
I've read a lot of blogs, tweets and books about “trust” these days and the idea that only authentic brands trusted by consumers will survive and thrive.
But if consumers demand authenticity and trust, why do we still buy food seasoned with MSG? Or lipstick colored with phthalates? Or baby products known to contain chemical by-products (like formaldehyde)?
If consumers relied on feelings of trust to determine our level of interactions with a particular brand online, why wouldn't we change our everyday behavior offline and instead make a conscious decision to spend our money on products made by companies who we trust won’t poison us, sicken us, fool us, rob us?
What if this new reliance on social media is really about convenience, not trust? Do I trust Frank at ComcastCares? Or rather, does Frank make my life more convenient? I say: “Frank, my Comcast connection is down - DO SOMETHING!” And he does. Except when he doesn’t:
(What happens when Frank no longer answers tweets? Do consumers lose trust in Comcast as a business entity? Or do they move on to another working channel?)
I follow Frank on Twitter because it’s more convenient than picking up the phone and navigating the minefield of customer service. Perhaps instead, because of the immediacy of social media, we’re developing not relationships of trust but systems of convenience?
*Mostly I wanted to call this post “Cake or Death” but figured only a very small fraction of people who read it would know what the heck I was talking about. Yes, that would be a very small number indeed...