Observed Signal · Oct 12, 2026 · Conference Panel Discussion · Source: The Drum · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Positive
McCann's Tina Allan: Brand Trust Built on Craft
At Advertising Week New York, a panel discussion hosted by The Economist focused on how brands can build trust in an era of AI-generated content. Research by The Economist and McCann found 79% of B2B leaders dropped a brand after a trust breakdown. Bain & Company's Tara Marsh highlighted the increased importance of content source credibility. Tina Allan, McCann's global chief solutions architect, argued that consistent brand messaging and creative craft across all channels are essential. She introduced a seven-point scale to evaluate creative work, emphasizing work that engages audiences. Allan also criticized the lack of creativity in retail media, citing Walmart Connect, and urged marketers to demand better creative in media plans. She sees AI as a tool to enhance craft, not replace it, and stressed the role of human judgment in governance.
The article discusses general principles of brand trust and creative craft, but does not announce any specific corporate event, product launch, or major industry shift. It is a commentary piece from an industry conference, with limited direct impact on AdTech operations.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Economist and McCann research found 79% of B2B leaders dropped a brand after a trust breakdown.
- McCann's Tina Allan uses a seven-point scale to evaluate creative work, with five being her favorite.
- Allan cited retail media and Walmart Connect as examples where creativity is often an afterthought.
- Bain & Company uses AI agents to convert reports into social assets but is rethinking human quality control after an error.
- The Economist holds commissioned work, like the Resilient Food Systems Index for Cargill, to independent research standards.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“The Economist Enterprise session on the B2B MX stage”
“Tina Allan, global chief solutions architect at McCann”
“Tara Marsh, executive vice-president of global practice and account marketing at Bain & Company”
“She held up Mastercard's 'Priceless' as an example”
“citing retail media and Walmart Connect, where products have to sell”
“borrowed a line from Google to describe the right attitude”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Cannes Rediscovers Human Element After AI Obsession
At Cannes Lions 2026, M&C Saatchi North America chief Nadja Bellan-White observed a shift in festival conversations away from pure AI fetishism toward human insight, creativity and trust. While AI remains highly visible, Bellan-White — a judge on the Creative Business Transformation Lions jury — said the most encouraging trend was campaigns built around real human understanding and impact. The article cites broader social research (World Health Organization and the Edelman Trust Barometer) to frame concerns about loneliness, social fragmentation and declining institutional trust, arguing marketers have a responsibility to help rebuild social trust. Bellan-White warns CMOs face unprecedented complexity and urges marketing to use technology to enhance human creativity rather than replace it.
How Brands Can Build Customer Trust Amid AI
The Drum polled its membership for industry perspectives on the role of trust in modern marketing as AI agents, privacy regulation and first-party data strategies reshape customer relationships. Multiple marketing leaders argue trust cannot be manufactured by campaigns; it must be earned through product quality, consistent customer experience, aligned incentives, transparency, human fallback from automated systems, and credible third-party validation. Contributors cite examples of trusted brands (Beauty Pie, REI, Notion, Monzo, Octopus Energy) and highlight tactics such as customer stories, digital PR and localised messaging. Several speakers warn that handing customer service wholly to AI without easy human escalation erodes trust, while agentic search and AI assistants shift where and how trust is formed.
Two-Thirds Would Abandon Untrusted Brands
A new McCann study, The Truth About Global Brands, surveyed more than 20,000 people across 20 markets and finds a growing consumer trust crisis that poses risks for brands. Key findings: 72% say prioritizing truth is more important than ever, 55% believe brands were more truthful 20 years ago, and 76% fear soon being unable to tell humans from AI. The study reports 69% of consumers have abandoned brands they no longer trust and 80% would actively choose brands they trust. More than half (53%) say brands should be upfront about using AI in ads. McCann Global CEO Tyler Turnbull emphasizes authenticity, cultural fluency, and transparency — especially around AI — as central to rebuilding trust.
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