Nearly 80% of consumers willing to pay more for brands they trust

Truth is becoming a commercial growth driver for global brands, with 80% of people globally saying they actively choose brands they trust even if they cost more, according to McCann’s latest "Truth about global brands" study.

At the same time, the cost of losing trust is becoming more tangible. The study found that 69% of consumers have stopped using a brand because they no longer trusted it, while this figure rises to 79% among B2B decision-makers. The findings point to a shift from a trust economy to a “doubt economy”, where brands are under pressure to provide clarity, credibility and consistency in an increasingly fragmented information environment.

The third wave of the study, developed in partnership with Economist Enterprise, surveyed 20,713 people across 20 markets and included dedicated analysis of 1,798 senior B2B decision-makers. It also included interviews with more than 15 global CMOs and brand leaders.

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The research found that consumers are navigating what McCann calls a “truth maze” of reviews, creators, algorithms, AI-generated content and competing brand claims. While 72% of people said it is more important than ever to prioritise truth, 55% believe brands are less truthful than they were 20 years ago.

AI is intensifying this challenge. While 72% of consumers and 88% of B2B leaders said brands must use AI to keep up, 76% of people said they worry they will soon be unable to distinguish between real people and artificial ones online. Transparency is emerging as a key trust lever, with 53% of respondents saying brands being open about AI use is the most effective way to build trust. Another 45% said brands should help people understand what is real and what is not in AI-generated content.

Among B2B decision-makers, trust in AI appears stronger but still conditional. According to Economist Enterprise’s B2B analysis, 85% of B2B decision-makers trust brands that use AI, and they are 20 percentage points more likely than the general public to trust AI-generated content. However, 54% said transparency around AI use is the most important factor in brand trustworthiness, while 44% said brands should help audiences understand what is true and what is not. Only 11% said avoiding AI altogether would help build trust, compared with 24% of the general public.

The study also found that B2B buyers increasingly expect brands to act as reliable guides through complexity. Almost all B2B decision-makers surveyed, at 92%, said it is important for global brands to act as reliable and trustworthy guides. Brand values are also becoming a commercial factor, with 85% of B2B decision-makers saying brand values outweigh price.

At the same time, heritage still matters. Across all respondents, 72% said a long-standing brand is more meaningful than a new one. However, B2B decision-makers were found to be more receptive to novelty than the wider public, at 37% compared with 28%, suggesting that brands need to balance legacy and credibility with innovation and forward momentum.

Beyond trust, the study also identified a shift in how culture and influence move globally. It describes this new environment as “multimodal globality”, where culture no longer flows in a linear or top-down way, but instead moves across platforms, communities, creators and networks. Today, 20 countries are seen as influential in shaping global culture, up from 12 in 2018, while 69% of people globally believe the world is evolving towards a global culture.

The research also points to a major growth opportunity among future audiences. The global middle class is projected by the World Economic Forum to reach five billion people with US$62 trillion in annual spending power by 2030. Within this group, McCann identifies the “Upward class” as a particularly important audience: 1.02 billion people globally, representing US$29.5 trillion in annual spending.

This group, according to McCann, has moved beyond the social class they were born into and sees brands not only as products, but as symbols of progress, identity and belonging. As a result, brands need to move beyond traditional segmentation and better understand the aspirations, behaviours and cultural signals shaping future demand.

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