Trust is fragile. This was our cautionary tale as we launched the Edelman Trust Barometer results for Indonesia earlier this year. The election of President Widodo and his new government appeared to usher in a new chapter for Indonesia. This optimism was captured in our trust results, which showed – as we entered 2015 – that trust among Indonesians for ‘government to do what is right’ increased 16 percent from our 2014 results to 65 percent among the general population (the highest ever) and even more so among informed publics with a 19 percent increase up to 72 percent.
Trust Infographic 2015
In other findings, our results show that Indonesia continues to be one of the most trusting countries in the world, ranking third globally, with a Trust Index ranking of 67 percent among the general public.The Trust Index is an average of a country’s trust in the institutions of government, business, media and NGOs.
Trust in business continues to be at an all-time high, even increasing from last year’s results, up 2 percent to 84 percent. This is the joint second highest in the world showing that, for Indonesia, business continues to maintain its “license to lead” in the debate about how to deliver progress and prosperity; playing a central, trusted role in developing Indonesia.
This gives a tremendous opportunity for business leaders and businesses to lead the debate on societal issues and current challenges. For instance, CEOs are more trusted in Indonesia than the global average, by a 15 percent margin (56 percent in Indonesia are trusted vs. 41 percent globally) and as idea starters, CEO content creators have a 75 percent trust ranking in Indonesia, compared to 46 percent globally.
Why Does Trust Matter?
We believe that trust is an asset, a tangible differentiator in a ubiquitous market. We advocate that all organizations must understand and properly manage trust in their operations in order to be successful in today’s complex environment. Unlike reputation, which is based on past experiences with a company or brand, trust is a forward facing metric of stakeholder expectation. Trust can be shaped. Building trust is essential in successfully bringing new products and services to market. It is essential in shaping the perceptions that people have towards brands and corporations. It elects governments.
With global commodity prices falling, China’s driving economy slowing and foreign investment reducing, building trust is more important than ever in Indonesia. Edelman – the world’s leading communications marketing firm – works with our clients to protect, promote and evolve their business. We work with clients to put our tools into practice – delivering insights and data driven solutions that solve client’s problems and unlock business success. We shape stories across the media cloverleaf – from traditional print media, to online, to social and owned. In doing this, we deliver award winning work for our clients that takes them from a license to operate to a license to lead.
We believe that businesses in Indonesia want more than the traditional media relations support that they are used to receiving from their PR agencies. They want strategic counsel, based on real insights and real research. They want broader communications marketing solutions – that work across the media cloverleaf – to solve business challenges and build trust. Counsel that integrates digital, social and traditional communications. This is how Edelman is now “Showing up Differently” for clients – working with clients to develop customized programs and campaigns that solve their business and communications challenges. Moving beyond PR 101.
Raymond Siva
Raymond.Siva@edelman.com
For more information, visit www.edelman.id
