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- 🧪 The Trust Gap
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If you’re reading this email, you already know trust is one of the most important elements of a successful brand. But you also probably already know that trust is becoming harder to achieve, and much easier to lose.
I thought I’d look into the actual research behind brand trust (hint: marketers and customers are not on the same page) to understand how trust is won, lost and scaled.
Hope you enjoy!
— Isaac
P.S. If you want to learn how to use organic content to build brand trust, check out our free masterclass here.
Quick Hits
Trust is the holy grail for brands in the AI era [The Current]
YouTube’s cross-platform takeover is putting pressure on creators [Marketing Brew]
5 marketing lessons from the American Eagle controversy [Forbes]
Google will use AI to estimate users age and block them from restricted content and ads [Adweek]
AI was asked to draw “ketchup” and drew Heinz every time [LinkedIn]
The Trust Gap
Last week I got two emails that perfectly illustrate the divide in modern marketing.
The first was from a software company I'd never heard of. Subject line was "URGENT: Your business needs this NOW!" Inside was a wall of text about their "revolutionary" platform, written in that breathless startup voice that makes everything sound like a life-or-death emergency. I deleted it almost instantly.
The second was from a newsletter I subscribe to. Short subject line "The leaked OpenAI memo". A few paragraphs with screenshots about how OpenAI is planning to scale ChatGPT, with links to research if I wanted to dig deeper. I read every word.
Both companies wanted my attention. Only one earned it.
This isn't just about good emails versus bad emails. It's about two fundamentally different approaches to how brands treat the people they're trying to reach.
Trust in Numbers
81% of people say they need to trust a brand before they'll consider buying from it, but only 34% actually trust most of the brands they use.
That's not just a gap. That's an abyss.
Even more telling is 79% of business leaders believe customers trust their brand, while only 52% of consumers agree. We're living in a world where marketers think they've earned trust they haven't actually built.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Trust drives everything that matters. Loyalty, advocacy, willingness to pay premium prices. Research shows that 71% of people say trust in brands is more important today than in the past. When someone does trust your brand, they're more than 2x as likely to buy from you and 91% more likely to repeat purchase.
Trust also acts as a filter in our attention-saturated world. When someone trusts your brand, they're more likely to notice your marketing in the first place. In a world where we're exposed to over 10,000 marketing messages daily, trust becomes the lens consumers use to decide what deserves their attention.
We're operating in an attention economy where every brand interaction has become a transaction. You're either making a deposit in someone's trust account or making a withdrawal from it.
The fundamental difference between trusted brands and spammy ones isn't what they're selling. It's whether they earn attention through value, or steal it through volume.
How Brands Destroy Trust
The most visible example of attention theft is happening right now through AI-accelerated marketing volume. Only 45% of people trust AI-powered recommendations, not because they hate technology, because they know when brands are hiding behind automation instead of using it to serve them better.
94% of consumers have taken some kind of action against unwanted marketing. In Australia, 40% unsubscribe from at least one brand's communications every single week. When asked why, 72% cite receiving too many messages and 49% point to irrelevant content.
We're not just annoying people anymore. We're training them to actively fight back.
The problem isn't volume itself. It's untargeted, irrelevant volume that treats people like interchangeable targets rather than individuals. When you blast the same message to everyone, you're essentially saying "I couldn't be bothered to understand what you actually want".
Dark patterns and manipulative design choices signal the same disrespect. Pre-checked subscription boxes. Confusing unsubscribe processes. Making it harder to cancel than to sign up. Each of these choices broadcasts a simple message, "we don't respect your autonomy".
Example of a common dark pattern, using language to make you feel bad about unsubscribing.
The hidden cost is that brands are systematically training customers to ignore them. Every irrelevant email teaches people to hit spam filters faster. Every intrusive popup teaches people to install ad blockers. Every manipulative dark pattern teaches people to be more suspicious of your next interaction.
How Brands Build Trust
Building trust starts with understanding that authenticity means showing flaws, not perfection. Research from Northwestern University found that purchase likelihood peaks with ratings between 4.0 and 4.7, then actually decreases as they approach perfect 5.0. A mix of positive and negative reviews appears more trustworthy than unanimous praise.
Transparency beats polish every time when it comes to building credibility.
Buffer took transparency to its logical extreme, publishing everyone's salaries and sharing real-time business metrics most companies would never dream of revealing. When Buffer says they care about openness, customers can see the evidence. This radical honesty didn't hurt their business, it built trust that translated into customer loyalty even in tough times.
Patagonia chose a different but equally powerful path. When most brands were perfecting their sustainability messaging, Patagonia launched a campaign telling customers "Don't buy this jacket". They created tools that let anyone trace the environmental impact of each product from raw materials to finished goods. They donated their entire $10 million Black Friday sales to environmental groups. |  |
This wasn't marketing theatre. It was systematic authenticity. When a brand consistently puts mission over profit, customers notice. Patagonia charges premium prices and has customers who defend the brand religiously.
I want to be clear, I’m not saying conversion-focused marketing = bad, and brand building = good. Performance marketing earns attention when it's done respectfully. Well-targeted ads that feel helpful rather than intrusive. Retargeting that shows you relevant products you actually browsed, not random items from their catalogue. The intent to drive conversions isn't the problem, disrespectful execution is.
The permission principle underlies all of this. 83% of people are willing to share their data to enable better experiences, but only when they trust the brand will use it respectfully. Trust becomes the foundation that makes both connection and conversion possible.
AI & Trust
AI has added new complexity to the trust equation. About 75% of consumers have encountered AI in a retail context, but relatively few actively engage with it. 44% of consumers say they're open to AI-powered recommendations, but only if it's from a company they already trust. Trust in the brand precedes trust in the technology. You can't AI your way to trustworthiness. |  Duolingo have seen some customer backlash after introducing more AI into their product and operations. |
The most successful approach is using AI to enhance human connection rather than replace it. Be transparent about AI usage, maintain human oversight for empathy and ethical judgement, and always provide clear escape hatches when someone prefers human interaction.
Three Pillars of Human-Feeling Brands
The biggest myth in marketing is that you have to choose between connection and conversion. The best brands don't choose, they integrate both by making attention respect the foundation of everything they do. Here's how:
1. Radical Honesty |  Buffer publicly display the salary of each of their employees, including the founders and CEO. |
2. Earned Attention
Every interaction should leave people better off than before. Deliver genuine value rather than just promotions. Ask yourself if something adds value to someone's day or steals time from it. If you can't answer that honestly, you're probably making a withdrawal from the trust account.
3. Respectful Boundaries |  |
The false choice between long-term brand building and short-term performance disappears when you realise that respecting attention makes both more effective. When people trust you, your ads perform better. When your ads are respectful, trust builds faster.
The Choice for Every Brand
Every marketing decision is ultimately about how you treat attention. Steal it through volume and manipulation, and you create resistance. Earn it through value and respect, and you create loyalty.
Winning brands are the ones that remember we want to do business with entities that feel human, not with systems that treat us like numbers. In an age of infinite alternatives and zero patience for disrespect, trust isn't just good marketing ethics. It's the only sustainable advantage you can build. |  |
Because when customers trust you, they don't just buy from you. They fight for you.
If you enjoyed this post or know someone who may find it useful, please share it with them and encourage them to subscribe: brandchemistry.co/p/the-trust-gap
 | Reminder, if you want to learn more about using organic content to build brand trust, check out our free masterclass here. Otherwise I’ll see you next week, |
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