Canadians might not trust politicians, but they still have faith in a double-double. There鈥檚 a lesson here about what it takes to build trust. The University of Victoria鈥檚 Gustavson School of Business crunched some numbers and created the Gustavson Brand Trust Index, which it hopes to turn into an annual listing. It asked consumers about the factors that mattered most to them, including 鈥渓eadership, social and environmental performance, and authenticity.鈥�
Tim Hortons topped the index by a wide margin, earning 224 points, compared to 189 for second-place President鈥檚 Choice.
鈥淭hey really are the iconic Canadian brand,鈥� said Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School. 鈥淚t will be interesting to see what happens [with new ownership], as one of the things that makes them really strong is community engagement. Will they sustain the spending on those elements? One would hope so to maintain their value proposition.鈥�
As Canadian as it seems, Tim Hortons is now owned by Restaurant Brands International, which is controlled by 3G Capital of Brazil. Customers grab their double-doubles at 3,773 Tim Hortons restaurants in sa国际传媒 and 4,724 worldwide.
鈥淭he issue of trust is an interesting one. People are losing trust in institutions, media, government, corporate spokespeople ... in many ways trust is the glue that holds our society together, and when trust is eroded, it鈥檚 not good for anybody,鈥� Klein said.
Going the extra mile seems to help build trust. When Canadian troops shipped out to Afghanistan, Timmie鈥檚 staff followed to pour them a taste of sa国际传媒 in Kandahar.
Klein is right about the importance of trust in society. It extends from our relationships with each other to our relationships with businesses to our relationships with government. It makes those relationships strong.
Trust can build rapidly, but it usually takes time to grow. It鈥檚 usually based on many experiences. But it can be shattered by a single experience.
Tim Hortons is struggling with the issue now. It removed Enbridge ads from its in-store computer screens, which won it friends among those who worry about fossil fuels. However, it sparked outrage from people who think oil and gas fuel our economy; they started a boycott. What will the controversy do to the company鈥檚 trust rating?
Researchers at Harvard Business School suggest four elements go into building a trusted brand: high credibility, high reliability, high intimacy and low self-orientation. High intimacy means knowing your customer well, and low self-orientation means focusing less on what you want than on what the other person wants.
It isn鈥檛 surprising, when you consider that those are the same elements that build strong relationships between people.
When we trust a person or an organization, it removes a huge load of stress and uncertainty. We can let down our guard because we know what to expect from them. We can be more open to ideas, emotions and experiences.
Perhaps that is why a betrayal of trust is so traumatic. We have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, so the wounds can be deep and damaging.
Companies 鈥� and governments, too 鈥� should keep that in mind when looking at the Gustavson index. Trust makes our society and our economy work better. Earning it and keeping it should be a priority.
