TRUSTWORTHY

A business book offers a methodology for companies to build trust in their potential customers.

“People don’t trust brands like they used to,” Bloomstein notes at the beginning of her work. “Failures of leadership, inconsistent messaging, and deceptive practices” in all areas of public life, from retail to “the halls of governments,” have combined to erode trust in marketed brands of all kinds. “Cynicism takes root,” the author writes, “when people don’t know who to trust and decide not to believe anything.” This is both a threat and a challenge for businesses wishing to build trust in their products and services, and Bloomstein seeks to provide clear and sharp advice for what customers want and what they respond to in the present age. “Users don’t shop for features, or fables,” she asserts. “They shop for benefits first,” for “What’s in it for me?” basics. “Focus on users’ needs,” she advises, “then you can help them focus on the features and details that will make a difference in their decisions.” In the course of her book, the author uses a variety of companies as examples of what to do and how to do it. Brand names like America’s Test Kitchen, GOV.UK, Airbnb, Banana Republic, MailChimp, and others are discussed, sometimes in the context of both Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the well-known business truism about “good, fast, or cheap”—everybody has to pick two out of the three. At the heart of Bloomstein’s outlook is the importance of simplicity in the flow of information. “Abstraction is different from generalizing,” she shrewdly points out, and “If information is power, it’s because confidence in our own knowledge fuels trust.” The author uses a very clear, lean prose line; marketing directors at all levels will find her insights intriguing, although her discussions of her various example companies can sometimes go too far into the weeds for effective generalizing. In this instance, readers may think of Bloomstein’s own comment that “ ‘More’ isn’t better. It’s exhausting.”

A punchy and stimulating look at building brands.