I was reading a list of the Australian brands voted the most trusted in 2019. One thing that stood out was the success of these brands.
Some were corporations.
Others were charities.
Most, if not all, had been around for decades … and they weren’t exactly fighting.
If you want to take Spock’s advice to live long and prosper, earning people’s trust is a smart move.
“Wait, William,” you might be thinking, “how do you know that’s the direction of causation? What if people trust brands that have been around the longest? Trust could be a product of longevity, not its cause. “
A wise and intelligent observation.
Let’s unpack that a bit:
Or trust leads an organization to kick butt for years to come. In which case, great, start earning that right away.
Gold…
Simply by always being awesome over time naturally builds confidence.
So either you have a reason to focus on confidence or a recipe for doing so. Isn’t that an intriguing thought?
However, the question of trust deserves a clearer answer. Does it really improve an organization? Is it worth investing in trust?
Well, consider the example of Volkswagen.
The largest automaker was criticized for tampering with its emissions tests. A big part of their branding – that is, their confidence – was based on cleaner, superior engineering.
Sure, they were fined by various authorities.
But that was not the real cost. The loss of confidence affected his results much, much more.
They knew they had to rebuild their reputation. A small part of that was a cool ad launched in mid-2019. Look up “Volkswagen hello light” on YouTube – it’s a masterful example of overcoming a mistake.
This ad was not selling a product. He was asking the world to trust them again.
But why bother?
When customers trust an organization, it makes a huge difference. All major organizations are wrong, often publicly. Think of all the scandals and concerns surrounding Apple. I mean, they once released a phone that couldn’t take phone calls.
Do you think his die-hard fans cared?
Sure, a little.
But they knew that Apple would fix the problem.
Volkswagen is slowly backing up, too. As of this writing, its stock price has not recovered to 2015 levels. But recovering, it is.
How?
Constantly showing up, doing the right thing, and striving to be better.
If you think about the role that trust played for our hunter-gatherer ancestors, consistency is key. The person who always shares their extra berries with you is likely not going to stab you in the back. For others to do well for years, patience is required.
And ten times more patience if you are secretly planning his disappearance.
Whether trust causes longevity or is the result of it, it does not matter. Either way invites you to stay (and your organization) at a higher level. Do this long enough and you will become one of those rare brands that can weather even the toughest scandals.