Direct communication from CEOs builds more trust, per new survey
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Audiences are more likely to trust people over platforms, according to a new survey by Foretell and Echelon Insights.
Why it matters: As news and information diets become more fragmented, audiences expect communications and outreach to be more personalized.
By the numbers: A survey of 1,084 likely U.S. voters found that direct connection — not communicating through a spokesperson or third-party source — creates more trust and credibility.
- In a crisis, the most trusted sources of information are a company's CEO (22%), followed by senior management (20%) and frontline employees (18%).
- Just 8% want to hear from a spokesperson following a crisis, and only 6% want to hear from a brand's social media account.
- Roughly half of those under 50 prefer to hear from business leaders and brands through social media posts, and less than 30% of all those surveyed want to hear from them through mainstream media, per the report.
Zoom in: Liberal and moderate voters and those earning more than $125,000 a year are much more likely to trust traditional news sites, per the survey.
- Meanwhile, independent journalists are gaining ground with voters between the ages of 18 and 34.
What they're saying: "It's a pretty clear signal that you have to be really intentional about who your audience is, where they are, and who they trust to hear from," says Nicole Flotteron, co-founder of Foretell.
- "It really starts with mapping out the audiences that your company or brand needs to reach in order to be successful. And if it's rural young people, your strategy for reaching them is going to be very different [from] if you were trying to reach wealthy boomers."
Between the lines: Silos within companies make it difficult to reach audiences and thus a challenge for companies to communicate effectively, Foretell co-founder Erin Pelton says.
- "Brand marketing, communications, investor relations and government relations all need to be working in concert," she adds.
What to watch: The effects of artificial intelligence on personalization and trusted content will continue to unfold.
- Audiences are generally skeptical of AI-driven news, says Patrick Ruffini, founding partner at Echelon Insights.
- Currently, urban voters are most likely to trust news summaries generated by AI.
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