Social responsibility and employee engagement were the two key elements highlighted in Stuart Smith’s speech discussion of this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer UK results reflecting on the UK statistics.

A few statistics and information:

- Business is the most trusted source by opinion leaders.

- Religion, which is added to the survey? questions for the first time, is the second highest.

- Government scores lowest in trust.

- Technology, healthcare, entertainment and retail are the top four most trusted sectors.

- Business publications and analysts’ opinions score the highest in trust.

- ‘People like me’ is the most credible source. This year, the research attempts to specify who is ‘people like me’ and it finds that the two key influences are those who ‘share my interest’ and those who ‘look like me’.

- Local and global images vary greatly between different regions and countries. For example, European countries prefer a local approach comparing to China which places more trust in global names.

- The key global issues include global warming, human rights and poverty.

A lot of statistics and information but what does it all mean for the UK?

Firstly, consumers need to be part of the decision making process and they feel the need to be consulted on issues and matters that relate to them. Also interesting from the research, and one that is frequently debated, is that consumers often feel that the many different messages are confusing. This reflects a very important factor (either as a reinforcement or as a change), which the young PR professional must adopt – there must be clear and concise messages when planning a PR strategy. Thereafter the whole campaign must be consistent to ensure that the consumers are receiving and understanding what we’re trying to say.

Secondly, with the emphasis on locality in the UK it is important for businesses to prioritise social responsibility and employee engagement to ensure that they maintain the trust gained by their audiences. This means seriously considering the green issues, working with the community and listening and responding to your staff’s concerns and needs. From a PR perspective, this could translate to building the two way conversation matrix which places more emphasis on the community, employees, and other local relations to ensure that there is a consistent and ongoing communication programme.

Finally, back to the title of Stuart Smith’s speech, is the UK a nation of cynics? Perhaps, but only if we don’t maintain a consistent communication channel and when transparency is not prominent. Recently we see a number of UK-based companies (re)gaining the momentum in the industry, their corporate reputation and building trust with their audiences. Examples including Marks & Spencer, Innocent, and Virgin.

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