Trust: the New Currency in the World of Brands and Places

In an environment where algorithms shape visibility, channels fragment, and messages lose credibility, trust emerges as the most valuable strategic asset a brand—and, by extension, a place—can hold.

Recent studies and marketing analyses confirm that for place brands (cities, regions, countries), trust is no longer a supporting variable but the primary currency through which loyalty, reputation, and competitive value are exchanged.

The role of trust in attraction

A study on destination behavior found that a place brand and its attributes significantly influence visitor trust—and that trust positively affects destination loyalty (intent to return or recommend). A growing body of branding research states: “Trust has become the ultimate currency for marketing in today’s world.” From a corporate brand perspective, analyses such as “Why Trust is Your Brand’s New Currency” emphasize how consumers, saturated by noise, demand clarity, honesty, and consistency before committing.

In digital tourism and online platforms, recent research shows that perceptions of benevolence, integrity, and responsible management increase tourists’ trust in a destination’s Online Tourism Destination Website (OTDW).

These findings converge around a clear conclusion: For a place brand, visibility or attractiveness is not enough—it must be credible and trustworthy.

What does this mean for place branding and placemaking?

For practitioners managing territorial brands, this “trust currency” translates into three key implications:

1. Coherence between promise and experience

When a destination claims to be “accessible,” but its services are not, trust erodes. Research shows that place brand credibility supports the development of visitor attachment and promotes positive word of mouth.

2. Measuring and managing trust as a strategic KPI

Trust is no longer just an intangible moral value—it can be measured through indicators of reputation, transparency, complaint resolution, service consistency, and value alignment. This allows destinations to operate with trust as a true strategic asset.

3. Shared value and place governance

For destinations, trust connects the local community, visitors, and the wider stakeholder ecosystem. If a place cultivates internal trust (among residents, institutions, businesses) and external trust (tourists, investors), that cohesion becomes visible in the brand. Studies show that destination image influences trust—and trust, in turn, drives loyalty.

What strategy should place brands adopt to “earn” this currency?

• Radical transparency: share data, processes, and decisions—successes and challenges alike.

• Consistent delivery: ensure the real visitor experience matches the brand promise.

• Community building rather than audience building: involve residents and visitors as co-creators of value.

• Trust as a measurable asset: track indicators of reputation, recommendation, and repeat behavior.

• Integrity-based storytelling: narratives built on persistent values, not short-lived campaigns.

In a market saturated with options and messages, trust becomes the exchange currency for both brands and places.

It is not enough to be considered—you must be credible. It is not enough to appear—you must become a reference point.

In place branding, destinations that invest in coherence, integrity, and shared value will be better positioned to foster loyalty, reputation, and sustainable growth.

Operational definition of trust

Trust = Coherence + Transparency + Competence + Empathy

Applied to a destination, trust is built when:

• What is promised publicly aligns with the real experience.

• Institutions operate with transparency and accountability.

• Stakeholders (public, private, community) meet ethical and quality standards.

• A genuine connection is perceived between the place and the people who inhabit it.

Strategies to strengthen trust

a. Narrative transparency: publish data, results, and decisions (tourism, investment, sustainability). Example: public indicator dashboard on the place brand portal.

b. Communication cohesion: align messaging across institutions and private actors. Example: shared narrative guidelines for local stakeholders.

c. Coherent experience: audit the real visitor or investor journey against the brand promise. Example: annual “Promise–Reality Gap Index.”

d. Community voice: include residents, creators, and businesses in content and decision-making. Example: citizen advisory councils or community storytelling programs.

e. Longitudinal measurement systems: evaluate trust as an asset—reputation, satisfaction, credibility, loyalty. Example: adding trust perception modules to reputation surveys or tourism barometers.

The governance process behind place-brand trust

Trust cannot be decreed—it must be governed. Governing trust means creating a system where credibility, coherence, and participation become policy, not just values.

In place branding, trust governance requires that institutions—local authorities, chambers, promotion agencies, businesses, and citizens—share a common understanding of how the territory’s reputation is built, measured, and protected.

This process unfolds across four interconnected phases:

1. Diagnosis: understanding the starting point

Every governance process begins with an honest analysis. This stage identifies gaps between what the destination promises and what it delivers—the trust gap.

Internal perceptions (residents, local actors) and external perceptions (visitors, investors, media) are analyzed, along with institutional capacity for transparency.

Reputation audits, digital monitoring, and stakeholder interviews help establish a baseline: What do people trust, and what do they not?

2. Design: establishing rules and shared purpose

Once the context is understood, the destination defines a shared narrative and a management model that turns values into decisions.

This includes setting guiding principles—integrity, participation, sustainability, and transparency—and defining how they will be reflected in tourism, investment, and communication actions.

Designing trust governance requires defining:

• Who makes decisions and based on what criteria?

• How decisions are communicated.

• What mechanisms ensure coherence between institutional messages and real experiences?

This often materializes in public–private cooperation frameworks, advisory boards, or city marketing councils.

3. Implementation: aligning discourse, product, and experience

Trust governance becomes real when institutions, businesses, and citizens behave in alignment with the destination’s narrative.

This includes reviewing communication practices, service delivery, and urban project execution. A destination builds trust when values such as hospitality, sustainability, or inclusion are part of everyday practice—not just campaign promises.

Training programs, place-brand manuals, ethical guidelines, and performance evaluation mechanisms support this phase.

4. Monitoring: measuring, adjusting, and reporting

Trust, like any intangible asset, requires maintenance. Destinations must continuously monitor reputational performance through clear indicators: digital sentiment, visitor satisfaction, community participation, and international perception.

The goal is not only to showcase results but to identify early signs of erosion—unmet promises, lack of transparency, stakeholder conflict.

Reporting, open data, and citizen participation are critical elements.

A living cycle, not a protocol

Trust governance is cyclical. Each phase reinforces the next and strengthens the institutional ecosystem.

When governance consolidates, trust no longer depends on individuals or political cycles—it becomes part of the place brand’s DNA.

Because a trustworthy destination is not defined by what it says, but by how it decides, how it listens, and how it delivers.