With feverish speculation about the imminent calling of a General Election – perhaps as early as 6pm this evening – the Edelman Public Affairs team assesses the likely outcomes ahead and their impact on businesses.

While just three ultimate end states remain the same - no deal, deal, no Brexit – the former is becoming increasingly likely, and the routes to achieve them are also crystallising.

This week will see rebel Conservatives join forces with other parties to seek to extend the Brexit deadline, while Team Johnson has vowed to eject and deselect any Tory MPs seeking to undermine his no deal position.

It is hard to see any outcome being reached without an election being called to give the Prime Minister the majority he craves. The question is whether Labour would vote in favour of an election (which could fall in November), having spent the last three years calling for one, or whether they follow Tony Blair’s advice not to “fall into the trap” of enabling an accidental no deal.

Buckle in for the biggest week in politics since the last. But this time we may well see the real splitting of the Conservative Party and without doubt a test of nerve on all sides.

Click here to read the full analysis.

The Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Institutional Investors, delivers valuable investment criteria and insights on trust drivers for institutional investors. This year’s findings span a range of topics including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices, multi-stakeholder commitment and more.

The Canadian cut of the report reveals that a resounding 91% of Canadian institutional investors believe that maximizing shareholder returns should no longer be a company’s primary goal. As more institutional investors seek investments aligned with their own ESG practices, business leaders must navigate this increasingly complex landscape to effectively demonstrate a multi-stakeholder commitment.

This third annual global report surveyed 607 institutional investors, including financial analysts, chief investment officers and portfolio managers across six countries (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Japan), representing firms that collectively manage over $9 trillion in assets. The report is a supplement to the Edelman Trust Barometer launched annually in January at the World Economic Forum.

Contact us to learn more about the Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Institutional Investors findings and events being held globally.

The COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, global outcry over systemic racism and political instability have left Canada facing a crisis in leadership and expert credibility. 

For Canadian institutions and leaders looking to build trust amongst their stakeholders, here are ten insights from the 2021 Barometer to keep in-mind:

Insight One: Spring trust bubble bursts with no institution remaining in the trusted category.

In Spring 2020, business, government and NGOs all saw a spike in trust, moving them into the trusted category among the Canadian general population. Since then, the trust bubble has burst, with all institutions giving back most (if not all) of the gains they saw and returning to the neutral zone. Government saw the biggest increase in the Spring with a 20-point increase; however, despite declining 11 points in the past six months, government remains the most trusted institution in Canada.

Insight Two: Societal leaders are not trusted to do what is right.

Amid urgent problems and a year of crisis, leadership is failing. Government leaders, CEOs and religious leaders are not trusted to do what is right. Instead, we’re seeing Canadians look to experts and those that are local – like people in their community – to help tackle the issues that matter most to them. In fact, 50% of respondents worry that business leaders are purposely trying to mislead them, and 46% believe the same about government leaders – this is a wake-up call for leaders, who need to take action to build trust amongst their stakeholders.

Insight Three: Trust in most information sources at record lows.

Not one information source – traditional media (55%), search engines (47%), owned (32%) or social media (22%) – is trusted in Canada and the latter three are distrusted. All four information sources have witnessed a decline in trust compared to last year.

Fads, Futures and Trust – What Stood Out at Advertising Week APAC 2019

Advertising Week APAC 2019 returned to Sydney for its second year, spanning four days at the iconic Luna Park with more than 200 speakers and 4,000 attendees. Michelle Hutton (CEO of Edelman in Australia) took the stage to present the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust?

Diverse speakers from the Australian and global media, marketing and advertising industries shared their incredible work and their thoughts on the latest industry trends. While there was a vast array of speakers and topics, a few trends were prominent throughout the conference:

Wellness isn’t a fad, it’s the future

Wellness has been an increasingly important topic across the industry in the past few years, with more and more people and organizations placing value on the mental health and wellbeing of their employees. The first keynote speaker for AWAPAC, Sherilyn Shackwell, founder and CEO of The Marketing Academy, opened the conference with a presentation on “purpose” and how to rediscover the joy in life and work. Shackwell’s light-hearted presentation left us with some wonderful life tips:

  1. Get some perspective. Take a moment to consider: Is this issue going to matter in five minutes? Five days? Five weeks? Or five months?
  2. Find your tribe. Stop spending time with people who won’t attend your funeral.
  3. Be fearless. Get the fire in your soul!

