A look at how credibility and trust are reshaping B2B decision-making.
Corporate reputation has evolved from a soft asset into a driver of financial outcomes in the competitive B2B world. Bloomberg Media’s research on corporate reputation and how it intersects with B2B decision-making provides a window into the mindset of leaders as they evaluate partners, weigh risk and decide who earns a seat at the table.
During a recent Campaign US roundtable, editor Luz Corona moderated a discussion among industry leaders about how reputation converts to measurable impact and shared strategies for strengthening credibility throughout the buyer’s journey.
Building credible partnerships
According to Bloomberg Media, 85% of buyers say reputation affects their confidence when first engaging a potential vendor. While technical specs and pricing help secure a spot on the shortlist, reputation determines who wins the contract.
Confidence in partners is often built through “street cred,” the informal but powerful word of industry people. “Deal-breakers are anyone who cheats the system, provides bad information or doesn’t deliver on what they say,” said Mitch Kapler, VP, business director, Giant Spoon. “Word gets around fast.”
In the consideration phase, peer reviews have become essential filters. “Customer or peer reviews are one of the top back-ups for reputation that people rely on,” noted Elisabeth Dick Oak (EDO), global head of media strategy, Bloomberg Media. “Trust is getting smaller and smaller in terms of your personal circles.”
Reputation is no longer a comms nice-to-have but a “permission to compete.” To stand out, partners must present a clear, differentiated point-of-view (POV). Bloomberg Media found that “with the rise of AI in the technology category, there’s a lot of sameness,” said Christine Cook, chief commercial officer, Bloomberg Media. “It’s very difficult to understand the difference between the nuances and services.”
For many leaders, the biggest barrier to a new partnership is the fear of trying an unknown, unproven partner. “Buyers never want to be the guinea pig, but they want somebody else to have been the guinea pig,” said Julia Weiss, VP, media, Giant Spoon.
The appetite for innovation is often tethered to the size of the project. “If it’s a big decision, a lot of money involved, a lot of stakeholders, I’m typically going to lean into the vendors that have a proven track record,” added Kandace Barker, head of B2B, Initiative. “If I have a little space to be innovative and it’s not going to cost the organization a ton in terms of risk, I am more willing to lean into partners that may not have that credibility.”
In a data-driven economy, how a company handles information matters. It’s important to have “transparency of what that audience is and how they’re creating it,” explained Mark Gilmartin, VP, integrated media investment, Havas. “Everyone has audiences everywhere but sometimes it’s not the most acceptable way to build the audience and it can be invasive.”
Strategies for building reputation
Establishing expertise requires a strategic blend of high-level thought leadership and tangible proof points. Bloomberg Media’s research shows 89% of the respondents cite evidence of reliability as the number one factor for conversion.
“Proof is definitely a differentiator,” said Carly Costantino, SVP of media, Razorfish. “The data and research supports your perspective and the POV and shows that you have the experience.”
Collaborative storytelling and shared information can strengthen a partnership. “I ask our partners to share studies, graphs and charts that help build the story and allow us to tell our POV so we can have a cohesive standpoint and become a valuable partner to our clients,” explained Sabeen Ahmad, EVP, global media and innovation lead, Starcom.
Another way partners can distinguish themselves is through technology expertise. “We focus on how we’re leaning on AI and doing specific audience segments to show that there’s a lot of growth and opportunity there,” added Amy Lanzi, CEO, Digitas.
According to Bloomberg Media’s research, strong reputations are often linked to premium pricing power. “When you’re building trust, quality and originality matters,” said Ellie Kwon, VP, programmatic, Havas Media. “We have seen that even though this may come with premium pricing, it often translates to better performance and building brand trust over time.”
While marketing materials are vital, the strongest reputations are built by the organization’s people. “Reputation is built from the inside,” said Daniel Mize, executive MD, Havas NY. “Your CEO and your executives aren’t on the phone with clients or other reps every single day. It is the people that are having those relationships.”
Employees are a critical asset in reputation management. “Every touchpoint is a potential door and that trickles down to employees,” Weiss said. “They could potentially be underutilized to act as a spokesperson for their own brand and provide thought leadership on their own platforms.”
Reputation has become a leadership priority to ensure strong trust signals are visible in high-attention environments. “The appetite to test and do more things in this space is going all the way up to the C-suite, and they want to have conversations with different agencies about what the boundaries are,” said Amanda Grant, EVP Global Head of Data and Tech Partnerships, WPP Media.
AI’s impact on consumers is further reshaping buyer behavior. Companies must assess “when the system changes, when the needs change, when the audience’s needs change, how the supplier argument is also adapting with those changes,” said Andrea Palmer, CEO, Publicis Health Media. “It shows knowledge and leadership, and that they’re on the leading edge to how things are changing today.”
Navigating the funnel
The B2B funnel is no longer a linear path but an ecosystem of influence. “Only 5% of buyers are ever in market at one given point in time in any way,” said Barker. “If you’re not in that awareness-driving and consideration-driving business, you’re going to miss out on your buyers in the future.”
Different generations consume media differently. “Video works for some, long-form content works for others and those also tend to map generationally,” said Lanzi. “You have to think about the entire ecosystem of influence.”
Companies have to understand the role of AI during the consideration stage of the funnel. “Knowing which platforms rise to the top is one of the most important things for the media agency to pay attention to,” said Ahmad. “For example, Reddit was one of the first places that Google searches or AI pulled from, but now it’s shifted to YouTube. We have to evolve based on what the needs are, who the audience is, what we’re trying to do, where we’re trying to get them and what we’re trying to say.”
It’s not about using one channel over the other. “The channels all play a significant and different role,” said Costantino. Partners have to understand what that role is in determining the campaign’s funnel and objective and the relationship of the audience to the brand.
To optimize effectively, “look at what channels in the media mix drive certain outcomes for clients, from awareness to consideration to advocacy or buzz,” said Courtney Carroll, head of business and lifestyle, North America advertising sales, Bloomberg Media.
Content as the closer
Bloomberg Media has found that expertise and depth from long-form articles and videos foster credibility. “The highest correlation of trust and what they’re depending on us for is when we go deep and we tell the whole story,” Cook said. “Trust has to have been pre-built through all of that other stuff because otherwise you’re not even getting a shot to be discovered.”
Buyers consistently rate industry publications, live events and independent evaluations as more credible than a company’s owned channels. To build true trust, brands must move away from “telling the same thing in their monologue,” said Kapler.
“A good thought leadership material should be unbiased and bring new insights,” Kwon advised. “Instead of leading with your solutions, it’s helpful when you provide decision-making frameworks that include your competition to give the buyer the ability to decide on their own.”
Highlighting different points of view can improve a brand’s credibility. “You’re not the only one having the conversation,” Gilmartin explained. “You’re giving everyone an equal opportunity and showcasing why you may be better in that specific area.”
Keep in mind that “trust signals vary from industry to industry,” said Sheevani Raikundalia, executive head of financial services advertising sales, North America, Bloomberg Media. “They’re different in finance than in manufacturing than in communications.”
Bloomberg Media’s research revealed three ways that decision-makers and audiences gravitate toward content. “One was the emotional narrative that brings a broader message to life; the second was this idea of a personal story of someone impacted by the solution; and the third was the compelling data set,” Cook said.
The ability to adapt to the shifting marketplace and consumer and brand needs is a key differentiator. “Oftentimes crises are when you see brands sink or swim,” Weiss said. “Make sure the message is tied to whatever that moment is and that you have authenticity within it rather than just jumping on a bandwagon.”
Ultimately, that authenticity can strengthen credibility and help B2B leaders turn prospects into partners.
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