Trust: why everyone’s talking about it - and the 6 ways to build it into your healthcare brand
‘Trust is local’ is a key takeaway from this year’s Cannes Lions, a gathering of the world’s leading advertising agencies to debate the trends and themes that will shape the coming year.
Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, summed up the sentiment: “In our uncertain world, people are increasingly untrusting of authority. They become insular consumers; exclusively believing in like-minded others.”
The collective theory is that the inexorable rise of automation and AI, fake news and global conflict is creating an uncertain world where our desire for stability drives us towards reliable brands that provide trust and affiliation.
So ‘trust’ is now the brand attribute that everyone is talking about. But what does it actually mean?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines trust as “to believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you, or that something is safe.” Another definition is “ a firm belief in the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” This second definition is particularly relevant to brands.
Trust is not a static thing. In fact, the landscape of trust has evolved dramatically over the years. Driven by progress, the foundations of trust have been stretched to the point that they’ve become unwieldy and we are instinctively returning to the safety of a time when you trusted the family and friends you truly knew had your best interests at heart.
We have lost trust in trust
This is explored in the podcast series The Trust Shift (Rachel Botsman, Channel 4). It explains how originally trust was ‘local’: people trusted the friends and families in their immediate communities. The next leap, to ‘institutional trust’, came as we put our faith in institutions, banks and companies.
More recently, the internet has driven a shift to ‘distributed trust’, where we have learned to trust information online, often coming from a network of independent entities. Now, we have reached the stage where information is increasingly created by algorithms and AI, referred to as ‘zero-party trust’. For many of us, it seems this is a step too far.
Hence the conclusion at Cannes Lions that, in 2026, once again ‘Trust is local’.
This theme is reflected in a survey of European marketing leads conducted by management consultants McKinsey. Highlighting that brand is now the number one priority for companies, they further note that four of the top five priorities - branding (#1), data privacy (#3), authenticity (#4) and employer branding (#5) - point to a shift from short-term activation towards long-term brand and trust building.
Given its importance, and the need for action to catch up with peers, this has become a critical topic for CMOs.
“As gen AI increasingly shapes consumer decision-making, the role of brands is shifting from providing functional benefits to fostering emotional relevance and trust.” McKinsey, 2026
So what does this mean for companies that want to build trust into their brands, or tap into the wealth of trust that already exists within them?
The answer is to put brand strength at the centre. As McKinsey noted, this is what most companies now intend to do as the playbook shifts towards substance over spin.
As humans, we are hardwired to recognise authenticity. We may not consciously recognise that something is fake but deep down we intuitively feel when something is ‘off’. Our rational brain notices the warning signs, even when our emotional desire to believe the story overpowers those doubts.
It’s then a double whammy when we discover we’ve been misled. This inner conflict is not conducive to building trust. Faced with these decisions in the current climate, it’s not surprising that people are turning back to brands they feel they can rely on.
So what can you do to become one of those brands?
Online rankings have a role, but they can be manipulated and people know that. There are much stronger trust signals that you need to build in.
Here’s how
1. Brand story and values
Remind customers where you come from, why you are here and what you believe in. Anchor your brand in its past. Storytelling is a powerful means of building familiarity and connection, so put your story at the heart of everything.
2. Authenticity and transparency
Live your values and mission every day and embed them in the customer experience. Deliver consistently and build emotional resonance.
Use experts and real people, not AI-generated or generic library images. It doesn’t need to be perfect; in fact, perfection rarely feels real. If you use testimonials, say who they are from. If content is created with the help of AI, say so, and show that it’s been checked by an expert.
Bring in third-party voices and official sources so it isn’t just about what you think. Involve customers in two-way dialogue. Be accessible, engaged and prepared to answer difficult questions, rather than relying on scripted responses.
3. Be human
Technology removes some of the small human moments our brains rely on to feel safe and connected. (Psychology Today, 2025)
Healthcare brands in particular should be able to tap into this. Technology enables us to do more, faster and more efficiently, but efficiency alone doesn’t create emotional connection.
If you think about human-to-human contact as a channel, how much are you investing in it?
4. Personalise
Know what your customers need and create the feeling that ‘they know me’. Personalise the experience at every opportunity.
AI and automation can be useful here to amplify personalisation, but it needs to be driven by real human understanding and empathy.
5. WOM — the oldest tool in marketing
Word-of-mouth works because people trust people; ‘mates get mates’. Think about how you can encourage that process.
In health, it is often the small things that people remember and pass on, so brand experience can’t begin and end with marketing. Work with operational teams to make every moment matter.
6. Start measuring trust
Brand is one of those intangibles where it can be difficult to attribute ROI. We know the many ways brand can bring value into a business, but few finance directors will release funds on the vague promise of value.
So assign trust and brand to KPIs alongside other activities and demonstrate the tangible difference the brand is making to other performance metrics.
Finally
‘Trust is local’ is a big opportunity for healthcare brands, especially — but not only — those with a physical presence.
For a chat about brand trust and how to tap into the emotional drivers fuelling this sentiment, please get in touch. hello@brand-w.com
The Trust Shift, Radio 4
The Silent Decline of Trust in Modern Life. Psychology Today
State of Marketing Europe Report, McKinsey, 2026
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