Trust & transparency: Why we need it more than ever in 2017

Can technology help to create transparency and therefore restore trust in brands and agency partners? Columnist Carl Erik Kjærsgaard weighs in. With 2016 coming to a close, it’s time for marketers to think about the past year. Was it the year we pushed our industry toward a better future, or just another year with minimal change? As the year progressed, two key themes continued to drive the conversation throughout the industry: trust and transparency. Where would we be without trust? Truly think about that for a moment. Customers need to be able to trust a brand before they are willing to engage, or the brand risks losing their business. And building trust is easier said than done; building and maintaining trust means ensuring that you’re being transparent with your clients and customers. There were several news stories this year which affected the industry, some in a not-so-positive way. But we can take these events and look at them as teachable moments and lessons learned that will move our industry forward — they all touch on trust and transparency.