Date of Award

4-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

First Advisor

Andrew Smith

Second Advisor

Krista Tucciarone

Third Advisor

Kyle Coble

Abstract

Trust is the foundation of business and works as a dynamic relationship between customers and businesses. As social media continues to evolve as the main way that companies promote and sell their products, trust must align with these marketing efforts. Through the analysis of past research, case studies, and current surveys, data, and trends, the relationship between consumer trust and online advertisements can be examined. Consumer trust online is experiencing a consistent downward trend, where consumers are losing trust in the companies and products they purchase from online. There is a heavy amount of skepticism online with the content that consumers are viewing daily, due to reasons that range from past negative experiences, changes in digital literacy, privacy concerns, and more. With this, an analysis of this decline must be explored, to understand how companies can regain this trust from customers, while prioritizing it. To regain trust in digital marketing, the reasons it’s decreasing must first be understood. With factors like transparency, privacy, and social proof playing a role in marketing trust, companies must invest in these elements online and understand how to properly utilize them. Although there has been a fair amount of research on this subject in literature over the years, the current decrease in trust indicates that there are holes in this research. Companies must be directed properly when marketing online, and therefore, this research will provide companies with the necessary tools to embed in their digital marketing strategies. Consumer trust must be restored online, and this research will be a necessary step for companies in earning back trust in their digital marketing efforts. Companies that prioritize consumer trust and use its advantages in their online marketing will benefit from its results, and their consumer to business relationships will flourish.

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