Trust has never been more critical, particularly during the current pandemic when Canadians are looking for trusted, credible sources of information. And this extends to the ads around us, in traditional and digital formats. Trust in advertising has been defined as “confidence that advertising is a reliable source of product/service information and willingness to act on the basis of information conveyed by advertising.1”
Research from December 2020 finds that Canadians continue to trust advertising in newspapers more than any other ad format. Printed newspapers continue to top the list of traditional media, and digital news media advertising beats out other digital ad formats. More than half of Canadians trust the ads they see in printed newspapers, and four out of ten trusts the digital ads on news media sites.
Newspapers provide a credible environment that extends to the advertising within their pages. Printed newspapers also offer the opportunity to interact with a tangible product that allows readers to develop a sensory connection and engage with the content at their own pace. On the other hand, social media advertising continues to hold the spot for least trusted ad format in Canada and other countries.
(2009) Measuring Trust In Advertising, Journal of Advertising, 38:2, 83-104, DOI: 10.2753/JOA0091-3367380206
