A Nielsen Report

Global Trust in Advertising and Brand Messages
April 2012

CONSUMER TRUST

IN “EARNED” ADVERTISING
GROWS IN IMPORTANCE
Trust in traditional paid advertising messages declines

Earned media sources remain most credible

Confidence in online and mobile advertising increases Regional variances offer global marketers opportunities Improved relevance in advertising has room to grow

The voice of fellow consumers continues to be strongly heard when it comes to the most trusted forms of advertising. Ninetytwo percent of consumers around the world say they trust earned media, such as word-of-mouth or recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of advertising—an increase of 18 percent since 2007, according to a new study from Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. Online consumer reviews are the second most trusted source of brand information and messaging, with 70 percent of global consumers surveyed online indicating they trust messages on this platform, an increase of 15 percent in four years. Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Survey of more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries shows that while nearly half of consumers around the world say they trust television (47%), magazine (47%) and newspaper ads (46%), confidence declined by 24 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent, respectively, between 2009 and 2011.

Still, the majority of advertising dollars are spent on traditional or paid media, such as television. In 2011, overall global ad spend saw a seven percent increase over 2010, according to Nielsen’s most recent Global AdView Pulse. This growth in spend was driven by a 10 percent increase in television advertising, with countries including the U.S. and China, attracting more advertising dollars versus the year prior. “While brand marketers