The future is social

This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, but the importance of social media and creating an integrated social media approach was one trend that was at the forefront of several presentations. One particular talk, on “The Social Evolution,” pulled the expertise from a panel of social media specialists who shared the following key learnings on what brands should keep in mind when communicating on social media:

  • A good strategy comes back to knowing your audience. Take the time to truly understand your consumers and their values so you can effectively communicate with them.
  • Social media is now part of our everyday culture, so it should be fully integrated into all elements of the business and daily media approach.
  • Quality over quantity — doing it once and doing it well is miles better than doing it halfway 10 times over.

Trust is key

Trust in brands has continued to be a prevalent topic that many speakers touched on during the conference. Hutton presented the importance of building trust with consumers through the voices of social media influencers. Some of the key findings from this data were:

  • Authenticity before reach—find the people who have the most authentic voice with your target audience.
  • The influencer’s own voice is your best bond with their audience. Brands need to allow these trusted voices to speak in their own words and tone.
  • Long-term partnerships with key influencers can help grow your brand. Influencers build solid relationships with their audiences so brands must do the same with their influencers.

Edwina Jones is an assistant account executive at Edelman in Sydney.

Annie Spratt

What strange times we suddenly find ourselves living in. The speed at which the COVID-19 virus has spread across the globe has been nothing short of head spinning and the feeling of whiplash will be with us for some time to come. As we place ourselves in lockdown and watch governments introduce increasingly drastic measures to protect the Australian people and economy, we’re left with a country that’s in many ways hard to recognise as the one we called home just a few short weeks ago.

Within this new climate, it’s entirely understandable that businesses and brands might be left feeling somewhat lost; wondering where their role lies in dealing with the crisis and what their best course of action might be to ensure they’re both doing their part to help their communities and ensuring their own long-term viability.

In order to shed some light on how this might be done, at Edelman we’ve completed two important studies over recent weeks that provide invaluable insights into the way forward for brands. The first is an Edelman Trust Barometer special report, Trust and the Coronavirus, and the second special report, Brand Trust and the Coronavirus Pandemic, a 12-market study on what is expected of brands during the pandemic.

What these studies have revealed is that brands have an absolutely critical role to play in ensuring we make it through this crisis, and the keystone to that role is solutions. To put it bluntly, people believe brands should stop selling and start solving, offering tangible and fast-moving solutions that help everyone through this difficult time. Brands that do so will come through the crisis with their integrity intact, while those that do not may face a backlash.

As we dive deeper into this, we should start by looking at a few of the key insights our studies have revealed, outlining a set of very clear expectations people have regarding brands’ response to COVID-19. The first point might sound simplistic, but it’s essential, and that’s that people expect brands to create products that help in the crisis. We’ve seen 89 per cent of respondents say brands should shift production to goods that meet the challenges of COVID-19.

As an example of a brand that’s heard this message loud and clear, HP is deploying a range of measures, including the harnessing of its 3D-printing capabilities to create vital products for medical workers and hospitals. These include essentials like ventilator valves, breathing filters, and face mask clasps, as well as new innovations like plastic door handle adaptors that make it easier to open doors with your elbow, preventing further spread of the virus.

For those in any doubt over the value of a shift such as this, it’s worth noting that 54 per cent of respondents to our research say they’re not paying attention to new products right now, unless designed to help with pandemic-related life challenges. So, if you’re thinking of marketing a new product that doesn’t help to address COVID-19, be forewarned, your efforts may fall on deaf ears.

The second expectation people have of brands during this period is that they should communicate how they’re helping. We’ve seen 89 per cent of our respondents tell us brands should keep the public fully informed on how they’re supporting and protecting their employees and customers, while 88 per cent want to be kept updated regarding changes to brand operations and how to access products and services. Transparency is always valuable, but it’s particularly key during these moments of crisis.

Understanding the importance of this, LinkedIn recently alerted the public to changes that would see it shifting focus to ensure essential pandemic-related positions are prioritised. Because there’s no point getting equipment to the frontlines if no one’s manning the post, right? As such, LinkedIn is working to raise awareness around an offering of free job listings until June 30 for businesses in healthcare, warehousing, supermarket, and freight delivery, as well as the serving of urgent jobs listings, like those in healthcare services, to members with relevant skills.

Finally, people’s third expectation of brands during this time comes via a clear desire amongst 90 per cent of respondents that brands partner with government to better deal with the crisis. This would be due, at least in part, to the majority of people seeing brands and companies as having a faster and more effective response to COVID-19. As such, it’s only natural to find that 86 per cent of people hope brands will provide a safety net where government is unable to act or perhaps unable to act quickly enough.

