From Adweek · Mindy Charski · · 1m 30s
How Trust & Will builds brand trust at scale
A digital estate planning company shares its formula for earning consumer confidence in a category people avoid.
In brief
A digital estate planning company shares its formula for earning consumer confidence in a category people avoid. Trust is built through visible investment (like national TV), memorable creative with warmth and authority, and consistent messaging over time. Originally reported by Adweek.
Trust drives actual purchases
Trust isn't just a feel-good metric. It's one of the biggest drivers of whether people actually buy from you.
“Trust is a lot more than just a feel-good metric. It's one of the biggest drivers of whether people actually buy from you.”
Estate planning's credibility gap
Trust & Will operates in a category where people don't want to think about the product. Most consumers believe a local attorney is the only credible option, so the brand must make online platforms feel safe and legitimate.
“They think the most credible path is sitting across from a local estate planning attorney.”
National TV signals legitimacy
Trust & Will uses TV advertising because there's legitimacy in being on national television. When consumers see a brand investing in expensive, visible media, they read it as a signal that the brand must be legitimate.
“There's legitimacy that comes from being on national television. It puts you in the same room as the biggest established brands.”
TV plus streaming maximizes reach
Trust & Will runs both linear TV and connected TV together to maximize total reach. TV is now the number one way people first learn about the brand and drives top-of-funnel demand generation.
“Running them both together is actually what maximizes total reach for us.”
Memorable creative builds connection
Trust & Will's 'Make it Count' campaign uses storytelling and humor to prompt people to think about estate planning. Spokesperson Eddie Blackwell Williams emphasizes that good intentions alone don't count without legal documentation.
“We needed warmth, we needed humor and humanity, but we also needed authority.”
Consistency beats constant change
Trust & Will resists the urge to shift creative messaging too often. The bigger payoff comes from consistency and building on a foundation that's already working.
“The bigger payoff really comes from consistency.”
In short
Trust is built through visible investment (like national TV), memorable creative with warmth and authority, and consistent messaging over time.
