Survey: Traditional beats digital for trustworthiness

Digital content and social networks may be the rage, when it comes to trust, consumers are weighing in to say they trust traditional media more than they trust digital media. According to new data from Triton Digital, digital media may be fun to read, but when consumers want trusted info, they turn to traditional sources first.

by Kristina Knight

"While digital media continues to explode in popularity and affect traditional media usage, the underlying trust of media consumers toward digital compared to traditional media are not yet equal," said Triton VP of Business Strategy, Jim Kerr. "Similarly, traditional media advertising continues to prove effective and more likely to influence purchase decisions than digital ads."

According to Triton Digital's Media Influence Insights:

• 45% of those surveyed trust TV media most
• Newspapers are trusted by 20% of respondents
• Radio is trusted by 18% of respondents

As for how this shakes out in the ad space, it seems consumers are speaking with their wallets - and buying after seeing ads in the traditional space. Of those surveyed most (64%) say they've made a purchase after seeing an ad on television, in a newspaper or hearing an ad on radio. One caveat, though, consumers are researching products and brands via the web on their own. What they find there, the research indicates, they'll trust more than other mediums.

• 61% of those surveyed say they 'trust their own research' more
• 28% say they trust TV commercials
• 21% trust radio ads and 16% trust newspapers
• 17% report they 'trust' recommendation engines