Trust The New Brand Equity
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust The New Brand Equity
5 years of trust research: Growing demands on brands 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Rise of Belief- Brand Democracy: Brand Trust a Top Brands Expected to Trust, the New driven Buying Voting With My Wallet Buying Criteria Solve Pandemic Brand Equity Problems 2
SEISMIC SHIFT IN VALUES 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands Amidst Crisis 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report Pandemic Changes Only Business Seen as Both Brand Buying Criteria Competent and Ethical Net change in importance as a buying criteria Matter more Ethical Value, customer safety, and people +37 NGOs Business Less Competent Competent Matter less Media My image, trendiness, excitement -15 Government Unethical 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands Amidst Crisis. IMP_COV. For each of the following purchasing considerations, please indicate whether it has become more important to you, less important to you, or has stayed the same in importance, as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 3-point scale; code 1, more important; code 2, less important. General population, 8-mkt avg. Data is the difference between more important and less important. “Value, customer safety, and people” is a net of attributes 17, 29, 33; “Image, trendiness, and excitement” is a net of attributes 6, 9, 10. 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer. The ethical scores are averages of nets based on INS_PER_DIM/1-4. Question asked of half of the sample. The competence score is a net based on TRU_3D_INS/1. Depending on the question it was either asked of the full of half the sample. General population, 24-mkt avg. Data not 3 collected in China, Russia and Thailand. For full details regarding how this data was calculated and plotted please refer to the Technical Appendix.
A BROADER DEFINITION OF BRAND RELEVANCE Then… Now… Brand relevance limited Culture, purpose, and to cultural relevance society all matter to brands Culture Culture brands BRAND RELEVANCE Purpose Society Purpose Society companies government 4
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust The New Brand Equity 14-market online survey Report includes findings from: 2021 Edelman Trust Management: Brand Tracker Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, 7-market tracking survey of 115 brands Mexico, Saudi Arabia, S. Africa, S. Korea, UAE, UK and U.S. • China, France, Germany, India, Japan, UK, and U.S. • All data is nationally representative based on age, region, gender • 7,350 respondents (1,050 per market) and additionally in the UK and U.S. by race/ethnicity • Respondents rate up to 10 brands out of • 14,000 respondents (1,000 per market) 70 brands in each market Timing of Fieldwork: Eight waves between Timing of Fieldwork: May 12 – June 2, 2021 August 14, 2020, and May 30, 2021 Margin of error: 14-market average data +/- 0.8% (n=14,000), Market-specific data +/- 3.1% (n=1,000) 5
Brands must work to change the world. 6
BRAND TRUST MATTERS MORE THAN LOVE Percent who rate each as critical or important when deciding which brands to buy or use Total Critical deal importance breaker It offers a good value for the money 89 36 It offers the best quality 89 33 I trust it 88 32 It offers high quality customer service 85 28 It is convenient to find, buy and use 85 26 It has a good reputation 84 26 I love it 81 26 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. TRUST_IMP. When it comes to brands in general that you will or will not buy or use, categorize each of the following attributes based on whether it is a critical deal breaker, important to have, or merely a nice to have. 3-point scale; code 1, deal breaker; code 2, important. General population, 14-mkt avg. Data on the left 7 is a sum of codes 1 and 2.
TRUST IN BRANDS NOW MORE IMPORTANT Percent who say Brand trust matters more across demographics— but especially for younger consumers It is more important 75 69 59 for me to be able to trust 68% the brands I buy or use today than in the past Age 18-34 Age 35-54 Age 55+ 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. IMP_TRU. Is it more important to you to be able to trust the brands you buy or use today than it was in the past? 8 Question asked of those who said it’s at least a little important to be able to trust the brands they buy or use (Q100/2-5). General population, 14-mkt. avg., and by age.
DEEPER DEPENDENCE ON BRANDS INCREASES NEED FOR TRUST Reasons why it is more important to trust the brands they buy today than in the past Trust more important in all aspects of my life 43 Brands’ increasing impact on the environment 36 Increased reliance on brands to keep me safe in pandemic 32 Brands’ impact on the economic recovery 31 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. IMP_WHY. You just indicated that it is more important to you to be able to trust the brands you buy today than in the past. Among the items listed below, please select those, if any, that best describe why it has become more important to you to be able to trust brands. Pick all that apply. Question asked of those that say it 9 is more important to be able to trust the brands they buy or use today than in the past (IMP_TRU/1). General population, 14-mkt avg.