While remaining mindful of these three key expectations (producing goods that help, communicating how they’re doing so, and working alongside government), brands must also be aware that people are watching carefully to see which of them prove capable of meeting the demands of the COVID-19 era. Sixty-five per cent of respondents say that how a brand responds will likely have a huge impact on their likelihood of buying that brand in future, while one in three claim they’ve already meted out punishment by convincing other people to stop using a brand they felt was not acting appropriately. Furthermore, 71 per cent of people claim that if they perceived a brand to be putting profit over people, they would lose trust in that brand forever. With people’s anxiety so understandably heightened at this time, extra care must be taken to ensure brands’ actions cannot be seen to be anything less than for the greater good.

Saying that, it’s heartening to see that many brands are already rising to the COVID-19 challenge. Some of these I’ve already mentioned, but further initiatives worth applauding include Unilever’s AUD$182 million offer to help the fight through donations of soap, sanitiser, bleach and food; the Archie Rose brewery’s shifting of resources away from alcoholic beverages towards producing hand sanitiser; or something as simple as the Sydney Opera House’s new online platform making it just a touch easier to stay home by offering free full-length performances and other content to compensate for the fact that no one will be walking through its white sails for some time.

Efforts like these give me hope, and while I’m confident that we’ll ultimately get through this together, it will only be if everyone does their part. And while individuals self-isolate or work to the point of exhaustion on the frontlines, it’s time for brands to consider any and all ways they can provide assistance to Aussies in their hour of need. I believe brands are ready to do the right thing, and with Australia watching, now’s the time for them to step up and prove it. Just be sure to wash your hands first.

This article originally appears on B&T Australia

The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that despite a strong global economy and near full employment, none of the four societal institutions that the study measures—government, business, NGOs and media—is trusted. The cause of this paradox can be found in people’s fears about the future and their role in it, which are a wake-up call for our institutions to embrace a new way of effectively building trust: balancing competence with ethical behavior.

Click here to download the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report.

 

A GROWING SENSE OF INEQUITY IS UNDERMINING TRUST

Since Edelman began measuring trust 20 years ago, it has been spurred by economic growth. This continues in Asia and the Middle East, but not in developed markets, where income inequality is now the more important factor. A majority of respondents in every developed market do not believe they will be better off in five years’ time, and more than half of respondents globally believe that capitalism in its current form is now doing more harm than good in the world.

56%
 

The result is a world of two different trust realities. The informed public—wealthier, more educated, and frequent consumers of news—remain far more trusting of every institution than the mass population. In a majority of markets, less than half of the mass population trust their institutions to do what is right. There are now a record eight markets showing all-time-high gaps between the two audiences—an alarming trust inequality.

Trust gaps

Distrust is being driven by a growing sense of inequity and unfairness in the system. The perception is that institutions increasingly serve the interests of the few over everyone. Government, more than any institution, is seen as least fair; 57 percent of the general population say government serves the interest of only the few, while 30 percent say government serves the interests of everyone.

 

FEARS ECLIPSE HOPES

Against the backdrop of growing cynicism around capitalism and the fairness of our current economic systems are deep-seated fears about the future. Specifically, 83 percent of employees say they fear losing their job, attributing it to the gig economy, a looming recession, a lack of skills, cheaper foreign competitors, immigrants who will work for less, automation, or jobs being moved to other countries.

83%

These issues will require higher levels of cooperation among our institutions; no single entity can take on these complex challenges alone. But only about one-third of people believe that business does a good job of partnering with NGOs or government.

Business must take the lead on solving the trust paradox because it has the greatest freedom to act. Its immediate mandates are clear. An overwhelming number of respondents believe that it is the duty of business to pay decent wages (83 percent) and provide retraining for workers whose jobs are threatened by automation (79 percent). Yet less than a third of people trust that business will do these.

 

TRUST: COMPETENCE AND ETHICS

People today grant their trust based on two distinct attributes: competence (delivering on promises) and ethical behavior (doing the right thing and working to improve society). This year’s Trust Barometer reveals that none of the four institutions is seen as both competent and ethical. Business ranks highest in competence, holding a massive 54-point edge over government as an institution that is good at what it does (64 percent vs. 10 percent). NGOs lead on ethical behavior over government (a 31-point gap) and business (a 25-point gap). Government and media are perceived as both incompetent and unethical.

