According to the Ipsos Veracity Index 2025, advertising executives and social media influencers ranks as some the most mistrusted professions.
I have to say, this is not new news. Instead, it’s a wakeup call.
The communications sector has real power. It is us who communicate through websites, through advertising and social media. We have been using this power to drive sales, to persuade others to buy what they think they need for too long. And it’s led to some rotten practices like greenwashing. We have been slaves to a capitalist system. We have turned our backs on the truth.
No wonder we are so mistrusted.
The world has changed around us, and the industry and business just have not caught up. We are hurtling towards a climate crisis. Political polarisation is tearing our society apart. Trust in institutions is collapsing across the board. And yet marketing is failing to recognise this, instead it continues to keep to the same rule book.
The rules need to be rewritten.
On the plus side, the B Corp movement is gathering pace. And despite the anti-ESG rhetoric coming from the US, many who recognise the real state we are in remain defiant. Greenhushing is not the answer. And remaining silent won’t solve anything.
Where does marketing fit in? We have a responsibility, not just a role. The data in the Ipsos report tells us what we already know. Those who deal in facts are the most trusted. The nurses. The engineers. The scientists. These professions work with real data; their roles are built on truth. And yet, we are the least trusted professions. This figures, we have done little to win their trust. We do not rely on the truth.
So, this is a call to arms. Communicate the truth. Stand firm. Use facts and data to back it up. Write your own copy, reject the blandness of AI. Communicate with integrity and humility. Refuse to remain silent about the things that really matter.
Which is exactly why we have published our second Truth Report in as many years. An honest account of what we are achieving and what we hope to achieve. No unrealistic goals, no greenwashing and no use of AI to write our own copy. Just the truth about where we stand.
At Harrison Brands, the truth is our polestar.
We published our Truth Report this year because we think transparency should be the standard, not the exception. Take a look and judge for yourself.
