Introduction

In 2000 when Reader’s Digest first embarked upon our European Trusted Brands survey we knew that Trust was important to our readers. We know that the bond we have built up with them over the years is the cornerstone of our relationship. We didn’t realise how important our research would become to leading advertisers and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved. Measuring trust in brands and companies became even more important following the ENRON scandal that led to the introduction of Sarbanes Oxley legislation. The bond of trust is fragile and should never be taken for granted.

“Honest, authentic relationships based on trust are what consumers now crave,” said Jim Stengel, chief marketing officer for Procter & Gamble. P&G has identified three major value shifts that are foundational to understanding and building authentic relationships with consumers and the first he calls “Craving Trust." In his most recent book, Dan Yankelovich, the noted researcher says that the U.S. is now into its third major wave of societal distrust of business and institutions. And this is echoed globally. This makes relationships incredibly important to people when it comes to trusting any institution or brand.

We hope that you’ll find this year’s survey as illuminating as the previous seven.

Sincerely

Gavin Murray
Strategy Director, International Advertising