HK consumers punish brands that break trust fast

Hong Kong consumers rapidly punish brands deemed not believable, moving from doubt to complaints, then to switching rivals and fully disengaging, a study finds.

The "Believability index: Power of proof" (可信度指數：實證的力量) study, conducted by Ogilvy and YouGov, surveyed 7,176 adults across seven Asia Pacific markets: Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the survey was conducted online from 22 April to 4 May 2026, with a representative sample of 1,032 adults aged 18 and above. The study aims to reveal how critical proof has become to maintaining brand survival.

Among Hong Kong adults surveyed, 94% said they take some form of punitive action once they begin to doubt a brand or organisation, leaving only 6% whose behaviour remains unchanged. This figure is slightly below the Asia-Pacific average of 96%. The findings show that when believability wavers, consumer retaliation is nearly universal.

This belief-triggered disengagement also brings immediate financial damage. In Hong Kong, 61% of respondents have stopped buying from or engaging with a brand or organisation over the past 12 months because they did not believe its claims. The Asia Pacific average stands slightly higher at 70%.

More notably, silent forms of disengagement dominate the Hong Kong market. Nine in 10 Hongkongers (89%) opt for “silent disengagement”, walking away without saying a word. This quiet exit also carries a severe commercial penalty: 46% stop purchasing altogether and 32% migrate to a competitor.

Vocal punishment is also common, with 58% of respondents saying they would take public or semi‑public action. This includes telling friends, family, or colleagues to avoid the brand (30%), reporting content as misleading (17%), leaving negative reviews or public comments (15%), actively avoiding their content (14%), contacting the brand directly to express concerns (12%), and posting personal experiences on social media (10%).

What breaks and builds belief in Hong Kong

When consumers walk away due to broken trust, the top triggers over the past year all relate to operational execution: products or services failing to deliver on promises (34%), poor handling of issues or mistakes (29%), and weak business ethics (27%).

Communication missteps also damage foundational belief. A quarter of consumers (25%) say exaggerated or misleading communications have driven them to disengage, while 24% do so when brands fail to respond to issues raised. In contrast, influencers and spokespeople play a much smaller role, with only 15% citing loss of spokesperson credibility as a reason for disengagement.

In Hong Kong, believability is driven far more by source credibility than creative style. People rely mainly on their own judgement and official sources over influencers or polished content. Specifically, 76% rely on credible sources, 62% on personal perception, 59% on reviews, and 43% on peer validation.

Across all ages, the top drivers of belief are familiarity and prior experience: a source already seen as credible (43%), information that aligns with personal knowledge (34%), and official or institutional sources (30%).

Conversely, the signals that dominate digital and social media culture have the least influence on whether people believe new information about a brand or organisation. These include the number of people engaging with or sharing content (16%), "authentic" creator content (12%), and polished, professionally produced content (8%).

When believability breaks, it spreads. A third of Hong Kong consumers, or 31%, admit they become more wary after losing trust in a brand, compared with 36% in APAC. Separately, 38% of Hong Kong consumers say they then minimise use of similar products or services from other brands, versus 29% in APAC.

Where belief grows and doubt lingers

The survey finds that mainstream media and official brand channels are the most influential sources of increased belief in Hong Kong. Over half of residents (58%) say mainstream media boosts their belief in brands, while half say the same of official brand channels. Both sources attract only minimal scepticism, at 7% and 8% respectively.

Influencer content and private messaging apps present a more complex picture. Around three in 10 consumers say social media influencers and KOLs increase their belief, but nearly the same proportion (26%) express heightened doubt. Private group chats such as WhatsApp show a similar split, with 30% saying these channels strengthen belief and 26% saying they fuel scepticism. In these spaces, belief and doubt are generated in near equal measure.

How to win back trust

On the positive side, 82% of Hong Kong residents say belief can be restored, compared with 85% in APAC. Only 14% locally, versus 11% in APAC, believe lost trust can never be regained.

When it comes to restoring belief, Hong Kong consumers respond most strongly to concrete action. Half say an organisation must actively fix the issue before they will believe it again, well ahead of the 40% who cite public acknowledgement as sufficient. Another 40% say demonstrating consistent accuracy is important.

These concrete actions carry far more weight than shifts in communication style. Only 29% say more transparent or evidence-based communication helps restore belief, and just 13% point to endorsements from respected individuals. Accountability and follow‑through are the real drivers of believability.

“To protect against silent disengagement, leaders must deliver on their core promise, tackle issues transparently, and anchor their communications in mainstream media and official channels, with mindful management of social media and influencer strategy recognising these channels’ belief-scepticism double-edged impact on consumers," said Clara Shek, president, Ogilvy Public Relations Hong Kong.

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