BUILDING TRUSTTAPPING INTO THE INTERNAL

TRUST SURPLUS TO BOLSTER

CREDIBILITY

2

EDELMAN’S 15th Annual TRUST BAROMETER METHODOLOGY

Informed Public

• 500 respondents in U.S.

and China, and 200 in

other countries

• Ages 25-64

• College-educated

• In top 25% of household

income per age group in

each country

• Report significant media

consumption and

engagement in business

news and public policy

• 15 years of data

General Online Population

• 1,000 respondents per

country surveyed

• Ages 18+

• 4 years in 25+ markets

Online Survey in 27 Countries

• 33,000 respondents

• 7 years in 20+ markets

• 10 years in 10+ markets

3

THE BOTTOM LINE: TRUST NEEDS A TURNAROUND

Trust has declined

across nearly every

sector, in almost every

geography

More than 80% distrust

business, government,

or both

CEO credibility continues

to fall

More than 60% distrust

media

4

However, companies continue to have an internal

“Trust Surplus” that they can tap into to help bolster

credibility.

5

A COMPANY’S EXPERTS AND “A PERSON LIKE YOURSELF” REMAIN HIGHLY CREDIBLE

70%68%

63%

54% 55%53%

46%

37%

70%67%

63%

56%53%

49%

43%

38%

Academic orIndustry Expert

CompanyTechnical Expert

A Person LikeYourself

NGORepresentative

Financial orIndustry Analyst

RegularEmployee

CEO GovernmentOfficial orRegulator

2014 2015

More Trust Less Trust

Q130-143. [TRACKING] Below is a list of people. In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you heard information

about a company from each person, how credible would the information be—extremely credible, very credible, somewhat

credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box, Very/Extremely Credible) Informed Publics, 27-country global total.

Informed

Public

When speaking about a company’s overall

strategy, experts and peers outrank traditional

spokespeople

CREDIBILITY OF SPOKESPERSONS, 2014 VS. 2015

6

• Listens to customer needs and feedback

• Treats employees well

• Places customers ahead of profits

• Communicates frequently and honestly

21%

31%29%

23%

29%

47%

34%

30%

23%

31%33%

22%

29%

34%

26%

22%

27%

37%34%

31%

14%

23%

13%

19%

15%

OperationsPurposeProductsIntegrityEngagement

EMPLOYEES RANK AMONG MOST TRUSTED INFLUENCERS

COMPANY’S EMPLOYEECOMPANY CEO ACTIVIST CONSUMER ACADEMIC MEDIA SPOKESPERSON

MOST TRUSTED INFLUENCER TO COMMUNICATE EACH TOPIC

• Has ethical business practices

• Takes responsible actions to address an

issue or crisis

• Has transparent, open business practices

• Has highly-regarded and widely-admired

top leadership

• Ranks on a global list of top companies

• Delivers consistent financial returns to

investors

Informed

Public

Q197-201(Global Summary). We would now like you to think about different types of information you may read,

see or hear about a company. For each topic, please select which person you trust MOST to provide you with

credible and honest information about a company. Informed Publics, 27-country global total.

Employees ranked most credible for Engagement, Integrity and

Operations

7

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

CEO Regular Employee Company Technical Expert

Automotive, tech, entertainment

and consumer electronics among

the largest gaps

ACROSS INDUSTRIES, IN-HOUSE TECHNICAL EXPERTS SURPASS CEOS AS CREDIBLE SOURCES

23 pts

Q130-143. [TRACKING] Below is a list of people. In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you heard information about a company from each person,

how credible would the information be—extremely credible, very credible, somewhat credible, or not credible at all? (Top 2 Box, Very/Extremely Credible) General

Population, 27-country global total. Q43-60. [TRACKING] Please indicate how much you trust businesses in each of the following industries to do what is right. Again

please use the same nine-point scale where one means that you “do not trust them at all” and nine means that you “trust them a great deal.” (Top 4 Box, Trust)

General Population, 27-country global total.

