Contributed by Color & Culture
Is Your Brand Ready for the Unexpected?
Trust collapsed across industries during the pandemic and many brands still haven’t recovered. By mid-March of 2020, the first stay-at-home orders were in effect, and much about COVID-19 remained uncertain. Previously trusted authorities like the CDC, health systems, and family physicians suddenly had no clear answers – and public confidence in their credibility began to erode.
High-risk populations – the elderly and those with pre-existing chronic conditions – were fearful as there was no treatment available, only a vaccine that some relayed as having worse side effects than COVID itself. Trilliant Health’s 2022 Trends Shaping the Health Economy report found that trust in doctors fell by 23% and in hospitals by 21% between April 2020 and December 2021
The pandemic only amplified this disconnect. While healthcare executives focus on efficiency and cost reduction, Huron Consulting Group discovered that 60% of consumers would switch providers for something entirely different: greater trust and respect. This reveals a costly blind spot. Organizations invest millions in streamlined operations while patients walk away over feeling heard and valued
Underrepresented populations, many of whom were already mistrustful of healthcare systems, withdrew even further from medical professionals. The lesson is clear: when trust erodes, access and outcomes suffer.
Is Your Brand Trusted on the Homefront?
One silver lining was the rapid rise of home delivery, which became a lifeline for families under lockdown. But dependence also brought scrutiny. Consumers paid closer attention to which brands could be trusted enough to invite into their homes and, over time, patience for excuses wore thin.
Tolerance for brands that leaned on the pandemic as an excuse for lower quality, inflated prices, or persistent supply chain delays evaporated. Deloitte found that 23% of consumers stopped using a brand altogether after losing trust, while another 28% switched to competitors. Whether in exam rooms or in living rooms, trust was the deciding factor.
The numbers bear this out. According to the Qualtrics XM Institute, overall consumer trust across industries plunged to 45% in 2020and has only partially recovered since. Consumers may be willing to forgive inconvenience when transparency and effort are evident, but they will not forgive broken trust.
Are You Ready for a Seismic Population Shift?
Brands need to recognize the importance of trust, for all types of scenarios, in all populations. Older adults will by 2034 outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history. Their sheer consumer clout should be enough for brands to sit up in the desk chairs and begin formulating a new brand strategy.
The multicultural marketplace will outnumber the Caucasian mainstream market by the mid-2040’s. Winning these markets will depend less on advertising reach and more on building cultural credibility. Do you know enough about their histories, experiences, and preferences to earn that trust?
Forward-thinking brands are quietly building strong trust with the communities that will dominate tomorrow’s consumer landscape. They’re not waiting for the demographic shift to complete. They’re positioning themselves as the trusted choice before their competitors even recognize the opportunity.
The brands that master multicultural trust-building today will own entire market segments for decades to come. The ones that don’t? They’ll spend the next twenty years playing catch-up with customers who have already decided they can’t be trusted.
Want to dive deeper into how trust shapes business resilience and growth? Don’t miss this upcoming session at the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC’s Thrive Together event, where these themes will be explored in more detail.
At Color and Culture, we help companies in healthcare and beyond build lasting trust with diverse communities. From organizations like Aetna and Highmark Wholecare to brands in other sectors, our cultural intelligence strategies deliver stronger connections and measurable growth. How will your brand use trust as its advantage?