Competence and Ethics

Trust is undeniably linked to doing what is right. After tracking 40 global companies over the past year through our Edelman Trust Management framework, we’ve learned that ethical drivers such as integrity, dependability and purpose drive 76 percent of the trust capital of business, while competence accounts for only 24 percent.

 

PARTNERSHIP: AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD TRUST

This year, we asked Edelman Trust Barometer respondents to tell us how well each institution is doing on a long list of issues that are challenging society. The most consistently low score for NGOs, business and government is on partnership, with each institution not seen as a good partner to the others.

Retraining for jobs is a critical issue that will require partnership between business and government. More than four in 10 say they trust business the most to solve this problem, but it can’t solve it without the help of government.

Retraining

On this issue and others, collaboration is a major opportunity for our institutions to advance society—and build trust.

Click here to download the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report.


The 2020 Trust Barometer is Edelman's 20th annual trust and credibility survey. The research is conducted by Edelman Intelligence, a global insight and analytics consultancy.

The challenge of delivering the right message at the right time to the right people is one that people in Brussels face all the time.

Whether you would like to create a better brand presence in Brussels, convince decision-makers to introduce something new or build a pool of supporters – you'll need to break through the noise.
    
The first instinct of most public affairs teams is to go direct. Target a policymaker and set up a meeting with them; make your case face-to-face and be sure you've gotten through.

That's obviously very effective. But policymakers take a lot of meetings, so you want to ensure that your messages are memorable and that the policymaker you meet with hears what you have to say.

But how do you do that? One very impactful way is grassroots campaigning!

Plan your strategy with us

Earlier this year, when Brussels was dominated by the European Elections, we collaborated on a grassroots campaign with Eurochild, a network of organizations and individuals working across Europe to promote children’s rights.

grassroots campaign brussels 1

We put together a step-by-step guide to grassroots campaigns to help you understand the importance of grassroots engagement that can be the key to staying top-of-mind for your target policymakers.

1. Define your issue

To work towards your goal, you need to first identify your key challenges and define an outcome that you would like to see. 

Although being a central hub for Europe and based in Brussels, Eurochild wanted to build up their existing contact list but hadn't run many external campaigns to put them on the map. They came to us to kickstart a new focus on external campaigns.

We helped them build a campaign around a specific goal: calling for the creation of a new EU Commissioner for Children.

2. Find the right audiences in the right places

The way people consume media has changed immensely. Digital and social platforms and channels have become necessary parts of reaching your target audiences and building trust. Internet users are now spending an average of 142 minutes per day on social networking and messaging platforms. 

Engaging constituent audiences at the grassroots level is a powerful component to connect with individuals who support your values and inspiring them to act in support of your goals. Network organizations like Eurochild need a single rallying course to get a campaign in front of as many people as possible. 

We identified the main groups of people that would be interested in the campaign: This included online communities like parenting and teenager forums, childcare networks, women portals, discussion platforms on EU-topics or civil society associations.

The key to building buzz in those communities is to learn how to post on those forums and focus on offering value to the ongoing conversation.

3. Deliver engaging content that educates and energizes

Today’s digital landscape with all its communications channels has created endless noise. This makes it very easy to be ignored. To break through the noise and be heard, you need to bring a campaign to life that clearly signals what your organization stands for and who you are. 

Content your grassroots community wants to engage with and eventually share needs to be easily accessible and communicate a clear message. 

We helped Eurochild build a tongue-in-cheek landing site and an online petition. The team focused on the seemingly incongruous fact that there is no EU Commissioner focused on children yet there is one focused on fish - this was a surprising fact that also plays into the fact that many Europeans don't have a solid grasp on what the Commission does or is responsible for.

So we asked the question: "What's more important: Children or Fish?". Eurochild then asked people to share their content and spread the word by using the memorable hashtag #ChildCommissioner.

4. Be able to prove the value created through your campaign

Whether your organization is advocating for change or simply raising awareness, showing the progress of your campaign by posting it online or making your grassroots supporters convene at a certain public space can be very effective to show the size and volume of your voice.

Since launching at the end of June 2019, Eurochild’s petition has received almost 3,000 signatures. Their campaign content was shared by multiple MEPs, the former president of Malta as well as EuroNews and UNICEF. The organization shared these milestones via social media and tagged supporters to thank them, which created further traction around their campaign.

Grassroots Campaigning is Best Practice

Grassroots engagement is more important than ever. The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report shows that businesses are more trusted than governments. Brands are expected to take a larger role in society with more and more people becoming belief-driven. This implies that the expectations of voters for political engagement are also increasing.

