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Trust is a Growth Strategy with Kent Grayson
Episode 182
Published 18 hours ago
Description
Marketers assume the moment consumers spot a sales pitch, their guard goes up and the message dies. New research says that's only half the story. Sometimes recognizing persuasion makes people trust a brand more, not less.
This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Kellogg School of Management professor Kent Grayson, who has spent decades studying trust, deception and authenticity. He explains the three building blocks every brand draws on to earn trust, plus how to diagnose which one you're actually missing. The team also digs into whether TV itself works as a trust signal, and why AI could erode the founder story the same way paid deals eroded influencers.
Topics covered:
[03:30] What the persuasion knowledge model really says
[07:30] Why people distrust "advertising" but trust the ads they watch
[10:30] Trust's three buckets: competence, honesty and benevolence
[15:30] Character-based trust vs assurance-based trust
[19:00] Can a media channel be a trust signal?
[21:30] How AI threatens the founder story
[26:00] Trustworthy creative starts with a trustworthy strategy
To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.
Resources:
2017 KelloggInsight Research: https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/how-to-make-ads-that-even-savvy-customers-trust
Kent Grayson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-grayson-3a0894126/
Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Kellogg School of Management professor Kent Grayson, who has spent decades studying trust, deception and authenticity. He explains the three building blocks every brand draws on to earn trust, plus how to diagnose which one you're actually missing. The team also digs into whether TV itself works as a trust signal, and why AI could erode the founder story the same way paid deals eroded influencers.
Topics covered:
[03:30] What the persuasion knowledge model really says
[07:30] Why people distrust "advertising" but trust the ads they watch
[10:30] Trust's three buckets: competence, honesty and benevolence
[15:30] Character-based trust vs assurance-based trust
[19:00] Can a media channel be a trust signal?
[21:30] How AI threatens the founder story
[26:00] Trustworthy creative starts with a trustworthy strategy
To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.
Resources:
2017 KelloggInsight Research: https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/how-to-make-ads-that-even-savvy-customers-trust
Kent Grayson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-grayson-3a0894126/
Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.