BRANDS EXPECTED TO ACT BEYOND THEIR BUSINESS Actions consumers expect from the brands they buy: Expect brands to take Give money to good causes Address societal challenges one or more actions Tell hard truths Support local communities 86% beyond their product Create positive change in society Display representative images and business Address political issues Support culture and the arts Make our culture more accepting No support for misinformation 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. EXPECT. When it comes to thinking and acting beyond their products and business, what do you expect from the brands 10 you buy? Pick all that apply. General population, 14-mkt avg. Data shown is a net of attributes 1-10.
TODAY, PEOPLE ARE MORE FOCUSED ON THE “WE” THAN THE “ME” I am more attracted to… Brands that focus on making the world a better place 63 37 Brands that focus on making mea better person 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. ATTRACT. You are about to see two choices. Please pick the one that better describes the type of images, messages, 11 people and brands that you are more attracted to, or that you find more appealing, these days. General population, 14-mkt avg.
BRAND RELEVANCE NOW FAVORS “WE” VALUES Percent who say each action would make a brand culturally relevant Reflect societal values 38 Meet a new societal need 33 “We” values Changesocial interactions for the better 32 Part of my life since childhood 30 Matches my humor 30 “Me” values Represents my lifestyle 29 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. CULT_REL. Companies strive to make their brands as relevant as possible to consumers as a way of increasing the likelihood that people will be attracted to them. One form of relevance that some brands try to achieve is cultural relevance. What would make a brand culturally relevant to you? Pick all that apply. General 12 population, 14-mkt avg. “All of the above” added to each response.
2021 Edelman Trust Management Brand Tracker CHANGING CULTURE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO EARN BRAND TRUST Edelman Brand Trust Score for brands seen as… (7-market average) +38 65 52 pts Changing culture improves a brand’s Trust lift +25 performance across all five trust-building for brands pts dimensions, when compared to brands that focus only on product functionality (percent lift): 27 Purpose +62% Self +58% Integrity +56% Dependability +51% Ability +45% Functional Reflecting Changing only our culture our culture 2021 Edelman Trust Management: Brand Tracker. ETMB21. Which of the following best describes [BRAND]? 9-point scale; top 3 box, high trusters; bottom 4 box, distrusters. General population, 7-mkt avg. Data shown is an EBTS score that ranges from -100 to 100. The EBTS is calculated by subtracting distrusters from high trusters. Data for this wave was fielded from May 20 to May 30, 2021. For 13 details about how the five dimensions are measured and more information on how the trust scores are calculated please refer to the Technical Appendix. Brand trust increases shown are percent increases in brand dimension.
Trust is the new brand equity. 14
NEARLY 2 IN 3 CONSUMERS BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE POWER TO FORCE BRANDS TO CHANGE Which do you see as the balance of power? Consumers can get a brand to change almost anything about itself 63 37 Consumers cannot force brands to change 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. BRD_CHOICE4. You are about to see a series of two choices. We want you to choose the one that best describes what 15 you see as the balance of power in the marketplace. General population, 14-mkt avg.
CONSUMERS WANT TO USE THEIR BRAND POWER TO MAKE SOCIETY BETTER Consumers believe they can force brands to: I can force brands to Use environmentally-friendly materials 39 Improve labor practices 38 change its company’s Reduce carbon footprint 37 Pay fair share of taxes 33 78% societal impact (net) Increase workforce diversity 32 Manufacture products in this country 31 Get CEO to speak out 27 Get rid of CEO 25 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. BRD_IMP. If a large group of consumers put pressure on a brand, which of the following do you think they could force the brand to do? Pick all that apply. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 14-mkt avg. “All of the above” added to each 16 response. Data on the left is a net of attributes 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12.
CONSUMERS WILL GIVE UP BRANDS THEY LOVE IF THEY DON’T TRUST THE COMPANY Percent who agree High-income consumers even more likely to switch when they don’t trust the company There are brands I love 50 but no longer buy because 31 40 40% I do not trust the company that owns the brand Low income Middle income High income 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. CORP_BRD. Individual product brands are often produced by big corporations that own many different brands. When it comes to product brands versus the corporations that own them, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. General population, 14-mkt 17 avg., and by income.
