For twenty years, through the Edelman Trust Barometer, Edelman has studied trust in four institutions (media, business, NGOs and government) around the world. These deep insights have allowed us to identify early signals of changing tides that have led to seismic shifts in culture and society. From events like Brexit to the unprecedented expectations of brands in the face of Covid-19, trust is increasingly a driving force.

What is Trust?

• Trust is a belief in the future. It is predictive in nature.
• It is a willingness to accept uncertainty (e.g. Trying a new brand / product).
• Trust enables smoother, deeper and more meaningful consumer relationships.
• Trusting is a rational and emotional process, built from conscious and unconscious biases.

Trust is magic, intricate, powerful yet very subjective and complex.

Knowing the significance and predictive impact of Trust, we developed Edelman Trust Management (ETM)—a suite of powerful analytical tools and advisory services that interpret and measure the power—and implications—of trust. In short, ETM is how we help organizations and brands harness the power of trust and to strategically manage their trust capital as one of their most precious assets.

Research clearly demonstrated the deep connect between trust and business performance markers, like sales, consumer loyalty and value, stock price, resilience to crisis and license to operate. In partnership with renowned academics and business leaders, ETM was initially developed and continues to exist to help companies and brands better understand and accrue trust as an asset and a driver.