Informed

Public

24 pts23 pts 23 pts

MOST TRUSTED INFLUENCER TO COMMUNICATE EACH TOPIC AMONG

PEOPLE WHO TRUST EACH INDUSTRY

8

THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPANIES TO LEVERAGE THIS INTERNAL TRUST SURPLUS ARE CLEAR

Engage employees regularly on the state of the business,

with a focus on CEO transparency underpinned by storytelling

that reaffirms personal commitment by leadership

Employees with

employees

Employees with

world

Employees with

company

Tap in-house technical experts (such as engineers,

developers and scientists) to help position the company’s

overall strategic story in relatable terms

Empower employees to serve as company advocates,

especially on topics where employees are highly credible,

such as discussing a company’s ethical, customer-focused

business practices and leadership

9

IN 2015, WE ALSO GAINED ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS RELATED TO PERCEPTIONS OF INNOVATION

51% Too Fast28% Too Slow 19% Just Right

The pace of development and change in business and industry today is…

Q349-351. Below are a number of statements. For each, please think about the pace of development and change

in business and industry today and select the response that most accurately represents your opinion. (Not

Enough, Too Much) Informed Publics, 27-country global total.

Informed

Public

10

24%

30%

35%

54%

66%

70%

Make the World a Better Place

Improve People's Lives

Personal Ambition

Greed/Money

Business Growth Targets

Technology

TECHNOLOGY AND MAKING MONEY ARE PERCEIVED AS THE BIGGEST INNOVATION DRIVERS

Q353. From the list below, what do you believe are the top three drivers of change in business and industry

today? Informed Publics, 27-country global total.

Informed

Public

DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY TODAY ARE PERCEIVED TO BE:

11

Due to the credibility of employees

and technical experts, these

employee groups are in a unique

and powerful position to shift

perceptions of how a company

innovates.

12

To help bolster the credibility of

company leadership, companies must

cultivate these credible internal

spokespeople

to help refine and reinforce their

“Trusted Innovation” story from within.

13

REINFORCING THE INNOVATION STORY FROM WITHIN

Technical experts

within your company

Regular

employees

Front-line

employees

Three target audiences can help elevate the “how” and “why” around a company's

innovation story

14

One of the most trusted overall sources of information about a company

IN-HOUSE TECHNICAL EXPERTS

• Can help underscore a company’s

innovation story by tying it back to the

overall strategy

• Can credibly articulate the

development process of new

innovations

• Can serve as trusted internal

ambassadors to help educate general

employees about a company’s

innovations – and the why and benefit

behind them – in relatable and tangible

terms

Technical experts

within your company

15

Uniquely positioned to understand the role that their own company plays in the broader

picture of innovation

REGULAR EMPLOYEES

• Can serve as credible spokespeople

to discuss innovations their company is

pursuing

• Require context to understand not only

what the innovations are, but the “why”

and the benefits behind those

innovations

Regular

employees

16

The first line of defense with customers

FRONT-LINE EMPLOYEES

• Can help advocate a company’s

innovation story directly to customers

and prospects

• Can serve as a trusted feedback

channel to inspire the next wave of

innovation

Front-line

employees

17

Trusted Innovation

.

..

Continue to foster the lifecycle of innovation through these trusted groups –

and harness these resources to bolster the credibility of C-suite messages

AMPLIFYING TRUSTED INNOVATION FROM WITHIN

Provide training

and support to

serve as a critical

feedback loop and

customer

ambassador

Elevate to underscore the

credibility behind the innovation

strategy, both internally and

externally

Tap as internal

advocates to tell the

“how” and “why” behind

an innovation

18

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Edelman Employee Engagement helps

companies create employee connections that

deepen engagement, increase trust and accelerate

business performance.

Email: employee.engagement@edelman.com

Twitter: @EdelmanEE

Web: ee.edelman.com

Complete Trust Barometer info: trust.edelman.com