For years, marketers have emphasised the importance of trust in advertising. Trust is essential for brand effectiveness and financial performance. Consumers need to trust your company to buy from you, and that trust extends to your communications—including your advertising.
Traditionally, this meant placing ads in trusted channels like TV, radio, and print rather than newer online and social platforms, which have long struggled with credibility. Yet, despite this logic, brands continue to pour 75% of their ad spend into online and social media channels.
Why? Because audiences, especially younger ones, are shifting their attention there.
A Surprising Shift: Trust in Advertising Is Increasing
According to the latest report from the Advertising Association, trust in advertising is actually on the rise. At first glance, this seems like a victory for the industry. More trust equals more engagement, right? Well, not so fast. The headline figure masks a growing generational divide that could reshape the advertising landscape—and not necessarily for the better.
Older audiences remain skeptical, but younger generations are placing unprecedented levels of trust in ads across all platforms, including social media. This shift has huge implications for both advertisers and consumers, especially in an era where misinformation, scams, and algorithm-driven content manipulation are rampant.
The Generational Divide: Who Trusts What?
There’s a clear pattern when it comes to trust in advertising: the older you are, the less you trust ads—across all channels. Even television, historically the most trusted medium, sees higher trust levels among younger viewers than among older ones.
However, the real concern arises when looking at how different generations perceive online and social media advertising.
- 55+ Demographic: This group is highly skeptical of online advertising, with only a quarter as likely to trust social media ads compared to TV ads. Given the heavy regulation of traditional media, including pre-vetting processes like Clearcast for TV ads and oversight from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), this skepticism makes sense.
- 35-54 Demographic: This group is more trusting than the 55+ audience, but still maintains a noticeable gap between traditional and digital media. They trust social media ads four times more than the 55+ group but still hold traditional channels in higher regard.
- 18-34 Demographic: And here’s where things get interesting—and alarming. Young adults now trust social media ads almost as much as television ads. 47% of 18-34-year-olds trust social media ads, compared to 54% for TV. The massive trust gap between traditional and digital advertising is disappearing.
What Happens When Trust Outpaces Regulation?
This increased trust in social media advertising is happening despite well-documented issues in online spaces—scams, misinformation, addictive algorithms, and manipulative content designed to drive profit rather than consumer well-being. The Online Safety Act was introduced to help combat some of these concerns, but it remains to be seen how effective it will be against the tidal wave of deceptive practices that proliferate online.
If current trends continue, social media could become the most trusted advertising channel in the UK within the next decade. That might sound like a win for digital marketers, but the broader implications are troubling. If trust is placed in a system that is inherently flawed, misinformation could spread even faster, scams could become more sophisticated, and the lines between authentic brand messaging and deceptive content could blur entirely.
Traditionally, this meant placing ads in trusted channels like TV, radio, and print rather than newer online and social platforms, which have long struggled with credibility. Yet, despite this logic, brands continue to pour 75% of their ad spend into online and social media channels.
What’s the Solution?
The answer isn’t to abandon traditional media’s commitment to trust and transparency but rather to modernize regulatory approaches. Perhaps it’s time for:
- A more robust, AI-enabled ASA that can move faster and tackle online misinformation before it spreads.
- Increased funding for ad regulation—either through an increased levy on media spend or a tax on major platforms’ profits.
- Greater accountability for digital ad platforms to ensure that their algorithms don’t prioritize engagement at the cost of consumer protection.
How This Ties into Fooh Ads
Younger audiences crave spectacle (right from their phones). They are drawn to brands that create boundary-pushing, outrageous, and immersive experiences.
This is where Fooh Ads thrive.
By leveraging cutting-edge technology—mixed reality, WebXR, mobile AR, and interactive activations—we can now create ad experiences that don’t just grab attention but also build deeper connections between brands and audiences.
However, as digital trust continues to rise, it’s crucial that brands using these next-gen formats do so responsibly. Transparency, authenticity, and ethical engagement must be at the core of these innovations.
The future of advertising isn’t just about pushing creative boundaries—it’s about doing so in a way that maintains consumer trust, even in the wild west of digital media.
Our take
Since the dawn of time, the older you get the wiser you get, and the less chance you'll fall foul of that snake oil salesman. Young minds are more open, more malleable and more trusting. So I bet if you looked at these studies over the decades, they'll all tell the same tale.
Nothing new here then, but, a good reminder, to keep it real, keep it safe, and build trust as a brand and advertiser.
Let’s build the future of advertising responsibly. Share this with someone who needs to be part of the conversation!
