Singapore – In a world flooded with conflicting information, AI-generated content and competing claims that make it harder than ever to determine what is real, 72% of people say it is more important than ever to prioritise truth, according to new research by McCann and Economist Enterprise.
The study finds that amid rising AI adoption, fragmenting trust and shifting cultural influence, brands are increasingly expected to help consumers navigate what it calls a “Truth Maze” by reducing uncertainty to support growth.
“Global brands are experiencing a growth crisis as we’ve shifted from a trust economy to a doubt economy, putting CMOs under more pressure than ever,” said Tyler Turnbull, Global CEO of McCann. “The new playbook for the future of brand building will be grounded in a brand’s ability to show up with clarity, credibility and cultural fluency at every decision point.”
In this environment, 55% of respondents believe brands are less truthful than they were 20 years ago, while 76% worry they will soon be unable to distinguish between real people and artificial ones online, a concern reflected strongly across Asia.
While 72% of consumers and 88% of B2B leaders say brands must use AI to remain competitive, the report notes that accountability and transparency are becoming key differentiators. Some 53% of respondents say transparency around AI use is the most effective way to build trust, while 45% want brands to clearly signal what is real in AI-generated content.
Regionally, Asia shows relatively higher confidence in AI-enabled brands, while Australia and New Zealand are more cautious, with transparency emerging as the clearest driver of trust in those markets.
“In a world where truth matters more than ever, certainty is the new value exchange,” said Harjot Singh, Global Chief Strategy Officer, McCann.
The research also underscores the commercial implications of trust, finding that 80% of people will choose brands they trust even if they are more expensive, while 69% of consumers and 79% of B2B decision-makers say they have stopped using brands they no longer trust.
“The data tells a compelling story: when business leaders lose faith in a brand, they walk away, and they don’t come back easily,” said Tamara McMillen, Chief Revenue Officer at Economist Enterprise. “What this means for global brands is that the commercial cost of doubt is real and measurable. Brands that invest in being trustworthy guides to B2B decision-makers are the ones best positioned to grow.”
Beyond trust and technology, the report highlights a broader shift in cultural influence, noting that ideas are now flowing more multi-directionally across markets rather than from West to rest, with countries such as China, India and Saudi Arabia increasingly shaping global norms.
It adds that 73% of people believe it is possible to be a global citizen without travelling, particularly in markets such as Thailand, India, South Korea and the Philippines, alongside a decline in single-culture identification in countries including India, China and Japan.
“The era of local insights alone is ending. The era of cultural flows has begun. Consumers are increasingly shaped by ideas, behaviours and aspirations that originate beyond their own market. For CMOs across Asia, competitive advantage will come from understanding Eastfluence: the invisible cultural exchanges between Asian markets that are redefining what people trust, desire and aspire to become. From beauty and wellness to food and lifestyle, tomorrow’s most valuable insight may no longer come from your market but from a neighbouring one,” said Emmanuel Sabbagh, Chief Strategy Officer, Omnicom Asia.
Against this backdrop, the study identifies a growing “Upward Class” of 1.02 billion people with $29.5 trillion in annual spending power, defined by aspirations of progress, self-improvement and mobility, and a stronger belief in brands as tools for advancement.
It concludes that future brand growth will depend less on messaging volume and more on reducing doubt, acting as trusted guides, and engaging emerging, high-growth audiences through culturally adaptive, truth-led strategies.
“Future growth won’t come from leaning on existing audiences or legacy markers of scale,” continued Turnbull. “It will come from brands that turn truth into a genuine growth engine, building connected systems of meaning, culture and commerce. That’s what McCann’s Truth Well Told framework is designed to do.”
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