2021 Edelman Trust Management Brand Tracker CONSUMERS WILL BUY BRANDS THEY TRUST Percent who are likely to buy the brand in the future, comparing those who have high trust in the brand to those who distrust the brand High trusters Distrusters Multiplier 7x 4x 6x 6x 6x 8x 8x 8x (likelihood to 80 buy among high 70 75 71 trusters vs. 65 64 63 63 distrusters) 19 13 12 10 11 8 8 8 7-market India China U.S. UK Germany France Japan average 2021 Edelman Trust Management: Brand Tracker. ETMB13. How likely are you to buy/use the products and services of the following brands in the future? 7-point scale; top 2 box, more likely to purchase. EBTS1. Please indicate how much you trust each brand. 9-point scale; top 3 box, high trusters; bottom 4 box, distrusters. General population, 7-mkt avg. Data shown is an aggregate from 70 18 brand ratings in each market across five waves in 2021 (January to May 2021). For details about how this data is collected and measured please refer to the Technical Appendix.
A new playbook for brands. 19
BUSINESS INTEGRITY FOUNDATIONAL TO BRAND TRUST Top 2 issues that business sectors must speak out on or risk losing trust, based on the average ranking of each issue within each market, demographic and sector within within within markets demographics sectors Workers’ rights and paying a living wage #1 #1 #1 Safely re-opening the economy #2 #2 #2 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. SECTOR. Please indicate which of the following issues the [SECTOR] industry/business sector must publicly speak out on or risk losing your trust. Pick all that apply. Industries shown to half of the sample. General population, 14-mkt avg. “All of the above” added to each response. Data is showing the ranking of both issues 20 across all markets, demographics, and sectors. For full details regarding how this data was calculated please refer to the Technical Appendix.
BEYOND THE FUNDAMENTALS, ADDRESS WHAT MATTERS LOCALLY Top issues business sectors must speak out on or risk losing trust a i b y a a n r a a e o A c e a i r l d a c i r zi a n nc m ia an i d f o . a n i a r x u A K S r d B Ca Ch Fr Ge In Jap Me Sa S. S. UAE UK U. Making companies pay their fair share of taxes 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 Taking actions to combat climate change 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 and environmental degradation Alleviating poverty and helping the poor 2 2 1 1 Improving access to healthcare 1 1 2 1 2 Protecting human rights worldwide 2 Improving people’s diet and nutrition 1 Promoting gender equality 2 Ending racism 2 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. SECTOR. Please indicate which of the following issues the [SECTOR] industry/business sector must publicly speak out on or risk losing your trust. Pick all that apply. Industries shown to half of the sample. General population, by market. “All of the above” added to each response. Data is showing an average across all 21 sectors. Rankings show where each issue ranks, excluding attributes 8 and 9.
FOR BRANDS THAT TAKE A STAND, REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE RISKS Percent who would be more or less likely to buy a brand that commits to each issue More likely to buy Less likely to buy Rewards greater than risks even for highly politicized issues Multiplier 4.5x 4.5x 4.0x 4.0x 3.5x 3.0x 2.5x 2.0x (Reward vs. risk) 52 52 52 50 46 44 35 34 12 13 13 13 14 14 18 11 Healthcare Human Climate Racism Economic Gender Reproductive Border rights change inequality/ equality rights protection/ wage gap immigration 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. RISK. If a brand were to publicly support and demonstrate a commitment to each of the following, how would that impact 22 your likelihood of buying or using that brand? 4-point scale; codes 1-2, less likely; code 4, more likely. General population, 14-mkt avg.
BRANDS MUST EARN AND TELL THEIR STORY Percent who believe information about a brand from each source, either automatically or after seeing it twice or less Communications from… Earned Brand Brand Influencer Social media media advertising media 48 44 Number of times they need to see the 41 38 information repeated before believing it: 34 Once or twice 38 35 33 30 If I see it here, I will automatically 28 assume it is true 10 9 8 8 6 I will never believe it is true if 16 23 22 30 27 this is the only place I see it 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. Q9. When you see a new piece of information about a brand in each of the following places, how many times do you need to see it or hear repeated before you believe it is really true? Question asked of half of the sample. “Once or twice” is a net of codes 2 and 3. General population, 14-mkt avg. “Earned media” is an 23 average of attributes 2 and 3. “Brand media” is an average of attributes 5 and 6.
