes content that shows how your solutions are made, your team in action, or the thought processes behind major decisions. This kind of transparency can build trust and give customers a sense of being part of your brand’s journey. Live Interactions: Host live Q&A sessions, webinars, or interactive events where potential and existing customers can engage directly with your team. These live interactions allow for real-time communication and can help clarify doubts, share insights, and personalize the experience. Customer-Centric Customization: Offer personalized experiences or products that cater to individual customer needs or preferences. When customers see that a brand is paying attention to their specific requirements, it enhances trust and loyalty. Responsive and Open Communication: Ensure your customer service is not only responsive but also genuinely helpful. Open lines of communication, like social media interactions and customer service chats that provide real solutions, can strengthen trust. Ethical Marketing: Use marketing techniques that are ethical and honest. Avoid overstating capabilities or benefits. Honest marketing will always resonate better with informed consumers who value integrity. How are you building trust in your business? #BusinessLeadership #MarketingInnovation #DigitalTrust #AI #Authenticity

Today's consumers are buying into values. They buy trust. Having been in the trenches building these programs with major retailers like Amazon, Ulta Beauty, and Sephora, I get asked almost daily: "How do we do this right?" From years of learning, here's the 5 step framework that actually works (and generates 12% sales lifts): 1- Start with data-driven audience insights. Macy's exemplified this by analyzing customer search and filter behavior to uncover which values actually drive purchase decisions. 2- Know your authority position. Ulta's high, unaided awareness meant they could confidently define values for their consumers. Other retailers might need to leverage third-party certifications. This decision fundamentally shapes your entire approach. 3- Create black-and-white program definitions. Sephora demonstrated why this matters. Their clear, unambiguous standards protect both retailers and consumers from misinterpretation. 4- Integrate technology from day one. This isn't optional. 82% of Gen Z researches online, but 73% convert in-store. Your values-based program must deliver a seamless omnichannel experience. 5- Make brand participation worthwhile through distinctive merchandising, special placement, and loyalty program integration. Your participating brands are investing significantly. Reward that investment. Ultimately, a successful values-based program goes beyond just adding labels to a shelf. It's about building trust at scale. It's the new gold standard for retail leadership and the key to winning the next generation of consumers.

There is a simple but powerful rule when it comes to building credibility and trust: always give people more than what they expect to get. Early in my career as I moved from academia to Research & Product Development at BNR, I learned a powerful lesson — listen to your customer for input and feedback all through the process. These days every company goes to great lengths to proclaim being customer-centric. Yet, many of them put up multiple walls and make it nearly impossible for customers to get through to their support team. I experienced this first hand recently with a big bank and a relatively large SaaS vendor. In today’s AI era, it’s almost sacrilegious to have customers jump through multiple hoops to solve an issue. It’s literally a virtual obstacle course for customers seeking support. Long waits for a chatbot, endless web forms, and the absence of direct phone or email support turn what should be a straightforward process into an nightmare customer experience. If you proudly tout your brand as being customer-first, why not make it easy for customers to get in touch with you. It's no coincidence that the brands that get this right earn true loyalty: Amazon with its instant refunds, Costco’s return policy, Apple's one-touch Genius Bar appointments, Away's warranty and impeccable support. And at Tata Group’s Taj Hotels, being "guest-obsessed" means going beyond expectations at every stage. Here is what these companies do really well: 1. Meeting customers where they are: they help users through their journey, remove friction and make it easy to seek help, while fully empowering the front line. 2. Being transparent and managing expectations: no one is perfect, but acknowledging mistakes and genuinely working to find a solution when there is a problem helps to build trust. 3. Show genuine empathy: it makes all the difference. 4. Ingrained into the culture: Planning for customer service when you’re designing your product or service ensures that it isn’t an afterthought. Which companies have wowed you with their customer experience? #customerexperience #customers #support #customerdelight #business

I sat down with Katie Marston, CMO of Once Upon a Farm, at Cannes. And she asked me a question that every brand using Brij should be asking: "Are we using your full capabilities?" The answer? definitely not. Here's what that conversation taught me about building authentic brand relationships at retail: -- The Transparency Play Once Upon a Farm came to us with a specific challenge: They needed to share heavy metal testing results with consumers. Not just for their baby products (which was regulatory). For ALL their products. Think about that for a second. In an era where brands hide behind legal jargon, they chose radical transparency. Katie's exact words: "I can't even imagine that we were gonna build it ourselves. That would have been insane and way too expensive." -- The Missed Opportunity But here's where it gets interesting. They were using Brij as a transparency tool. Smart. But they weren't using us for: Data collection at retail Event activation Quantifying impact through our Shopify & Klaviyo integrations That's like buying a Tesla and only using it for the sound system. -- The Future Vision Katie sees where this is going: "As we look forward into the future, doing more experiential, doing more in-store, and being able to create a stronger customer community..." That's the game. Not just solving today's problem. Building tomorrow's relationships. -- The Personal Connection As a mom of two, this hits different. When Katie talked about their obsession with clean ingredients—from sourcing to team culture—I felt it. This isn't corporate speak. It's parents talking to parents. And that authenticity? That's what builds billion-dollar brands. -- The Takeaway Most brands use 20% of their tech stack's capabilities. The winners? They constantly ask: "What more can we do?" Because in retail, you're either building relationships or losing customers. There's no middle ground. Huge thanks to Katie for the candid conversation. And for reminding me why we built Brij in the first place. To help brands like Once Upon a Farm turn transparency into trust. And trust into lifetime value. 💙 What's one capability in your tech stack you're probably underutilizing? Let's get honest in the comments 👇 #CannesLions #RetailInnovation #CustomerTransparency #BrandStrategy

