Let's Talk About Trust, Baby

Trust. A key component that every organization needs between itself and its stakeholders. If an organization doesn’t appear that it can be trusted, any attempt to persuade or influence an audience is not going to be received well. There are numerous brands and organizations who exemplify what it means to be trusted and credible. That being said, in this post, I want to focus on one brand that I think nailed it this past week.

About two weeks ago, I started seeing this Apple ad nearly every time I watched a YouTube video. It’s an interesting and clever ad. Though, what made me sit back and go, “Hmmm” was the ad’s message: privacy. I couldn’t figure out why Apple was suddenly releasing messaging around privacy. There hadn’t been any news of an iCloud hack or an Apple Pay security breach. It perplexed me. So being curious by nature, I turned to the internet and found Apple had a keynote set for March 25. Soon enough it all made sense — the Apple Card.

Now, I have always viewed Apple as a brand I could trust. I feel rather confident about giving them my information. However, are privacy and trust at the top of my mind when I think about what defines Apple? No. I think of innovation, savvy design, trendsetting, minimalism because I still view Apple as a tech company. And Apple realizes that. It is still widely seen as only a tech company. And as Apple breaks into the territory of providing more financial services such as Apple Card and Apple Pay, Apple needs to bring the principles of privacy and trust to the front of consumers’ minds. In the ad, Apple reiterates how it has always been committed to our privacy, even if it was an afterthought for us. And the privacy messaging, which was positioned in related to the iPhone, enabled Apple to seamlessly transition to the release of the Apple Card.

Without spelling it out to consumers before the big reveal that Apple equals privacy, I think there would have been more pushback from news outlets and tech commentators. Because after all, in today’s digital era, we are all vigilant with who has access to our personal information. And data is power so we’re worried about our data falling into the wrong hands and it being used without our permission. Therefore, we value organizations who are committed to our privacy, and we actively seek out those organizations and choose to use their products and services. So Apple knows that it has to drive this privacy narrative. In fact, most media outlets are running along with it too. One article even wrote that the most original thing about the Apple Card is its privacy! Apple pinpointed what would be a top concern for consumers and reassured us that it is just as much of a concern for Apple. And that is how we know we can trust this brand.

Again, I’ve always trusted Apple, but this move definitely makes me view them in an even greater light. While I’m probably not going to sign up for an Apple Card, I feel more confident in using services and buying products from Apple in the future, which is the residual effect of the privacy messaging. And that feeling about Apple’s brand is priceless.