Marketers play on our emotions and sensibilities. People who choose to go out of their way to buy free range eggs do so because at some inner emotional level they can picture that proud, independent chicken majestically loping across the wide open prairie under azure skies with a big happy grin on its beak.

Advertisers play the trust card by often painting themselves as green or as socially responsible as they can. Research shows that millennials in particular see through the images of puppies romping through wildflowers and dismiss a lot of enviro-claptrap when they see it. But if you’re actually legit, there are ways of communicating it better. Read More …

We’ve shown you ample research and studies in past newsletters showing that people don’t trust institutions – especially government. A newer Pew research study says that younger people are even more mistrusting than their elders – sometimes by a lot. This isn’t encouraging news for a fragile democracy and we have to deal with it. Read More …