Insights

Validating marketing claims builds brand trust

Author: Jessica Modrow

Brand trust has become a top priority for consumers. According to a recent study by Edelman, consumers rank brand trust second only to price—and around two-thirds say trusting a company’s brand is more important today than in the past. In fact, the same study notes that 75% of consumers with high brand trust will choose a brand’s products even if it’s not the cheapest.

Of course, building trust and standing out in an oversaturated global market can be challenging for brands. While marketers have many tactics at their disposal for engaging consumers online, consumers often approach marketing and advertising claims with skepticism in an online marketplace rife with marketing puffery and false advertising. This means validating marketing claims through a third party like Beyondsoft matters a great deal.

What is third-party marketing claims validation?

Marketing claims validation is a service whereby a third party like Beyondsoft verifies a brand’s specific marketing claims as accurate through reliable, evidence-based research and testing.

For example, let’s say your brand just released a new printer. Your brand claims it’s “The fastest printer in its class.” To lend credibility to this claim, you engage a third party to validate the statement. The third party researches comparable printers in its class and then conducts a broad set of tests such as pages output per minute to verify the claim.

Alternatively, let’s say your brand has multiple claims under consideration, but you need evidence to determine how to best position your product amongst competing products. A third party takes a set of brand claims and conducts a broader set of competitive tests to determine a set of truthful claims that your brand can make. Statements might include “Lowest priced printer in its class” or “Fastest two-sided printing in its class.”

The output of the marketing claims validation process is an evidence-based report. Brands can use this report to back up marketing statements and build consumer trust. For example, often you’ll see footnotes associated with marketing claims noting verifiable, third-party evidence and even links to full reports.

What are the benefits of validating marketing claims?

In addition to building consumer trust and loyalty, validating marketing claims offers several benefits. For starters, third-party claims carry far more weight with consumers than self-reported claims. Furthermore, having a third party verify your brand’s claims reduces risk. Intentional or not, inaccurate advertising claims can lead to reputational, legal, and financial costs.

Additionally, working with a third party can help you maximize your marketing budget by eliminating guesswork and ensuring verifiably accurate claims that truly set your product apart. In some cases, you may learn something new about your product that consumers will appreciate. Plus, you’ll know how your product measures up to other brands in the marketplace to help drive marketing strategy.

Beyondsoft marketing claims validation

Beyondsoft offers a third-party marketing claims validation program for hardware and software. With labs located worldwide, our in-house technologists take a rigorous, best-practice validation approach to assess and verify products ranging from mobile phones and computer apps to user interfaces to digital imaging hardware and more.

Our experts perform rigorous, unbiased testing and competitive research to verify the accuracy of marketing and advertising statements around attributes such as cost, dimensions, performance, and quality. We then deliver a concise, third-party report with evidence-based findings that support your marketing claims. In cases where a claim cannot be validated, you will receive precise feedback and findings, along with recommendations to help you revise marketing statements and make future improvements.

Validating marketing claims is an excellent way to build trust with consumers and set your products apart. To learn more about marketing claims validation from Beyondsoft, feel free to contact us.