Trust me I am an advert! : how to create trusting brand identity through advertising

Since the importance of Relationship Marketing has been recognised, there has been considerable discussion in the Marketing literature on Trust generally. However, the creation of a trusting brand identity through advertising has received little attention. This paper is our first step towards examining this relationship. Focus group research was undertaken to identify the characteristics of print advertisements perceived as portraying a trusting image. Reasons for trusting a brand were also explored. The results show that advertisements that are simple, straightforward and clear are perceived as being more trusting. Consumers are also quite critical of current advertising efforts in building a trusting brand image.