Building Trust Through Content: Why Speed is as important as Constancy in Brand Messaging

Timeliness, along with clear and consistent messaging, are critical levers when building equity with stakeholders

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Back in January 2023, the Hindenburg Research report landed like a torpedo on Adani Group, triggering a $150-bn selloff and wiping out the promoter’s net-worth by $60-bn. The Adani Group’s response to the report was equally robust. Within hours of the report being released, the Group’s CFO Jugeshinder ‘Robbie’ Singh came out and strongly denied the charges with a carefully drafted address; followed up with a comprehensive 413-page counter-report with point-by-point rebuttal that was put out in less than five days. In the weeks that followed, the Adani top brass executed a well-planned campaign to counter the charges and shape public opinion through sharp and precise communication across media platforms.

More than a year on, even as the Adani Group has bounced back and recouped most of the market cap losses, its content and communication strategy has emerged as a defining factor in one of the finest corporate combats witnessed by India Inc. Content in motion is communication, and with its timely, transparent and focused communication, the Adani Group built trust among all stakeholders and shifted the narrative in a systematic manner. From sharp statements in the fire-fighting stage, to nuanced messaging that regained thought leadership, content-driven communication has been effectively deployed to attain the Group’s corporate goals.

Consistency in quality adds to credibility

For your content – and communication – to have a meaningful impact and credibility, it is integral that its quality is impeccable. The content should showcase your – and your organisation’s – expertise and personality, while being clear, concise and consistent. Besides being factual, well-written, smartly presented and engaging, there should be equal focus on your communication’s readability and relevance.

Resonance with the audience is a precursor to building trust and shaping narratives. As much as the platform of communication is important for targeted reach to the audience, the quality and integrity of the content is at the core of every communication.

Leadership content multiplies reach and impact

High-quality and engaging content, especially from an organisation’s leadership, can work wonders for a brand’s equity.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, with his 11-million followers on X, is the biggest brand ambassador for his organisation. Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata amplifies the notable works of Tata Group as well as Tata Trusts through nearly 13- million followers.

One of the finest examples of effective usage of content to build trust – and business – is of Zerodha Founder & CEO Nithin Kamath who has relied on story-telling to build a personal brand. Kamath’s dedicated team of content specialists work closely with him. His personal finance and business-related posts, blogs and podcasts have driven a simultaneous growth in his online followers as well as the online trading company’s customer-base.

Speeds helps build trust with internal stakeholders

On 24 April 2024, regulator RBI issued an order preventing Kotak Mahindra Bank from on-boarding new customers due to shortcomings in its technology. The very next day the bank’s stock tanked over 10% and there was an air of uncertainty over its next move. Within hours, the bank’s CEO Ashok Vaswani wrote an email to all employees explaining the situation and the way forward. Vaswani said that the explosive growth in business through digital channels necessitated a completely different level of technology infrastructure, which the bank has been building. He assured the employees that all issues will be resolved and the bank will continue to add customers through non-digital channels.

This timely communication not only assuaged concerns among employees, but also worked as a timely damage-control exercise in the larger context.

Constancy builds trust and loyalty

In normal times, organisations that are invested in their people rely on sustained transparent communication – through high quality content – to engage, recognise and even reward their internal stakeholders. From newsletters, communiques and interactive surveys, to multimedia releases in the form of videos, blogs and reels, organisations are innovatively using content on owned and earned media to communicate and build a bond with their employees across the spectrum.

Authenticity is key to brand content

When it comes to building trust – for both internal and external stakeholders – the fundamental premise is that the content should enable your audience to see the organisation as authentic and empathetic. The content should amplify these virtues; having empathy with your audience is as important as being authentic to truly connect and gain their trust over time.

In conclusion

Words can be a powerful medium to showcase vision, intent and actions; honest, well-written content can create a meaningful impact and yield notable dividends for individual leaders and their organisations. However, speed and timeliness in communication can be just as important in enhancing brand equity.

 

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