Most marketers in financial services focus on metrics like share of voice, click-through rates or lead volume. Today, there is a more elusive but increasingly vital metric rising to the top: Trust.
With the rise of deepfakes and digital fraud, the battle for consumer confidence has reached a new intensity. In financial services, where the stakes are higher, the margin for error is thinner.
According to PwC, 40% of consumers said they stopped buying from a company because they did not trust it. That figure feels surprisingly low, but it underscores a hard truth. Trust is not a fuzzy brand goal. It is a business-critical KPI.
Trust Is Quantifiable
Trust is no longer just a brand value. It can be measured via NPS surveys, third-party audits and AI-powered sentiment tools, giving marketers more ways than ever to gauge whether customers believe in them.
In Mower’s Making Fierce Friends research, 88% of consumers said they are more likely to stay loyal to a brand that demonstrates transparency during uncertainty. And transparency directly relates to trust. That number should have every marketing team rethinking how they show up across channels, touchpoints and campaigns.
Yet despite its importance, many brands lack a clear framework for making trust actionable. A 2025 Gartner study shows that while 57% of brand leaders track brand health, only 21% find those insights useful in driving decisions. The gap between measurement and action is where marketers can, and must, step in.
Why Marketing Must Lead
Marketing has become the first and most visible layer of brand experience. That means it is also the first line of defense when it comes to trust.
Take AI, for example. Customers do not just want to know what you are doing with their data. Increasingly, they want clarity about when they are interacting with AI rather than a human. Transparency here reduces anxiety and builds credibility.
The same is true for values-based storytelling. People want to know what you stand for, especially in a category as personal as finance. And when crises hit, whether in the markets or inside your institution, quick and clear communication can turn volatility into credibility. Even data practices and consent flows, often treated as legal formalities, are moments to demonstrate respect for your customers and enhance their trust.
Building Trust into Strategy
Leading with trust requires more than good intentions. It calls for structural change in how marketing teams operate. Campaign briefs should include trust as part of success criteria, right alongside impressions and conversions. Teams need training not only on how AI works but also on what responsible use looks like. Vendor selection should include scrutiny of whether your partners align with your standards for data and ethics. Even language audits, reviewing whether your copy matches your stated values, can make a measurable difference.
Set Trust Metrics Now for 2026
Do not wait for a breach or public misstep to realize trust is a strategic metric. Start now by tracking sentiment alongside campaign performance, surveying customers on clarity of communication, and monitoring AI-generated content for tone and bias. Include trust goals in agency briefs and campaign scorecards.
Trust is not a one-and-done exercise. It is an ongoing conversation with your audience. In a world where confidence can be shaken in seconds, marketing is no longer just about awareness or engagement. It is about assurance.
For financial brands, that makes trust the most valuable KPI you can invest in. The marketers who bake it into their strategies, measure it, manage it and make it visible, will not just protect their brand. They will set it up for success.