In (some) brands we trust

How to gain the trust from your customers

By Marta Lobato, PhD — Senior Researcher at A Piece of Pie

What is trust in today’s world? Is it about meeting customers’ expectations, about being transparent, or about building an emotional connection? How can you build trust with your customers in an age of uncertainty and deep transformation?

A few weeks ago, we conducted research for a large automotive company with over 150 ethnographic interviews from people all around the world to talk about their favorite brands. We went through great lengths trying to understand what made those brands so special. I was surprised with the role that trust plays in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall brand perception; moreover, we found out that our participants were bringing up a specific dimension of trust that was not being talked about before. Nowadays, brand trust is not merely based on favorable perceptions and product experiences, rather one that is actively involved in creating a better future.

This issue is by no means trivial. Several quantitative studies have now reported trustworthiness as one of the most top-of-mind attributes in purchasing behavior and customer loyalty (see Edelman’s 2020 trust report or BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands Report from WPP and Kantar amongst others).

Take Chris, a 33-year-old start-up entrepreneur who earlier participated in our research. Chris experienced the 2008 economic crisis by witnessing the havoc unfold in both of his parents’ lives. Two professionals with successful businesses in large European cities, who struggled immensely keeping their businesses afloat in the years following the crisis. In his view, the crisis was a collective failure but navigating through it was left to the individual effort. He quickly learned he had no intention of falling prey to a situation like this, so he spent time developing his skillset. He made sure he found ways to protect himself from the economy’s instability; being adaptable, recycling knowledge and constantly acquiring new skills. Generalized distrust resulted in a greater focus on his own choices. He became “fluid”, a term sociologists have used to express today’s modernity (see Zygmunt Bauman’s Liquid Modernity).

After the economic crisis came a global pandemic, and in the middle of all these turbulent changes, Chris also worries about climate change and the future of society. Unsure of what will come next, he is cautious with his financial achievements by being responsible while trying to avoid becoming greedy and self-absorbed. He puts his energy on the things most important to him such as gaining recognition amongst his work colleagues and start-up community, a tribe that values what he does and what he is creating at work. In this sense, the start-up world gives him what he is looking for; a way of life that gives Chris a sense of identity. So how does Chris consume? What kinds of brands does he value and trust in a world he feels he needs to fight against?

“My heroes are those people who know quite early what they want, and they go for it. I have a lot of respect and trust on brands that have a strong vision; that are not afraid to show what they believe in. Tesla is one of them, but also other kinds of brands like Veja or TrueFruits”

Chris’ purchasing behaviour is well-thought and calculated. He actively fights mindless consumption because “that’s not what he is”. He is minimalistic, consuming less but spending more in things that bring value to him and to people like him. He is aspirational in the way he spends his money. Trust is all about contributing to build the future partly because it is his future and his future family’s future that he believes is at stake.

Take another example, Lee, a 32-year-old employee of a multinational company in China. His worldview is entirely different. Although he did not witness his family being struck by economic downturns, he did watch the sacrifice they made to get where they are. Coming from a collectivistic culture, a part of Lee’s identity encompasses the value of complying to family expectations and achieving a certain level of material success. Lee is far more concerned with building a secure future, as he has grown up during positive economic surge in his country. Contrarily to Chris, he identifies himself as a conspicuous consumer. Lee is brand savvy, he can tell the story behind every brand he consumes, its evolution, what they are working on, and who works behind the scenes. In addition to Chris, Lee also displays a certain “social awareness”. For instance, he spoke of Mercedes in the following way:

“I trust Mercedes because they innovate, and because they do it for everyone. Sure, they have their luxury models out there, but they are not scared of building cars for normal people as well. They maintain their essence while adapting to the times”

Interestingly, both Chris and Lee tap into a dimension of trust that is profoundly affected by their backgrounds and recent historical happenings. Understandably, companies struggle keeping up, as consumer identity, needs and demands fluctuate over time. However, just as society is dynamic, companies too need to reflect that dynamic nature and remain intimately close to their consumers.

Customers want to know the kind of society you are contributing to shape

In a time of profound uncertainty, when we are standing between the old and the new world, those who communicate and boldly propose a view of the future are going to be ahead of the game. “Value” is becoming more and more rooted in the societal contribution made by a company’s offering. It centers around encouraging and empowering your customers. When running qualitative studies, I recommend to take these into consideration:

1. Know your customer in each country. Understand what moves them, where they come from. Chris’ and Lee’s personal stories are the stories of an entire generation, the so-called millennials. Thus, start by understanding what role your category as well as your product or service could have in their lives. The way you communicate with them must resonate with their backgrounds. Run anthropological studies, follow them through time, and talk to them.
2. Listen to their stories. This will provide you with an idea of the kind of identity they are after; how they want others to perceive them and how they want to portray themselves. An in-depth interview with Chris helped us understanding the contradictions within his narrative, which eventually led us to the solution for the company. He claimed to distrust luxury brands, when, in reality, he was trying to avoid being perceived and treated as a high-end customer. He wants to live a more “grounded” life, rather than coming across as a show-off.
3. Ask yourself why would they trust me instead of why would they buy me. Understand what is of interest to your customers beyond your product or service. Nowadays, customers want to feel like they are part of an ecosystem of likeminded people. Our participants saw brand collaborations as a sign of trust. Both Lee and Chris were excited to see what future collaborative enterprises would offer. For both, being part of something “bigger” was exciting. In our study we found that customers do not trust the grandiose, over-promising marketing; for them, what a brand does is far more important than what a brand says.

In a nutshell, it is about building positive relationships where customers and the brand are active participants in shaping the future. In today’s liquid modernity, where everything is constantly changing, brands need to adapt and evolve. A brand that is not afraid to reinvent both itself while shaping the future instils respect and admiration, and in turn trust.

Looking for a change?

At A Piece of Pie, we help our clients understand what are their customers’ deep motivators, what will connect with them and how to achieve the best outcome out of that connection.

If you want to take a real people-centric approach to engage with your customers and to ensure that thinking is put into action successfully, get in contact with us at info@piecepie.com.