Marketing and trust

Marketing Week has an interesting article today, asking: 'Can marketing overcome its trust issues?' Unilever's Marc Mathieu argues that customers want to be involved with brands and want ideas they can believe in. Mathieu's background with Coca-Cola, in branding and sustainability, gives him a good perspective.

Yet in recent years, consumers have often felt wary of marketing, distrustful of possible manipulation and concerned about corporate greed. At the same time, they prefer to trust product information and reviews from other consumers more than what marketers say. No wonder so many marketers are encouraging reviews on brand web sites and opening Facebook forums to encourage discussion among consumers.

Marketers must remember that building authenticity and reinforcing trustworthiness is a long-term goal--and trust may be seriously damaged by one thoughtless marketing action or when a product is recalled.