Who do you trust these days? Your bank? Your employer? Your favourite brands?

With Governments playing Russian roulette with national debt, climate change warnings becoming ever more dire and the news media serving up an endless diet of scary news, it's no wonder we’re searching out any scrap of safety and security to hang on to.

Consumer behaviour is changing – in both obvious and not so obvious ways – and signs are that, like the global crunch, this change is going to be seismic.

For the first time in years we’re now saving for the rainy days ahead and paying off debts at a record rate. We’ve also found comfort in the safety of the past – when the scary monsters of today didn’t exist and life seemed so much simpler.

Unsurprisingly, brands are picking up on the trend.

Nationwide, the dull grey brand of the building society sector, now promotes itself by celebrating its boring but safe approach and long-term history.

Likewise Persil. Gently pushing reassurance through down-the-decades images of the unconditional (and washing powder assisted) love of that most trusted person of all – mum.

Even sofa kings DFS have got in on the act, putting Linda Barker on ice and ditching the never-ending half-price sale for ads proclaiming the company’s longevity and heritage.

Witness also the rise of comparison websites and the popularity of online user-led reviews and social media as we turn to friends, acquaintances and even strangers rather than “official” sources – so long as the reviewers appear to be People Like Us.

One of the emerging battlegrounds for our trust is being scouted out by, guess who – the supermarkets.

The big supermarket chains have achieved success because they make it their business to know us – sometimes even better than ourselves.

Of all the major organisations that get us through our day to day lives, the supermarkets are in pole position simply because they have the most contact with us and a vast and constantly updated databank of our purchasing behaviour.

In the current chaos of mistrust, the major supermarkets have a golden opportunity to capitalise on the special place they hold in our shrinking wallets.

Worried about the toxic debt and of your regular bank? Well Tesco is about to come to the rescue with the Tesco Bank. Despite worries over Tesco’s High Street dominance, the brand has a track record of being totally in tune with the needs of family shoppers.

Want something more funky? Well Virgin are looking to fish in the same pond.

Even Sainsbury’s has tapped into the trend. As we gather around the family fireplace and seek normality in preparing family meals again, good ol’ Jamie is showing us how to rustle up a quick and wholesome meal for a fiver.

As Gordon Brown told Euro MEPs ahead of the G20 meeting: “A good society and a good economy must have a strong set of values - not values that spring from the market, but values that we bring to the market.”

The changing values consumers are bringing to the market are becoming ever more visible through their behaviour – and its not only errant bankers that need to take heed.

Tags:  TrustBrandsBehaviourSocial MediaSupermarketsValues

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