Engaging and enjoyable creativity in advertising remains a major driver in the public’s trust in advertising, yet factors like an individual’s worldview can still affect their advertising experience, a report has revealed.
The study unveiled by the Advertising Association, led by UK advertising thinktank Credos and conducted by research agency Craft, investigated the different drivers that most affect public trust.
The new report revisited data taken from the thinktank’s 2018 and 2021 studies, with an aim to compare any changes or trends, ranking each driver out of 100.
It found that enjoyable creativity scored 31, while advertising’s social contribution was the second most significant driver of trust, with an importance score of 10.
Meanwhile, ad bombardment remained the biggest driver of distrust, with its importance increasing significantly for younger audiences since 2021 – up from 19 to 32.
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The report’s regression analysis showed data privacy to be more important in driving for 35-54 year-olds, versus other age groups – with an importance score for 18-34s of 5, 35-54s of 17 and over 55s of 7.
The figures also revealed the significance of misleading and invasive advertising techniques (including a growing experience of scams) as a driver of distrust has decreased since 2021 (down from 13 to 8) but is still higher than 2018 levels (score of 5).
In addition, the research highlighted the other overarching themes that influence consumer trust in advertising, such as an individual’s view of the world.
Other themes include the media environment in which a person was socialized, particularly affecting older and younger generations; and a broad definition of advertising that includes sponsorships, window displays, packaging and scams.
“Understanding the drivers of public trust in advertising underpins the industry’s work to sustain and grow this trust,” said Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford.
“It is the top priority for the AA’s membership and is at the core of our work.”
Craft founder Konrad Callao added: “This research brings into stark relief how attitudes to advertising are shaped by a person’s wider worldview on matters such as privacy, sustainability, consumption, to name but a few – ”
“Understanding an individual’s wider attitudes and beliefs on these issues seems to be a critical part of understanding their attitudes to and trust in advertising.”