Consumer Trust in Advertising Is Growing, Especially Among Younger Audiences. Marketers often chase performance metrics but overlook something more valuable: trust. The good news is that trust is rising and redefining how modern consumers connect with brands. Here’s what the data tells us: • Trust in advertising among 18 to 34 year olds has increased by 16 points since 2022  • 54 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This is not just a trend. It is a shift in how trust is earned and how purchase decisions are made.Younger demographics are not against advertising. They are against inauthenticity. So how do you earn their trust and convert attention into loyalty? Five Trust Building Tactics Backed by Behavior 1. Prioritize Social Content That Feels Native, Not Promotional Social content is where consumers explore and evaluate. Short videos, behind the scenes clips, and real customer stories perform better than polished campaigns. These formats build familiarity and connection faster than static ads ever could. 2. Let Authentic Reviews Do the Talking Real feedback from real users creates social proof. Screenshots, testimonials, and casual shoutouts provide context and credibility. People trust people, not taglines. 3. Start Conversations, Not Just Campaigns Engage directly. Answer questions, respond to comments, and participate in real time. Direct engagement shows there is a human behind the brand, which builds rapport and retention. 4. Be Transparent From the First Click No hidden pricing, no buried terms. Clarity from the start creates a sense of fairness, which leads to stronger trust and fewer abandoned journeys. 5. Partner With Trusted Creators Over Big Influencers The right creator has earned credibility with their audience. That relationship translates into more meaningful attention and better alignment with your brand’s values. If trust drives buying decisions, then content today should feel more like a conversation than a campaign. Want to create content that builds trust, converts customers, and fuels growth? Message me and let us bring your brand to life through the stories your audience already wants to hear.

https://lnkd.in/gvNEYq5m The TL:DR There are three main challenges facing lifestyle & luxury brands' ability to connect directly with their customers: ➡ While direct-to-consumer is growing, the wholesale channel is still significant at $10T+ and growing where it's difficult to capture the direct customer relationship ➡ Regulations – privacy and impending cookie deprecation forcing brands to rethink their strategies ➡ Second-hand/pre-owned market sales growth - while only 3-5% of the market today some analysts say it could reach up to 40% so it can't be ignored By tokenizing every product, there is a digital representation of the product (similar to a car’s VIN), which is recorded on a blockchain – a secure, transparent ledger. This record persists everywhere the product travels, from manufacturer to primary and second-hand buyers. Every owner of your product, regardless of where it was purchased (direct, wholesale or second-hand) becomes a direct registered customer and can share their data with you (permission-based in a wallet) to unlock rewards and brand experiences. The impact of this is: ➡ Build direct access to customers regardless of sales channel ➡ Connected product experiences - turning the product serial # into an immersive and engaging brand experience ➡ Zero party data – highly reliable permissioned access to customer data ➡ Traceability – fully transparent, secure and trusted for better brand experience and regulatory compliance ➡ Authenticity – transferable, digital certificates of authenticity

As I was going through customer interviews for a client recently, a common theme emerged - when they needed a solution, they reached out to someone they knew and trusted first. This rings true, especially in #professionalservices, where growth heavily relies on referrals and strong relationships. Trust is crucial in the decision-making process. Customers are more likely to choose a brand or business they have an affinity towards and a relationship with. Professional services already excel at relationships. But to achieve scalable growth, they need a framework to scale relationships and 1:1 conversations. So, how do we scale knowing and trust? The key is to focus on the mindset and activities that build affinity at scale. Instead of pushing prospects through a sales funnel to have a sales conversation too soon, you can create content that fosters trust over time. Think about the one thing they need to know about you each week to build trust. Deliver that value through content, whether it's through podcasts or webinars, paid ads, organic blog posts, or social media updates. People need to know who we are, have their skepticism addressed, their questions answered, and be excited about our solutions. By forming these connections, we ensure that when they're ready to buy, we are top of mind because we've already laid the foundation of trust. So, let's start building affinity today, knowing it will lead to scalable revenue tomorrow. #RevenueGrowth #MarketingStrategy #DemandGeneration #B2BMarketing

