Europanel, a global partnership between GfK and Kantar Worldpanel, carried out analysis of 12,000 European consumers in early 2015, looking at the three biggest brands in 30 FMCG categories across nine European countries. 

It evaluated the responses of these consumers and linked them with the purchase behaviour of 150,000 households to establish the connections between trust and brand success. 

It was found that innovation by a brand is more strongly related to trust than a presence on social media or advertising perception. Being seen as current or modern was considered more trustworthy than having a long heritage. 

It was also found that brands relying too heavily on price discounting actually undermined the credibility of their offer. 

The full findings can be accessed in the current issue of Market Leader.