As more and more advertisers set an objective of increasing trust, new long-term evidence from the IPA Effectiveness Databank shows that investing in trust is not only the right thing to do for many brands, but a proven way to drive sustainable growth.
This is according to a new analysis, which reveals 93% of commercial ad campaigns that report very large increases in brand trust also report at least one very large business effect, such as sizable growth in sales, market share or profit.
By comparison, the average across all commercial campaigns in the IPA Effectiveness Databank is 66%. This means the top commercial trust-building campaigns are typically 27 percentage points (41%) more effective in business growth terms.
The most effective for-profit trust-building campaigns also report an average total of 65% more very large business effects than the average across for-profit campaigns, underlining trust as a powerful driver of growth.
The analysis is based on 812 awarded and non-awarded advertising campaigns contained within the IPA Effectiveness Databank and submitted between 1998 and 2024 as part of the IPA Effectiveness Awards.
Within this, the IPA identified a group of 103 commercial campaigns that recorded very large increases in brand trust. Together, these campaigns represent approximately £7.5bn of advertising investment. Their performance was compared with the IPA Effectiveness Databank campaigns average across all for-profit campaigns to isolate the specific impact of commercial trust-building advertising on business and brand outcomes.
In addition to the headline findings, the analysis also reveals that top trust-building campaigns outperform across all main business metrics.
Compared with the Effectiveness Databank for-profit campaigns average, the most effective commercial trust-building campaigns are more likely to report very large gains in customer acquisition, (39% for most effective trust-building campaigns vs 28% for the Databank average); sales volume gain (39% vs 25%); sales value (37% vs 26%); profit gain (35% vs 24%); market share gain (34% vs 26%); customer loyalty (22% vs 11%); and reduction in price sensitivity (11% vs 6%).
The report maintains that this shows trust-building advertising can influence a range of measures used to gauge business performance over different timeframes.
The most effective trust-building campaigns also deliver much stronger brand effects; they are more than twice as likely as the for-profit Databank average to report very large improvements in perceptions of brand quality (59% vs 20%) and brand loyalty (56% vs 23%).
They also outperform the average for-profit campaign across other key brand measures, including brand values and imagery (62% vs 36%); differentiation (44% vs 33%); and distinctive brand assets (47% vs 31%) – all of which support long-term brand strength.
The most effective trust-increasing campaigns are also more likely to report additional advantages, for both commercial and not-for-profit brands including improved press coverage (48% vs 37%); stronger supplier relationships (20% vs 16%); and halo effects across other brands or products within the same business (13% vs 7%).
Between 1998 and 2009, fewer than four in ten of all campaigns in the Databank included building brand trust as an objective. By 2020–2024, that figure had risen to more than two thirds.
In addition, between 1998 and 2024, 80% of campaigns reporting a very large trust effect had set increasing brand trust as a primary or secondary objective of their campaigns.
Trust-building campaigns have also become more effective. Since 2012, the most effective for-profit trust-building campaigns have seen a 56% increase in the average number of very large business effects, alongside a 19% increase in very large brand effects.
The data analysis also includes additional charts, covering both for-profit and not-for-profit brands, that reveal that effective trust-building campaigns are more likely to report award wins; top trust-building campaign budgets are split 60:40 between brand and activation, that the most effective trust-building campaigns use more channels, and that since 2012, there has been a notable increase in use of emotional communication models for trust-building. It also reveals the ESOV and creative strategies of most effective trust-building campaigns.
IPA director of effectiveness Laurence Green said: “While there are many ways to make your advertising effective, this new research provides a strong business case for the benefits of investing in trust-building campaigns.
Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford added: “This is a game-changing analysis from the IPA Effectiveness Databank that provides the most compelling evidence yet that driving greater trust through advertising delivers sustained and powerful competitive advantage, bringing significant gains to the bottom-line.
“It aligns with our belief that the more the industry commits to building trust in advertising, the greater the positive impact it can have on business profitability, economic growth and job creation.”
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