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The new ROI: what UK marketing leaders really think about trust

The brands winning right now have something money can't buy - here's how they built it.
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The trust report

Consumers are scrolling with suspicion. Public confidence in institutions is at a generational low. And with the rise of AI, influencer marketing and the widening regulation gap between channels, for the brands playing by the rules, the question is no longer just how to make great advertising. It’s whether the system that once guaranteed trust in advertising is keeping pace with the world it was built to protect.

That’s why we brought together some of the UK’s senior advertising and brand voices to find out. CMOs, creative founders, regulators, production companies, and challenger brands joined our roundtable, for two hours of candid conversation that ranged from the boardroom to the billboard, from Waitrose to Paddy Power, and from TikTok to TV.

This report captures what was said, who said it and what it means for anyone building a brand right now.

 

What's inside

  • Section 1: Insights

Foreword – by Sam Smith, Managing Director, Clearcast

The state of trust today – by Matt Bourn, Director of Communications, Advertising Association

A perspective on trust – by Lord Mark Price, Founder, WorkL (and Former Managing Director, Waitrose)

  • Section 2: Discussion

Does it matter where you show up?

How do you actually build trust through your advertising?

Regulation – constraint or competitive advantage?

  • Section 3: Takeaways

7 things the UK’s sharpest advertising minds agreed on

Where does the industry go from here?

10 steps to trusted advertising

"It's not the public's job to figure out if they can trust an ad or not. It's our responsibility to make sure they can trust every ad."
Matt Bourn, Director of Communications, Advertising Association
"My advice always: fess up quickly. Be honest. And people will then trust you."
Lord Mark Price, CVO, Baron Price CVO | Founder, WorkL | Former Managing Director, Waitrose 
"Knowing the rules is really important. If you do not know the rules, you do not know how far you can go."
Atoshi George, Head of Scientific UK and Ireland, L'Oréal
"We always want to try to make the best creative, the flashiest, the coolest idea. But that is not always what a campaign needs."
Tim Marsh, Managing Director, Lamplight Media

Be part of the next event

Are you a senior marketing professional? Register your interest to join one of our next trust events. As the series continues, we'll further explore trust and what it means for our industry, and start to delve deeper into key topics.

Artificial intelligence

AI & trust

Influencer / creator marketing

Influencers & trust

Who are Clearcast?

For over 60 years, we’ve helped keep UK TV ads trusted, compliant and effective with pre-clearance. Building on our compliance expertise and powered by new technology and AI, we now help brands, agencies and broadcasters to deliver better campaign outcomes by offering training, creative consultancy, delivery, data and accessibility services, as well as clearance. Our goal is to make it easier to advertise responsibly, so that together we uphold the public’s trust in all types of advertising.

Who we are

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