The Trust Economy: Part 1

Why trust is the new currency in online and video marketing

According to YouGov’s research on UK consumer trust, manyconsumers permanently avoid brands once trust is lost.

In September 2025 their analysis of consumer trust in the UK stated that “nearly3 in 10 (28%) of respondents” stated that “misleading advertising made themlose trust”, suggesting that both marketing integrity and truthfulcommunication remain core to brand credibility.

Truthful advertising may rank fifth behind other major drivers of lost trustsuch as unfair treatment of customers (40%), unethical practices (35%), suddenprice increases (3o%) and health and safety risks (29). However, the fact thatmisleading communication sits alongside issues of ethics, safety and fairnesshighlights that false advertising is not a minor issue, it is perceived as a fundamentalbreach of trust.

ShannonWilliams, News Editor at eCommerce News recently highlighted DataReportal's"Digital 2025: United Kingdom” findings (October 2025) that  “UK consumers are relying heavily on onlinesearches and brand research before completing purchases”.

She goes onto explain that “77.6% of UK internet users seek information online and 59.4%research products and brands prior to making a buying decision.”

When thesetwo trends are viewed together - declining tolerance for misleading marketingand the dominance of digital-first buying , it becomes clear that digitalcontent (yes, video) is no longer just promotional, it is the primarytrust-building mechanism in the sales journey.

To get tothe point, digital content has replaced human reassurance. In a world wherebuying decisions are made digitally and trust is increasingly fragile, youronline content now does the job that salespeople, retail staff, advisers, printads or door drops used to do. And if your video content doesn’t feel credible,authentic and grounded in real experience, it simply won’t convert.

Onlineis now where that much sought-after trust is won or lost. From the momentsomeone sees your product on social media, or searches on Google, or lands onyour website, they are subconsciously already asking three questions: do you havewhat I’m looking for, do you have my best interest at heart, and is what youpromise / sell / advise true. If any of these questions are in doubt it couldfall flat just there.

The goodnews is that building trust is not magic. With the right messaging and proof youwin people over confidently.  In Part 2and 3 of our ‘Trust Economy’ series we’ll share  practical video marketing tactics you canstart using straight away to build trust into every marketing touchpoint.

Sources:

eCommerceNews (October 2025). Availableat:  https://ecommercenews.uk/story/uk-consumers-prioritise-trust-speed-in-digital-purchases (Accessed January 2026, Author: ShannonWilliams)
YouGov (September 2025). Available at: https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/53019-how-brands-can-rebuild-trust-with-uk-consumers-after-losing-it (Accessed January 2026, Author:Janice Fernandes)

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