A recent Edelman study indicates that our collective willingness to trust what our friends have to say about brands (and companies in general) is down.
Just as many marketers are getting comfortable with shifting dollars to social media, Edelman’s latest “Trust Barometer” presents something of a wrinkle in the plan: the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company dropped by almost half since 2008, from 45% to 25%.
Reasons?
There are several we can speculate about: economic doom and gloom, a proliferation of empty “fan grab” programs on Facebook, the devolution (in many people’s minds) of FB, Twitter, etc. into mass media, or those suspiciously padded friend lists that number into the thousands.
But if consumers stop believing what their friends are saying about a product or company, the implications are significant for marketers. After all, the recent trend of shifting marketing dollars to social media has been built on the assumed endless availability of that very trust.
What to do? I’ve got my hunches:
Breakthrough: Enough with the fan pages already. Do something unique. Do it first. And don’t confine your efforts to Facebook.
Be multi-channel: Seeding your messages in at least five channels (a mix of online and offline) will give your target the opportunity to absorb your message in different ways and in different states of mind. Willingness to engage differs from channel to channel, and what you give up in reach you may just gain in a willingness to listen.
Converse: More than anything, people want to be listened to. And if your target is people, you’ll want to create avenues at retail and online, and through your PR channels for them to be heard so you can tweak and amplify your message as the relationship evolves. If they think you’re immovable, they just might be too.
In a nutshell, let’s put the mix back in marketing mix. Let’s stop looking for a silver bullet – where a full clip might be called for. Let’s strive to create dialogue and engagement that builds trust rather than erodes it.
Is this ad target savvy?

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