Trust 2.0

On Tuesday, we shared some advice on the importance of trust in your relationships, and specifically your relationships with clients. In that article, we advised:

Staying on top of trends, bringing them new information and helping them answer sometimes-difficult questions can set you apart as a necessary and trusted partner and resource.

Today, some fresh new research about how consumers “trust” (or not) various advertising channels. Hoang Nguyen, writing for YouGov, an international research data and analytics group headquartered in London, reveals the results of a new global study about which types of ads people trust most. You’ll see similar results in other countries, but Americans trust traditional media most. Nguyen writes, “In today’s age, people are wary about the ads they see, and advertising's credibility varies significantly depending on how ads are delivered.”

It seems somewhat ironic that while massive amounts of advertising dollars are being spent on digital assets, trust in those ads could use some significant improvement. Although the research didn’t ask the question, it would seem logical that traditional media companies, like radio, who offer digital services to the audiences they serve, would fare better on the trust scale.

As you plan your meetings with clients and prospects next week, which ones do you think would benefit from a conversation with you about the level of trust Americans have in various advertising channels? It would also seem that where there is higher trust, there would be higher results from the advertising. This is fantastic news for radio, both traditionally and with their digital offerings.

As we shared on Tuesday, providing these types of trends, research and insights to your clients and prospects will also build your trust, and you will be seen as a must-have source of business intelligence.

Happy Friday!

Jeff Schmidt is SVP-Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. or follow him on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn.