Being spread too thin is something we can vouch for while building our own business over the last 18 years too, and it’s often the reason why so many businesses lose direction or deprioritise what we believe is the single most valuable factor in meaningful growth: a focus on brand credibility.

Our recent research shows this is a big risk and a potentially huge missed opportunity. For startups, embedding credibility from the outset is not only easier, it gives them a head start that established businesses often struggle to replicate. Do it well, and you’ll build loyalty, shape culture, and lay the foundation for a brand story that compounds in value over time.

I know this because eight years into our journey, we stepped out of the day-to-day to reflect on where we wanted to take the business next. A big part of that process was spent mapping out the moments we were most proud of. We laid them out on the wall and stepped back to spot the red threads.

One theme stood out above all else. Every meaningful decision we’d made for our own business and every high-performing, high-impact project we’d delivered for clients had one thing in common: they were all absolutely dripping in credibility. Insights were the realest. Storytelling was the rawest. Personality was the bravest. Experiences designed were the most honest.

Back to today, and we have just launched our annual Brand Credibility Index in collaboration with YouGov, a study which asked members of the public for their views on brand credibility.

Through this research, we have learned that 76% of UK adults say brand credibility dictates their buying decisions, 43% that they’ve stopped buying from a brand due to a loss of credibility and 38% think brands are simply not credible.

Within that, 33% of 18-24 year-olds say they won’t buy from or engage with a brand that lacks credibility – the highest of any age group by a significant margin. Now, while Gen Z isn’t the biggest cohort, it is one of the most vocal. Their rejection of inauthentic, inconsistent brands is already shaping expectations for the future. The credibility bar is rising – and it isn’t likely to come back down any time soon.

Our findings also showed that 65% of consumers believe keeping promises is the number one driver of brand credibility, while 53% say a great customer experience is key, showing that how and when people engage with your brand matters just as much as what you say. Authentic storytelling also scored highly, proving real narratives matter. In short, today’s consumers are fast to spot any gap between brand message and brand behaviour.

And the one thing I cannot impress enough is that startups have one huge advantage when it comes to building their credibility nice and early: they’re not weighed down by legacy systems, tired perceptions or ingrained habits. They get to start fresh and that means they have the chance to build credibility the right way, from day one, and reap the compounding benefits of that.

The brands that do it well are the ones that put credibility first. Through the customer experience, right through to how they engage their own people. Ultimately, paying attention to the promises they make, and how they keep them.

The Brand Credibility Index offers clear action points for any startup. We asked respondents to rank advertising mediums from most to least credible and at first glance the findings may worry start ups. TV, print and radio – the more expensive advertising media – also scored well for credibility. Not ideal for those with smaller ad budgets. And to make matters worse, influencers and content creators – real friends to those without a lot of cash to spend on advertising – were comfortably the least credible.

But there’s hope. Word of mouth was rated highest. That points to a winning strategy – focusing on driving advocacy rather than working with influencers. One of the beauties of being a startup is how close to your best customers you can be. It’s an incredible opportunity to drive growth by elevating those voices. Find your most passionate customers (ideally, but not essentially, those with larger social followings) and work with them to craft really meaningful content. Use your media budget to give them a better platform.

It’s win-win. The advocates improve their following, you get authentic stories published and potential customers can shop your brand without having to see past any smoke and mirrors.

Remember that ultimately, credibility compounds. Those brands that invest consistently in credibility building actions (find more tips in the report) will be able to build trust faster. This insulates the startup from the inevitable competitors (2nd wave startups, or bigger brands turning toward your niche), because when they try to entice your customers, that hard-earned loyalty will ultimately keep them on side.

Of course. I appreciate startup success is about more than just proving your credibility credentials, but at a time when around 70% of startups fail in the first three years, this is a major factor that could significantly reduce that risk.

Founders can’t control economic impact, global pandemics, unpredictable trends or wealthier rivals joining the fray. But they can control how and where their business is seen, what its actions say about its values, and how existing and prospective customers will judge it.