The Real Engine Behind Reputation: Trust
- Denice Diaz
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Your marketing doesn’t decide your reputation — trust does.And when trust is properly understood, it can be measured, managed, and rebuilt with clarity.
Customers, employees, and stakeholders are better informed and more attuned to inconsistency.But they are also surprisingly willing to forgive — if trust is preserved.
When things go wrong — a breach, a failure, a public misstep — it’s trust that holds the line:
Do customers give you the benefit of the doubt?
Do staff stay or disengage?
Does the market still back your vision?
How will the media report? How will regulators and politicians react?
Why Trust Matters Most in Crisis
The word trust comes from the Old Norse traustr — meaning strength.
Strength of your teams to lead under pressure
Strength of your customer relationships to hold
Strength of your stakeholders to propel you through it
Strength of your brand to recover
Most leaders say trust matters. But very few:
Know how to diagnose it
Understand how it links to reputation and KPIs
Have a language or framework to manage it
We need to stop talking vaguely about “trust being lost” and instead ask:What kind of trust was damaged — and what needs to be rebuilt first?
Case Study: Cyberattacks on Australian Super Funds (2025)
In early 2025, several super funds — including AustralianSuper, ART, Hostplus, and Rest — were hit by a credential-stuffing cyberattack.
Impact:
$500K+ in reported losses
Hundreds of compromised accounts
Formal response from APRA
The media focused on financial damage.But the real question: What did it do to trust?
TrustLogic® conducted a national study. For one major brand:
A 0.30-point drop in overall trust — a statistically significant reputational hit
Because every trust point gained doubles positive perception
Key trust dimensions impacted:
Development Trust – trust in future evolution, success and relevancy
Relationship Trust – trust in an appealing relationship
Before the incident, trust was driven by Development Trust and Benefit Trust — trust in appealing benefits derived from that relationship.That insight is what matters. It gives clarity and direction on how to act and message.
A clear approach to rebuilding:
Development Trust – Clear evidence of future-fit systems and proactive risk management
Competence Trust – Trust that the brand has the right competencies to succeed
Benefit Trust – Trust in appealing benefits derived from that relationship
This level of diagnosis helps leadership avoid generic PR responses and instead pursue focused, actionable recovery.
A Practical Framework for Precision Trust Management
Trust isn’t a vague sentiment. It’s a structured system based on six psychological dimensions:
Stability Trust – trust in a strong and stable foundation
Development Trust – trust in future evolution, success and relevancy
Relationship Trust – trust in an appealing relationship
Benefit Trust – trust in appealing benefits derived from that relationship
Competence Trust – trust that the brand has the right competencies to succeed
Vision Trust – trust in an appealing vision and values (Sinek would call this the purpose)
These are the Six Buckets of Trust® — the mental framework people use to decide whether to stay loyal, recommend you, or walk away.
With the right diagnostics, you can see which dimensions are strong, which are strained, and what needs to be done.
The Opportunity for Executive Teams
Most leadership teams still treat trust as a PR issue — not a performance driver.
Ask yourself:
Can we clearly explain what we want to be trusted for?
Do we understand how trust forms — and how it breaks?
Can we measure trust shifts in real time during a crisis?
Are we building trust as a core capability — or reacting only when it’s tested?
Trust Before the Next Crisis
TrustLogic® gives you a very different and better perspective on your reputation.It provides a structure to measure, analyse, and manage trust — and therefore your reputation — with precision. Before, during, and after crisis.
And not with a massive program that adds complexity. But with a simple, six-statement module that can be dropped straight into your brand or reputation tracker.
Why so simple? Because what evolved to simplify life can, by definition, not be complex.And we proved that — with Professor Wilhelm Salber.
Download the Starter Pack and contact us to explore how our Six Buckets of Trust® and trust diagnostics can support your next strategic move.
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