Freddy Davy, Account Director at HTC, says it’s the learning curve (of both users and marketers) catching up to the speed of innovation that has fuelled this growth in trust. “Early distrust of online material stemmed from the medium’s infancy stage,” adds Davy. “You know, back in the day when having a Web strategy might mean buying a few banner ads. According to the study, only 33% of users say they have some degree of trust in those kinds of ads, which is higher than it used to be, but 70% trust consumer opinions posted online.”

Paying attention to these findings can help a company fine tune development plans to maximize impact. “Given that data, it makes sense for B2C sites to allow online feedback as a way of encouraging word of mouth marketing.” Davy notes that this works best for online retailers, as it promotes the illusion of competition and the overall level of purchase satisfaction. “When consumers feel informed of the pros and cons of a product, they feel more attached to it going in, and more confident about the purchase afterwards,” says Davy.

“Brand sites may prefer taking a different approach,” adds Liesl Barrell, Project Coordinator at HTC. “Based on these findings, ‘email a friend’ features can be extremely effective by tapping in to the 90% of consumers who value the recommendations of people they know.”

Compared to the levels of trust from Nielsen Company’s 2007 study, advertising in traditional media has grown the least in consumer esteem. “It’s significant that the only actual drop in trust is for newspapers,” Davy points out. “Not only are our media diets shifting, the perception of newspapers, magazines and radio is that they are struggling to compete.”

Barrell agrees, “recent decisions to place ads on magazine and newspaper covers show that lessened consumer trust is being met by more aggressive advertising. The trend is to trust and respond to advertising that is more interactive, and older media are starting to latch on.”

Marketing initiatives by companies like GE and Papa John’s combine traditional and new media to create augmented-reality programs, with microsites and corresponding print advertising that promote the interactive components. “As more companies clue in to the value of the online user experience, the way we advertise will become more sophisticated,” Barrell says. “But unlike older strategies which based digital initiatives on traditional ads, they’re starting to approach the interactive experience first, which is a great step forward.”

With more and more emphasis placed on online initiatives, Davy is quick to note that a Web strategy should not exist in a vacuum. “The benefit of agencies like ours that approach both branding and Web, is that we focus on integrating the user story with the brand story. Whether we’re working with existing traditional collateral or developing it all ourselves, we know brands get the most out of their marketing when all the material fits the big picture.”

For more information on the Nielsen Company study consult their PDF release: Personal Recommendations and Consumer Opinions Posted Online are the Most Trusted Forms of Advertising Globally.