BRANDS MUST BALANCE PEER AND EXPERT VOICES Percent who say each is credible regarding… Quality / value of the brand Lifestyle / fit of the brand Academic 57 Person like 57 expert yourself Person like 56 Academic 51 yourself expert Influencer 48 Influencers can bring both Influencer 48 expertise and relatability 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. ABILITY_SPK. Below is a list of people. If a brand were to use each as their spokesperson on issues related to the quality and value-for-the-money of its products compared to its competitors, how credible would they be? 4-point scale; top 2 box, credible. Question asked of half of the sample. SELF_SPK. Below is a list 24 of people. If a brand were to use each as their spokesperson on issues related to how well it is likely to fit your lifestyle and interests, how credible would they be? 4-point scale; top 2 box, credible. Question asked of half of the sample. General population, 14-mkt avg. “Influencer” is a net of attributes 8 and 9.
BRANDS MUST MOVE AT THE SPEED OF CULTURE Percent who say they expect a timely brand response to a major news event Issue a public statement Have their CEO publicly on social media regarding speak out regarding 54% their position on this issue 51% the issue or event within 2-3 days within 2-3 days 18 20 16 15 19 17 Within Within Within Within Within Within hours a day 2-3 days hours a day 2-3 days 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. TIME1. If there is a major event reported in the news that is causing a strong emotional response among the people in this country, how soon do you expect to see a brand respond to that event in each of the following ways? 7-point scale; code 1, within hours; code 2, within a day; code 3, within 2 to 3 days. General 25 population, 14-mkt avg. Data is a sum of codes 1-3.
The rewards for brands. 26
TRUST DRIVES GROWTH Percent who say they are more likely to do each for brands they fully trust, vs. those they do not trust Recommendit to others Stay loyal to it Display it on my person or in my home Stick with it even if something goes wrong 61% Talk about itin my social media 43% will advocate will stay loyal Buy new products or services it introduces Participate in activities or causes it sponsors 57% Buy it even if it is not as cheapas other options 31%Share personal data, allow it to track me online will purchase will engage 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust, The New Brand Equity. TRUST_KPI. What are you more likely to do on behalf of a brand that you fully trust versus one that you DO NOT fully 27 trust? Pick all that apply. General population, 14-mkt avg. “Advocate” is a net of attributes 1, 3, 7; “Purchase” is a net of 5, 9; “Stay loyal” is a net of attributes 2, 10; “Engage” is a net of 4, 6.
TRUSTED BRANDS CONNECT TO CULTURE, PURPOSE, AND SOCIETY Take Out Hate Helped Asian restaurants recover from xenophobic, anti-Asian backlash during COVID-19 by encouraging people to order from their Culture favorite local Asian restaurants through #TakeOutHate. A New Jingle for a New Era Replaced a centuries-old ice cream truck jingle with surprisingly racist roots with a new original jingle created with legendary Wu-Tang Clan founder, RZA – bringing joy and inclusivity to communities everywhere. BRAND RELEVANCE Wildlife Watch Purpose Society Applied Samsung’s powerful phone technology to enable anybody, anywhere to act as a virtual ranger to combat illegal poaching of endangered African wildlife. Hair Love Advanced awareness of the CROWN Act, which aims to end race- based hair discrimination, with an Oscars campaign in partnership with "Hair Love" filmmaker Matthew Cherry. 28
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust The New Brand Equity 1 2 3 4 Navigate a new Be an engine of Earn trust across Trust drives cultural playing field cultural change both product & growth corporate brand Culture is critical to trust. Today’s Through brands, people have the People consider both the brands Brands are not only built on ability cultural landscape is broader than power to create change in the they buy, the companies behind and competence, but also the pop influence. It is also shaped by world. Be prepared to speak out them, and the employees who emotional impact of trust to the purpose and society and seismic and recalibrate your business in work there. consumer. Trusted brands are values shifts. real time. rewarded with purchase, loyalty, and advocacy. 29
Technical Appendix 30
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT IMP_WHY: Reasons why it is more important to trust the brands they buy today than in the past Shortened Full Trust more important in all aspects of my life Trust has become more important to me in all aspects of my life than it used to be Brands’ increasing impact on the environment How brands produce and deliver their products is having an increasingly large impact on the environment Increased reliance on brands to keep me safe in pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased my reliance on brands to keep me and the people in my community safe from the virus Brands making smart decisions about when and how to reopen or resume normal Brands’ impact on the economic recovery business operations will have a huge impact on how quickly and safely the economy recovers 31
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT EXPECT: Actions consumers expect from the brands they buy Shortened Full Give money to good causes They give money to good causes such as feeding the poor and eradicating disease Address societal challenges They actively engage in addressing social issues and helping to address societal challenges that I care about Tell hard truths They are not afraid to speak the truth about what is happening in the country, even if it is unpleasant or not what their customers want to hear Support local communities They support and improve the communities in which they do business Create positive change in society They use their power, money and influence to create positive change in society Display representative images They display positive and demographically representative images of our society Address political issues They actively engage in addressing political issues that I care about Support culture and the arts They support culture and the arts Make our culture more accepting They actively work to improve our culture, making it more humane, more accepting and richer No support for misinformation They do not support with their advertising money organizations that allow hate speech or the spread of mis-information 32
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT CULT_REL: Actions that would make a brand culturally relevant Shortened Full Reflect societal values It reflects the current values of our society Meet a new societal need It meets a need that is a result of some newly emerging change in our society (for example, the new needs that the pandemic lockdowns spawned) Change social interactions for the better It is attempting to change the way people talk or think or treat each other for the better Part of my life since childhood It has been part of my life since my childhood Matches my humor It has a sense of humor that matches mine Represents my lifestyle It speaks to the interests and needs of people who share my ideology or lifestyle 33
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT BRD_IMP: What consumers believe they can force brands to do Shortened Full Use environmentally-friendly materials Ensure that the raw materials it uses are cruelty-free and harvested or collected in environmentally friendly ways Improve labor practices Improve its labor practices and how it treats its employees Reduce carbon footprint Reduce the size of its carbon footprint and enhance its sustainability practices Pay fair share of taxes Pay its fair share of taxes Increase workforce diversity Increase the diversity of its workforce Manufacture products in this country Manufacture or produce its products in this country instead of in cheaper labor markets Get CEO to speak out Get its CEO to speak out on an important societal issue Get rid of CEO Get rid of its CEO if they disapproved of his or her actions 34
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT SECTOR: Issues that business sectors must speak out on or risk losing trust Shortened Full Worker’s rights and paying a living wage Protecting worker’s rights and paying a living wage Safely re-opening the economy Safely re-opening the economy post COVID Poverty Alleviating poverty and helping the poor Corporate taxes Making companies pay their fair share of taxes Climate change and the environment Taking actions to combat climate change and environmental degradation Healthcare Improving access to healthcare Human rights Protecting human rights worldwide Diet and nutrition Improving people’s diet and nutrition Gender equality Promoting gender equality Racism Ending racism and racial inequality Disability inclusion Making our society more inclusive and accepting when it comes to people with physical or mental disabilities Job automation Addressing the impact of technology and globalization on jobs in this country Education Ensuring access to a quality education Misinformation in the media Protecting the independence of the media and actively combatting misinformation and outright lies Childcare Guaranteeing quality childcare 35
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT RISK: Issues that brands need to commit to Shortened Full Healthcare Improving access to healthcare Human rights Protecting human rights worldwide Climate change Taking actions to combat climate change and environmental degradation Racism Ending racism and racial inequality Economic inequality/wage gap Committing to reduce economic inequality (e.g., close the gap between CEO and worker pay) Gender equality Promoting gender equality Reproductive rights Protecting reproductive rights Border protection/immigration Protecting our borders and controlling immigration 36
