Do consumers trust what you say about your products?

Based on a recent YouGov Omnibus Survey (2014), 50% of US consumers who are aware of advertising claims, regardless of product category, don’t trust what marketers say about their products. Moreover, over 40% think that advertising claims are downright dishonest and almost 60% want beefed up requirements for  proving the accuracy of advertising claims. To be clear, advertising is defined as the claims made about a product whether in print, broadcast, digital, on packaging, or any other vehicles for the advertising messages.

The good news is that the food industry fared much better than many other product categories. Financial/insurance products, pharmaceuticals, cars, and diet products all were considered least trustworthy, each exceeding 20% of respondents who express this degree of distrust.  By contrast, fast food restaurants and and health foods were both at the 10% distrust level, while food products other than health foods were considered untrustworthy by only 6% of respondents.  Casual dining restaurants fared the best with only a 3% distrust response.

Some other highlights that relate to the food industry include that nearly 25% of US consumers tend to believe that the advertising claims made by the casual dining segment of foodservice fairly reflect the services, capabilities, and product quality they deliver. By contrast, fast food advertising is viewed as credible by only 16% of those surveyed.

Three common advertising tactics did not fare well. Comparing a brand with a named competitor is a less credible message to 26% of respondents. Touting awards won by a brand or product generated a fairly even response, 20-22%, either more likely to believe or less likely to believe the claim and its benefit to the consumer. Testimonials by experts/scientists resulted in 29% of respondents viewing such statements as not credible or relevant to them.

In developing message points for food advertising, branding, and packaging design, it is important to choose your words wisely.  Trust and believability are the core elements of branding, and without them brands struggle for market share.