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Using but losing: 2022 Gustavson Brand Trust Index finds trust in dominant tech businesses is eroding

The 2022 Gustavson Brand Trust Index (GBTI) reveals that Canadian consumers are more distrusting of dominant technology brands than ever before, even while their use of these companies’ services is on the rise.

Now in its eighth year, GBTI shows a steady decline in trust in some industries such as social media and technology, with this trend strengthening during the pandemic.

“This presents an urgent challenge as well as a critical opportunity for brands to engage more effectively with their consumers,” said Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School of Business. “Our research reinforces the notion that Canadians have an acute awareness of whether a brand is truly responsive to the needs of both their consumers and employees. Canadians are willing to vote with their wallets if they feel that a brand’s values no longer align with their own.”

Large, global technology brands, such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple, have seen a steep decline in trust that other regional and national brands have not experienced to the same degree.

“These global brands have the advantage of ubiquity, and it’s hard for consumers to choose not to use them,” says Klein. “But their enormous size can also be a disadvantage, as the growing amount of power concentrated in these brands can generate distrust among some consumers.”

The personalities associated with tech giants, as reflected by their founders or leaders, may also play a role in how Canadians view and trust these brands.

“Having an outspoken and controversial CEO, as do Amazon, Tesla and Uber, certainly gets brand attention, but could have a negative effect on brand trust,” said Klein. “Similarly, how those brands respond to events has an impact. As the crisis in Ukraine unfolded, for example, consumers took a keen interest in which companies joined the corporate boycotting of Russia.”

Consistent with the distrust in dominant technology companies, trust in social media brands (Facebook/Meta, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, WeChat and WhatsApp) is at an all-time low. Trust in traditional media also dipped in 2022, but remained significantly higher than social media channels, with the Weather Network being the 14th most trusted brand in Canada overall.

Not surprisingly, GBTI highlights that 21^st-century consumers care not only about the products and services companies provide, but also about how those companies treat their workers. While Costco, MEC (Mountain Equipment Company) and Canada Post ranked as the best performers for employee treatment, online retail giant Amazon and ‘gig economy’ businesses such as Uber suffered in this area.

“Work and work-life balance has been a major topic of conversation and coverage in news cycles recently,” said Klein. “Our results show that consumers have been taking a critical look at how companies look after their employees. Grocers that implemented pandemic pay (e.g. Costco) saw much higher rankings than companies that failed to provide stable incomes.”

Other Key Findings

Grocery stores are the most trusted category in the post-pandemic world. Consumers ranked the grocery store category high as the industry responded to consumer sensitivities quickly in implementing health and safety measures.
Across generations, people distrust the same brands. The most trusted brands, however, vary by age, gender and region. Except for Canadian Automobile Association, no other brand made it to the top-performing list across all three age groups.
Consumers appear to be taking greenwashing seriously. When Canada’s Competition Bureau took action against Keurig Canada over the misleading claim that Keurig coffee pods are recyclable, trust scores fell.
Packaged food brands experience eroding trust in 2022 after surging in demand the previous year, possibly as a result of home seclusion and pantry loading.

The Brand Trust Panel 2022

On Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, Dr. Saul Klein presented striking findings from our eighth annual edition of the Gustavson Brand Trust Index and invited brand leaders to share their thought-leadership for good business in the 21st Century.

Tune in to this event to learn:

The role organizational values play in building trust with customers.
How organizations respond when things happen that could undermine trust in their brand.
What it takes to recover and rebuild trust after a negative event.
How organizations can demonstrate a good sense of concern for their customers and employees' well-being while ensuring their product and supply chain's availability and competitiveness.

The following industry experts lead this event:

Sam Sebastian, President and CEO of Pelmorex
Laura Baker, Chief Marketing Officer, Home Hardware Stores Limited
Jeff Walker, President and CEO, Canadian Automobile Association

Below you may view the recording:

About the GBTI

The Gustavson Brand Trust Index (GBTI) is the only study done by an academic institution that investigates consumer trust, the factors that affect it, and the brands that succeed at it. Established in 2015, the GBTI champions responsible management within organizations through its findings, highlighting the increased need for 21st-century businesses to contribute positively to their communities. As a school, the Gustavson School of Business is uniquely positioned to both evaluate brand values and educate on their importance to consumer trust in today's society. Comprising top researchers in their fields, the GBTI team measures overall consumer trust in brands and emphasizes the role of brand values in its study of over 400 brands across Canada.