DATA IN DETAIL FULL TEXT FOR ANSWER CHOICES THAT WERE ABBREVIATED IN THE REPORT TRUST_KPI: Actions consumers are more likely to do each for brands they fully trust, vs. those they do not trust Shortened Full Recommend it to others Recommend the fully trusted brand to other people Display it on my person or in my home Display the fully trusted brand on my person or in my home Talk about it in my social media Talk about the fully trusted brand in my social media Buy new products or services it introduces Buy new products or services the fully trusted brand introduces Buy it even if it is not as cheap as other options Buy the fully trusted brand even if it is not as cheap as some of my other options Stay loyal to it Stay loyal to the fully trusted brand, and not be actively shopping around for another brand that I might like better Stick with it even if something goes wrong Stick with the fully trusted brand even if it makes a mistake or something goes wrong Participate in activities or causes it sponsors Participate in activities, promotions or causes the fully trusted brand sponsors Share personal data, allow it to track me online Share personal data with the fully trusted brand or allow it to track my online activities 37
THE EDELMAN BRAND TRUST SCORE AND HOW IT IS CALCULATED The Edelman Brand Trust Score is measured with one simple KPI that can be applied universally to all brands in all EDELMAN BRAND TRUST SCORE industries and enriched by norms and benchmarks: “I trust this High Trusters - Distrusters BRAND a great deal.” 47 It is a dynamic representation of a brand’s Trust Capital, built from identifying high trusters, neutrals, and distrusters for a brand and its competitive set. DK: DISTRUSTERS NEUTRALS HIGH TRUSTERS 4% 12% 24% 59% The Edelman Brand Trust Score is calculated by subtracting 19% 21% “distrusters” from “high trusters,” and ranges from -100 to 100. 19% It can be benchmarked compared to your competitive set, 11% 13% and tracked over time. It is applicable across all consumer segments, demographics 3% 2% 3% 4% and psychographics. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Not at all I trust this brand A great deal 38
THE DIMENSIONS OF BRAND TRUST AND HOW THEY ARE SCORED In managing your brand trust, there are five key dimensions that help interpret the score, diagnose strengths and weaknesses, and provide a comprehensive and actionable roadmap to build and protect trust. Each dimension score is the percentage of respondents who highly agree that the brand is living up to at least one of the two statements shown below for each. Ability: Functional trust. Is your brand good at what it does? Is it competent? brand Dependability: Transactional trust. trust Does the brand keep its promises? Is it reliable? score Integrity: Moral and ethical trust. Is the brand honest? Is it ethical for customers? Purpose: Societal and environmental trust. Is your brand trying to have a positive impact on society overall? Does it champion beliefs that matter to people? Self: Personal trust. Is it relevant to the audience? Does it resonate emotionally? 39
HOW THE ISSUE RANKINGS WERE CALCULATED Overall Within Within Within Issues average markets demos sectors Respondents were given a list of 15 societal Worker’s rights and paying 1.82 2.07 1.13 2.27 issues and asked to identify which ones a living wage businesses in various sectors must publicly speak Safely re-opening the economy 2.68 2.79 1.88 3.36 out on or risk losing trust. The issue selected by Poverty 5.08 5.50 4.00 5.73 the highest proportion of respondents was ranked Corporate taxes 5.23 5.57 4.75 5.36 #1, the second most selected issue was ranked Climate change and the #2 and so on. environment 5.62 6.14 5.00 5.73 Healthcare 6.69 6.00 5.88 8.18 We calculated the average ranking across our Human rights 6.80 7.07 6.50 6.82 14 markets, and separately for our 11 sectors and 8 different demographic groups. Finally, we Diet and nutrition 7.93 6.93 8.13 8.73 averaged the market, sector and demographic Racism 8.15 8.36 8.63 7.45 averages to arrive at an overall ranking average. Gender equality 8.53 8.43 9.25 7.91 The issues with the highest overall rankings were Disability inclusion 10.13 10.07 10.88 9.45 identified as the #1 and #2 most important for Job automation brands to address. 11.74 11.79 12.25 11.18 Education 12.36 12.36 13.00 11.73 Misinformation in the media 13.33 13.29 13.88 12.82 Childcare 13.93 13.64 14.88 13.27 40
FULL SECTOR AND DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP LIST FROM IMPORTANCE RANKING ANALYSIS Sectors Demographics Automobile Male High tech products like computers and mobile phones Female Food and beverage product Ages 18-34 Pharmaceutical and over the counter medicine Ages 35-54 Beer, wine and spirit Ages 55+ Health and beauty product Low income Clothing and apparel Middle income Quick serve and fast casual restaurants High income Retail Financial services such as banks, investment companies and credit cards Hotel and airline 41
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report Trust, The New Brand Equity RESEARCH TEAM & CONTRIBUTORS Executive Director Tonia E. Ries Head of Thought David M. Bersoff, Ph.D. [email protected] Leadership Research [email protected] Executive Advisors Richard Edelman Sr. Research Manager Cody Armstrong Brand Megan Van Someren Jackie Cooper Research Analyst Giuseppe Bovenzi Allison Cirullo Abbey Fox Kary Laskin Lee Maicon Associate Research Analyst Claire Ritzmann Courtney Miller Statistician John Zamites Executive Editor Nancy Jeffrey Vice President Sarah Adkins Antoine Harary Maurice Selg Edelman Brand Measurement Joshua Wu, Ph.D. Sr. Project Manager Esther Choi Savanna Miller Daniel Lara-Agudelo Project Coordinator Chloe Buckley 42