Whether you’re educating and empowering your audience or compelling them to take action, grassroots campaigning can be a powerful way to build bridges between individuals and decision makers or simply to build a list of supporters that you can reach out to frequently. 

Partnering with like-minded individuals or organizations can make your voice hard to ignore by people that usually get contacted a lot in Brussels. While volume alone isn’t always enough to bring change on an issue, enabling your advocates to easily share content that they happily support can help break through the noise.

Get in touch for your own campaign

세계 36개의 에델만 디지털 오피스들이 동안 진행한 캠페인을 대상으로 “One Hundred Cool Things Edelman Digital Did in 2019 발표됐다.

한국 오피스는 다섯 개의 캠페인이 선정되는 영광을 차지했다.

선정된 캠페인 중에선 브랜드 마케팅과 음악을 접목한 페라리 “To Portofino and Beyond, 삼성 갤럭시 10주년을 맞이하여 삼성 공식 벨소리의 진화를 정리한 인터랙티브 오디오 콘텐츠 (삼성 모바일 프레스), 삼성 디지털 어플라이언스에서 새롭게 선보인맞춤형 가전’ 1호인 냉장고 ‘BESPOKE  밀레니얼 인플루언서 마케팅 캠페인이 있었다.

또한 썬키스트 함께한 건의 캠페인도 선정됐다. 밀레니얼 소비자들과 직접 만나고 소통하는 이동식 카페인 시트러스 테라피 카페 마이크로 인플루언서들과 시트러스 메뉴를 개발하는 캠페인을 통해 타깃층과 가까워지는 기회를 가졌다

Something I often get asked is whether I think mental health is, in fact, a bigger issue in the communications industry than other professions. Sadly, and rather ironically, the answer is yes. Studies show that there is a disproportionate amount of people with symptoms of mental illness in the media, marketing and creative industries – but why is this? Shouldn’t we be better than most at promoting the issue and developing strategies to reduce it?

It’s no secret that this line of work can be extremely demanding. In fact, PR is listed as one of the most stressful professions in the world. However, those in high-stress professions like doctors, firefighters and military personnel have long had embedded and easily accessible services to support employees who are affected by mental illness and it only feels like the corporate world is just now waking up to understanding this is an essential part of employee support.

In Australia, a recent study looking at the media, marketing and creative industries revealed that over half (55 percent) had mild to severe symptoms of depression and 56 percent for anxiety. That is 20 points above the average Australian worker. Worst of all is the stigma attached to mental health. Only 29 percent of people living with a mental health condition said they would disclose it to a colleague.

This isn’t just an issue that affects work culture. It ultimately impairs the ability to effectively do our jobs and impacts our bottom lines. The World Economic Forum, ‘Future of Jobs’ report, names creativity, complex problem-solving and critical thinking as the top three job skills most in demand by 2020. If we can’t reach our full potential because our mental welfare isn’t being looked after, that’s going to be a ripple felt throughout our businesses.

Dr. David Alais, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney and an expert in the neuroscience of creativity, has found a strong link between creative thinking and wellbeing. He states that we each have a cognitive cycle that switches in and out of our focused conscious mind and into a divergent style where we can create and find links between disparate ideas. Since this creative network doesn't come online until we're relaxed and de-stressed, we need to work harder as an industry to create supportive environments to ensure people can thrive.

This is clearly something we can all benefit from addressing. Nearly all of us (89 percent) in the Lucky Country say that we’re happy to work alongside someone with a mental health condition, and as John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO, once said, “We must bring love out of the corporate closet.” We must all practice kindness and empathy, asking our colleagues if they are ok and being ready to lean in, listen and be ready with support if they are not.

Some examples of what we’re implementing at Edelman through our ‘Livewell’ program include flexible working hours, mental health training and providing employees with our own bespoke wellness app. We are also working hard to promote a healthy work/life balance through our ‘Dusk to Dawn’ global policy, designed to curb non-urgent emails outside of work hours (8pm to 8am…or 7pm to 7am for us early risers in Australia) and encouraging at least one walking meeting a day.

It is of vital importance to create a compassionate culture where it is okay to talk openly and confidentially about mental health issues knowing that doing so will not impact your career progression and work relationships. This culture must be driven from the top and it is imperative that CEOs and leaders openly demonstrate their commitment to mentally healthy workplaces and, more importantly, role model mentally healthy practices.

Kate Ferguson is Chief Client and Operations Officer at Edelman's Australia office.

Max van den Oetelaar

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