.trust

We created .trust to guide companies in telling a compelling story about their business and commitments, beyond mere transparency. A .trust analysis is a valuable tool for all those who want to unlock the power of purpose-driven communication with the right combination of credible, memorable content.

An international approach geared to all companies

In .trust, we measure the ability to narrate a brand or business in today’s context, concentrating on how digital communications can combine the concrete “substance” of corporate transparency with an engaging story, all built around a coherent and strategic future vision (purpose).

Our focus is to capture the ability of corporate communications to support competitiveness and to inspire trust, today’s business “currency.”

“Companies use .trust to understand how to communicate effectively on topics that matter, from innovation to sustainability, and leverage the power of purpose.”

How communication generates trust

How do you create a credible communications strategy in the eyes of stakeholders? There needs to be a careful balance between what we call “substance” (the hard information of corporate disclosure) and “distinctiveness” (engagement and user experience). For the .trust research, we came up with a model that does just that.

Our analysis is based on two fundamental macro-areas that are part of a well-balanced and trustworthy communication on strategy and corporate vision, on leadership, and on companies’ ability to engage their stakeholders:

Substance

Evaluates companies’ ability to provide users with a unified vision of their business and their role in society (purpose), with leadership stepping up to put a human face to this vision. This should then act as a storyline that follows through companies’ entire digital communications ecosystem: from the strategy, to the business, sustainability commitments, and innovation initiatives.

Distinctiveness

Here we examine how companies present content and whether they are able to create an effective narrative that engages their user-stakeholders. Here we consider companies’ use of stories and case studies, language and visual elements, social media, and overall user experience.

With .trust we strengthen our position as a strategic partner for companies wanting to use digital communications to support the business.