Trusted Advertising - by Matt Bourn & James Best

About the Book

Understand how to transform your advertising to improve consumer trust that enables you to drive impactful results from your campaigns.

Book Synopsis

Strengthen your advertising strategy by learning how to develop, protect and apply brand trust in an evolving media landscape.

Trusted Advertising is a practical guide for mid-career marketers, agency professionals and brand leaders who want to build credibility, apply evidence-based principles and deliver campaigns that drive long-term consumer trust. As advertising faces declining confidence and rising complexity, this book provides a roadmap to optimize creative effectiveness and improve decision making across channels.

Drawing on the latest research and insights from organizations including Google, WPP and the Advertising Standards Authority, authors Matt Bourn and James Best outline how trust is created, measured and maintained in modern advertising ecosystems. Through detailed chapters, actionable tools and real-world examples from McDonald's, Tesco, Specsavers and more, the book shows how trusted communication can elevate campaign performance and strengthen brand equity.

You'll learn how to:
- Apply trust-building principles to improve creative strategy and execution
- Implement frameworks for managing trust across media, platforms and influencer partnerships
- Develop strategies to optimize campaign transparency, consistency and audience engagement
- Understand the role of Gen AI, tech platforms and regulation in shaping trusted advertising
- Use real-world case examples to guide decision making and strengthen professional credibility

With a blend of strategic insight and hands-on guidance, Trusted Advertising helps you develop the skills and confidence to implement campaigns that perform today and build resilient, trusted brands for the future.

Themes include: advertising strategy, brand trust, creative effectiveness, media planning, influencer marketing, AI and regulation

Review Quotes

"A very wise, well-researched and timely book. Trust is more elusive than ever, and this is your self-help handbook on how it can be earned."-- "Charles Vallance, Chairman, VCCP"

"Every brand wants to be trusted; however it is a dense and multifaceted topic. This book turns trust into something easily accessible and relevant for any advertising practitioner, helping them with ways to make it stronger, more competitive and, ultimately, more successful."-- "Alessandra Bellini, NED, Executive Coach, Advisor"

"Every marketer is passionate about their brand and the best marketers know that building brand trust can be a powerful differentiator and source of competitive advantage. This comprehensive book is a guide to how to leverage advertising as means of building trust amongst both customers and stakeholders, ensuring both soft and hard return on investment and strengthening advertising's role as a vital part of the marketing mix."-- "Simon Michaelides, Director General, ISBA"

"If an advertiser is not trusted, everything else is academic. This timely book reminds us of the key components of trust in an age where trust is in short supply."-- "Paul Bainsfair, Director General, Institute for Practitioners of Advertising"

"James and Matt have a lifetime's experience in the advertising sector - so their book on why trust in advertising matters, full of insights and written for everyone working at the frontline of modern advertising and dealing with new platforms and technology, is both timely and thought-provoking."-- "Baroness Nicky Morgan"

"Many valuable things in life are intangible. Trust is one. But it's an essential element in building brand preference and customer loyalty, and this excellent book will help you turn trust into a real and tangible asset."-- "Kathryn Jacob, CEO, Pearl & Dean and co-author of Belonging, The Glass Wall and A Year Of Creativity"

"One thing that always fascinates me from the annals of true-life crime are the convoluted mechanisms people must resort to when they pay a bribe, buy off a blackmailer or deliver a ransom payment (think of Strangers on a Train). These devices are emblematic of the extraordinary high transaction costs involved in any economic activity when trust is completely absent. Perhaps the greater part of economic activity cannot take place at all in the absence of a high level of trust, and without the assurance of some kind of reputational skin in the game. And yet until recently the whole of economics ducked this question entirely. Thankfully two of the most reputable (an interesting word that, when you think about it) names in advertising have now come together to set the record straight."-- "Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Consulting"

"This book demonstrates that truth and trust have never been more important for brands and that there is a close link for customers in what you say and where you say it - this is crucial reading for all those planning marketing communications in a programmatic and algorithmic world."-- "Jonathan Allan, Interim CEO, Channel 4"

"This book is a great resource for anyone in the ad field or interested in advertising. The perspective on ethics provided is valuable as advertising clearly has the potential to have positive societal impacts, but if left unchecked, problematic practices can undermine trust in the industry and limit its effectiveness. The book is also a valuable resource for understanding what helps make an advertiser earn trust-while this issue has always been important, it is more critical than ever in today's competitive marketplace."-- "Charles R. Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Advertising"

"Trust is central to a healthy democratic society and our need for trustworthy sources of news and information has never been more vital. If you're responsible for any kind of brand, this book is a timely and necessary read. It will equip you with everything you need to know to put trust at the heart of your advertising campaigns."-- "Owen Meredith, CEO, News Media Association"

"Trust is essential for any brand, and as a CEO, I recognize the central role advertising plays in building it. Trusted Advertising is timely, given the current challenges to trust in society. James and Matt offer valuable insights on how advertising can remain credible now and in the future. By applying their recommended principles, your brand can gain the benefits that come with genuine trust."-- "Andria Vidler, CEO, Allwyn UK and President, Advertising Association"

"Without trust, the brands we are building amount to nothing more than their base transactional value.Trust is the most alchemic and value adding element of any marketer's armoury. What James Best and Matt Bourn don't know about the subject isn't worth trusting."-- "James Murphy, CEO, Ogilvy Group UK"

"You can't see it, or smell it or touch it, but trust, along with creativity, is the most valuable quality of effective advertising. This fascinating and comprehensive book shares all the insight that the industry has amassed over the years on the subject of trust. It lists the achievements but is honest about the ongoing challenges that an evolving media landscape inevitably brings."-- "Tess Alps, Mac Medal, Founding CEO of Thinkbox, NED at Channel 4 and Comic Relief Trustee"

About the Author

Matt Bourn is Director of Communications for the Advertising Association, based in London, UK, covering the industry's initiatives around trust, talent, inclusion and sustainability. With 25 years' experience, previously he was Managing Director of Braben, working for companies such as Sky, Disney and Sony. He is co-author of Sustainable Advertising also published by Kogan Page.

James Best CBE, FIPA, is Chair of the UK Committees of Advertising Practice and of Credos. With 50 years' experience in the advertising industry, he has been Chair of the Advertising Association and President of the EACA.