Trust-building ads linked to stronger business growth

Advertising that delivers large increases in brand trust is closely linked to stronger commercial performance, according to an analysis of campaigns in the IPA Effectiveness Databank.

The study shows that ninety three percent of for-profit campaigns achieving very large gains in brand trust also report at least one very large business outcome, such as growth in sales, market share or profit. Across all for-profit campaigns in the Databank, the equivalent figure is sixty six percent, indicating a clear performance gap.

Trust as a driver of commercial impact

Campaigns that excel at building trust are typically twenty seven percentage points more effective at driving business growth than the average for-profit campaign. They also generate an average of sixty five percent more very large business effects overall, underlining the commercial value of trust-focused advertising.

The analysis covers eight hundred and twelve awarded and non-awarded campaigns submitted to the IPA Effectiveness Awards between nineteen ninety eight and twenty twenty four. Within this, the IPA identified one hundred and three for-profit campaigns that recorded very large increases in brand trust, representing around seven point five billion pounds in advertising investment. Their results were compared with the overall Databank average to isolate the impact of trust-building activity.

Compared with the for-profit Databank average, the most effective trust-building campaigns are more likely to report very large gains across a wide range of business measures. These include customer acquisition, sales volume, sales value, profit and market share, as well as customer loyalty and reduced price sensitivity.

The findings suggest that trust-building advertising influences both short-term and longer-term indicators of commercial success, rather than concentrating impact in a single area of performance.

Bigger gains for brands as well as businesses

Trust-building campaigns also deliver stronger brand effects. They are more than twice as likely as the average for-profit campaign to report very large improvements in perceptions of brand quality and brand loyalty.

Additional outperformance is recorded across other brand measures that support long-term strength, including brand values and imagery, differentiation and distinctive brand assets.

The most effective trust-increasing campaigns are also more likely to report additional advantages. These include improved press coverage, stronger supplier relationships and halo effects across other brands or products within the same organisation.

Such outcomes point to trust-building advertising delivering benefits that extend beyond immediate brand and sales measures.

Trust rises as a strategic priority

Trust has become a more prominent objective for advertisers over time. Between nineteen ninety eight and two thousand and nine, fewer than four in ten campaigns in the Databank set out to build brand trust. By twenty twenty to twenty twenty four, more than two-thirds included trust as an objective.

Across the full period analysed, eighty percent of campaigns reporting very large trust effects had identified increasing brand trust as a primary or secondary goal. Since two thousand and twelve, the most effective trust-building campaigns have also become more impactful, recording a fifty six percent increase in the average number of very large business effects alongside a nineteen percent increase in very large brand effects.

The wider context for trust-focused advertising

Additional Databank analysis shows that effective trust-building campaigns are more likely to win awards, typically balance spend sixty to forty between brand and activation, and use a broader mix of channels. There has also been increased use of emotional communication models in trust-building since two thousand and twelve, alongside identifiable patterns in excess share of voice and creative strategy.

Laurence Green, Director of Effectiveness, IPA: “While there are many ways to make your advertising effective, this research provides a strong business case for investing in trust-building campaigns. The long-term evidence from the IPA Effectiveness Databank shows that trust is not only the right thing to do for many brands, but a proven way to drive sustainable growth.”

Industry focus on trust continues

The findings align with a wider industry emphasis on trust in advertising. The LEAD two thousand and twenty six conference, hosted by the Advertising Association, IPA and ISBA, will focus on leadership through trust and its role in driving growth during periods of change.

They also sit alongside the forthcoming book Trusted Advertising: How to Harness the Power of Trust in Your Brand, co-authored by Matt Bourn and James Best CBE FIPA, which examines how trust can be strengthened and maintained through advertising across channels, platforms and emerging technologies.

Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association: “This analysis provides compelling evidence that driving greater trust through advertising delivers sustained competitive advantage. It reinforces our belief that building trust supports business profitability, economic growth and job creation.”

The full analysis can be accessed here

www.ipa.co.uk

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