Christopher Smith, BrandSmith’s CEO and Founder, April 1st, 2022
Building trust around a brand
Creating a relationship in which the consumer relies on the brand and commits itself to it is a long-term task that is linked directly to the organization’s purpose, and with its ability to remain faithful to it and to carry out actions that demonstrate it.
Trust is an essential element in any relationship, even in the context of brands. Trustful brands are a good business because they make greater profits, favor human capital and attract talent, ultimately increasing the overall value of the company.
The relationship between the brand and the consumer is not very different from that between two people. If in interpersonal relationships trust has three dimensions –cognitive, behavioral and affective–, the brand-client relationship is also based on three components.
The first is functional and relates to what extent the brand meets its basic propositions. Honesty here is essential. If we promise something we are not capable of delivering or have no intention to fulfill, there is no way to build trust.
The second component is relational and encompasses the interaction between the consumer and the brand in terms of communication. It includes what the brand says, how it treats people and its ability to respond to incidents. The third and final component is based on the values of the brand, which, seen from the point of view of the consumer, is linked to the company’s commitment to society in broad terms.
This component becomes more relevant in the context of an increasingly sensitive and militant consumer. No wonder brands such as Airbnb, the Intercontinental hotel chain, Amazon, Apple or Starbucks have seized the opportunity of activism and have launched campaigns that move away from an aspirational approach to take on a deeply social and/or political one.
But to achieve that deep connection that unites a consumer with a brand, simply writing up a principles statement is not enough. For this to happen, to get the consumer to trust and commit to the brand, it is necessary for him or her to believe, not only the promise of the brand but also that it has the means and the willingness to comply. That notion of faith will then be added to the symbolic ecosystem that represents the brand in the consumer’s head and, based on that faith, what will emerge is what Warren Bennis called “the emotional glue that joins leaders and followers”: trust.
