On 7 October, I attended a thought-provoking panel hosted at Financial Narrative’s London offices, exploring one of the most elusive yet commercially vital concepts in marketing: trust. The event, titled “The ROI of Trust,” brought together a sharp panel of industry leaders including Nicola Sayers (formerly Aldermore Bank), Sinead Lanyon (Symphony), Robert Nieuwenhuys (Financial Times), and moderator Elspeth Rothwell (Vested). The discussion was anchored by the Financial Times’ newly published report, “Bridging the Trust Gap,” which offers compelling evidence that trust is not just a brand virtue - it’s a bottom-line driver.

Trust: From Intangible Ideal to Measurable Asset

For years, trust has been treated as a soft metric - important, yes, but difficult to quantify. The FT’s research challenges that notion head-on. Their survey of 757 business decision-makers reveals that companies who measure trust as a board-level KPI are over three times more likely to report stronger profits than those who don’t. Yet only 22% of respondents said trust was a board KPI in their organisation - a clear opportunity gap for marketers and leadership teams alike.

As Robert shared during the panel, “Trust is no longer a ‘nice to have’ - it’s a strategic superpower.” The FT’s findings show that trust now ranks as the second most powerful metric driving business effects such as profit, market share, and customer acquisition - second only to product or service quality.

The Trust Gap: Sector Risks and Strategic Opportunity

The report also maps out “trust gaps” across 17 industries - comparing the level of trust demanded by a sector with what it currently delivers. Finance, insurance, technology, and property emerged as sectors with the widest trust deficits. For marketers in these industries, this isn’t just a reputational challenge - it’s a strategic opportunity to differentiate through trust-building initiatives.

Measuring Trust: From Emotion to Economics

One of the most powerful takeaways from the FT’s research is the reframing of trust as both an emotional and economic asset. Trust absorbs uncertainty and enables action - especially in B2B environments where risk and complexity are high. Respondents defined trustworthiness as “keeping promises,” “reliability,” and “belief in an organisation’s values.” But they also linked trust to tangible benefits: competitive advantage, customer loyalty, stakeholder confidence, and improved profit levels.

The report calls for separating “trust” from “trustworthiness” - the latter being a managerial competence that can be developed, measured, and optimised. This opens the door for marketers to build trust not just through brand storytelling, but through operational excellence, data security, and media choices.

Media Matters: The Role of Trusted Context

The panel also explored how media channel selection impacts trust. Over 60% of business decision-makers found “gatekeeper” content (e.g. editorially controlled media) more trustworthy than user-generated content - rising to 70% among those under 45. Critically, 60% said they were more likely to trust a company or product advertised within a trusted media brand.

This has major implications for media planning. Advertisers must consider not just reach, but the trustworthiness of the context in which their message appears. As the FT’s data shows, brands seen in trusted environments are more likely to be believed, remembered, and acted upon.

Trust as a Strategic KPI

The ROI of trust is no longer theoretical. It’s measurable, actionable, and increasingly essential. As marketers, we must move beyond viewing trust as a brand sentiment and start treating it as a strategic KPI - one that drives performance across the funnel and builds resilience in volatile markets.

Whether through media choices, data practices, or cultural alignment, trust must be operationalised. Because in today’s business landscape, trust isn’t just the bridge between uncertainty and action - it’s the foundation of growth.

Final Comments

Toward the close of the panel, one audience member posed a striking observation: “We’re living in a more brazen world of disruption and disinformation. In recent months, there’s been a surge in high-profile hacks and data leaks… are people beginning to accept this as a normal fact of life?”

It sparked a thoughtful exchange. While it remains critically important for companies to defend against breaches and respond swiftly with transparent communication, there’s a growing sense that consumers and clients may be more forgiving of brands navigating what now feels like a predictable storm.

The panel’s response offered a nuanced take: perhaps trust today includes a dimension of authenticity. That is, a company, product, or even politician might be perceived as untrustworthy in conventional terms - but if that perception aligns consistently with their brand identity, they may still be trusted as authentic. In other words, trust doesn’t always mean virtue - it can also mean predictability.

To download the FT’s report in full for free, please follow this link: https://commercial.ft.com/campaigns/ft-ipa-trust-research-download/