Why trust is so important for a media planner

In the previous post we looked at the impact of regulation and legislation particularly privacy had for media planners.

In this post we will look at why trust remains such a vital commodity for a media planner.

Trust Influences Whether Audiences Engage

With advances in technology, the adoption of machine learning has meant that brands nowadays can react quicker to changes in customer needs which include campaign optimisation and dynamic content planning for personalised messaging. Mary Epstein, global brand manager for Nestle argues that despite much debate over the last 10 to 15  years , the basic principle of how we build a brand hasn’t changed, and that technology is merely a vehicle to magnify those truths and enable quicker execution ( Epstein, M, 2026).  Aeker, 2014 defines brands as more than just names and logo, more that, ‘they are an organisation’s promise to a customer to deliver what the brand stands for not only in functional benefits but also, emotional, self-expressive and social benefits’.  

As touched upon in the previous blog with the public increasingly more interested in privacy, brands really have to stand out to be able to get customer engagement, with authenticity being a key component in gaining trust with consumers, in a world where sustainability is a key issue amongst younger generations andth therefore brand’s must ‘walk the walk’ and deliver on their commitments, there is no room for ‘greenwashing’ (Epstein, M, 2016). ‘Greenwashing’, meaning the practice of misleading the public into believing a product, company or service is more environmentally than it is. One notable example of a company greenwashing was Swedish manufacturer IKEA, who were found to have got their wood from unsustainable logging sources and their response to the allegations has drawn heavy criticism, with lack of independent oversight causing question around the brand’s commitment to their sustainability promises (Disclose.ngo. (n.d.). 

How Media Planners Can Put Trust Into Practice

Media Planners have an important role in developing trust with their consumer base and this can be done by reinforcing those brand values through campaigns, communications and advertising. For example, Nestle have demonstrated their sustainability commitments, with Nespresso revealing their plans to be carbon neutral in 2022, Purina in 2023 focusing on being more transparent and removing artificial colourants and KitKat committed to being carbon neutral by 2025, getting those messages is vital to help spread those brand values.

Furthermore, the scope in the media landscape is much bigger for brands. Numerous platforms have allowed media planners to move towards content led advertising, largely to compete with consumers engaging on streaming and notable examples being Dove releasing a documentary on Apple +, which was produced by Lavazza, the aim being to discuss their brand purpose without it appearing like a regular tv ad for example. Furthermore, this approach enhances brand visibility and authenticity without trying to ‘sell’ directly and this can have greater PR Value arguably greater than direct viewership (Epstein, M, 2026).  

Summary

In conclusion, trust remains a key tenet for brands to be able to engage with their consumer base. Without it people will look to other brands who match their values and, in a world, where people are increasingly private it is essential that media planners can convey trustworthiness for their respective brands in order to cultivate engagement from their desired audience.

The final blog in this series will look at further ethical challenges in the data industry is facing and how businesses are having to ensure they are adopting responsible behaviour.