Can you say YES to all 7? One of the most important things a business owner can do is build or reinforce trust. Here are 7 ways you can do this. 1. Make customer service a priority Prioritize timely, courteous, and effective solutions to customer inquiries and problems. Strong customer service often turns a one-time customer into a loyal fan of your brand. 2. Promote authenticity and transparency Be honest about your products/services, including potential drawbacks. This candidness helps build trust and sets realistic expectations with customers. 3. Share customer feedback Regularly display real customer reviews and testimonials, both positive and negative. This shows that you value customer input and are committed to continuous improvement. (Your Google Business Profile is a great place to do this.) 4. Connect with customers (And I don't mean have the robot do it) Engage directly with customers through personalized communications and face-to-face interactions whenever possible. People are craving genuine human connections, not robots. 5. Invest in your team members A knowledgeable and motivated team offers better service. They are the face and voice of the business's customer experience. They are the ones responsible for building trust in your brand. Provide regular training & development opportunities, and don't forget that recognition and incentivizing their hard work goes a long way in building a strong culture that serves your customers well. 6. Track the metrics that align with trust What gets measured gets managed. Monitor and measure KPIs such as customer satisfaction, retention rates, and response times. Knowing your numbers will guide improvements and demonstrate your commitment to building trust with customers. 7. Regularly ask for feedback Actively seek customer opinions on how your business can improve. This not only provides valuable insights but also shows that you are responsive and care about their needs. The goal isn't being liked, it's being trusted. And when you earn, maintain, and deeply value trust...with customers and your team...the profits inevitably follow. Are you prioritizing trust building within your business? What are you doing? Tell me 👇

🌟 TIFOC Thursday: The Power of Owning Your Mistakes to Forge Deeper Trust with Customers It is TIFOC Thursday and you should go and see a customer. In the high-stakes world of the military, trust isn't just a value—it's a matter of life and death. This principle, although extreme, holds invaluable lessons for us in customer relations and business leadership. Simon Sinek shares a profound story from his experience with the military that underscores the critical importance of honesty and taking responsibility for our actions. A Marine fell asleep on watch, a serious lapse. Yet, it wasn't the mistake itself that led to the consideration of his dismissal, but his initial denial of the act. It was a stark reminder that owning up to our mistakes immediately is fundamental. The Marine who admitted his error straight away faced consequences but remained trusted, showcasing that it's not the error that defines us, but how we respond to it. 🔑 The Key to Building Trust: Sinek's narrative brings to light an essential truth: In the business arena, our "combat" isn't against physical dangers, but against the unpredictable challenges that test our relationships with customers. The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent example where everything we knew was thrown into chaos, and decisive leadership became crucial. However, such command and control are only effective if founded on pre-established trust. When facing challenges with customers, the ability to own our mistakes transparently can turn potential conflict into an opportunity for strengthening relationships. Like the Marines, it's not the avoidance of mistakes we should aspire to—errors are human—but the courage to acknowledge them. This honesty lays the groundwork for trust, ensuring our teams and customers believe in our intentions and actions, even in times of crisis. Applying Sinek's Lessons: Immediate Ownership: Acknowledge mistakes as soon as they happen, not when they're uncovered. Transparency: Be open about errors and the steps taken to rectify them. This demonstrates integrity and commitment to improvement. Build Before You Need: Cultivate trust daily, not just when a crisis hits. It's the equity you build in good times that supports you in the bad. Command and Control with Care: In moments of chaos, decisive leadership is necessary, but its effectiveness is predicated on the trust you've built, ensuring your customer or team knows you're acting with their best interests at heart. As we navigate the complexities of customer interactions and leadership, let's remember that our response to adversity and mistakes can either erode or greatly enhance trust. Embracing accountability, like the Marines, ensures that even in the face of errors, our commitment to integrity shines through, strengthening our bonds with customers and colleagues alike. https://lnkd.in/gnyiBxkK #LeadershipLessons #TrustBuilding #CustomerCentricity #SimonSinek #TIFOCThursday #B2B Sales

“C-Suite leaders, let me ask you this — if trust is the most valuable currency in business today, how much is your brand really worth? Are you earning trust every day, or assuming it’s already in the bank?” Uber's new “Women Preferred” pilot — rolling out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit — isn’t just a feature launch. It’s a brand statement. A signal that safety, trust, and customer experience are no longer “nice-to-haves” — they are non-negotiable. 3 Key Insights for Leaders: 1️⃣ Trust isn’t a tagline — it’s a strategy. Every product update, service decision, or policy change adds to or subtracts from your trust equity. 2️⃣ Your brand lives in emotions, not boardrooms. Your customers remember how you make them feel, not what you promise in ads or campaigns. 3️⃣ Silence is costly. The companies that anticipate customer concerns (like Uber responding to safety issues) stay ahead. The rest? They get left behind. Questions for C-Suite Leaders: •What “trust gaps” exist between your brand and your customers? •How would your organization respond if your customers demanded radical transparency tomorrow? •Are you creating bold moves proactively, or just waiting for the next PR storm? A Thought to Leave You With: The future of your brand will be defined not by what you sell, but by how much people trust you. “What’s one bold move your company made recently that directly built trust with your customers? I’d love to hear your thoughts.” 🧐 I’ve spoken on branding, trust, and emotional intelligence at conferences around the world — from Cairo to Barcelona — helping executives and teams understand how to build brands that resonate on a human level. If you need a speaker on brand strategy or emotional intelligence or want to deepen your team’s impact through DISC training, visit www.sidneyevansglobal.com.