Brands face trust crisis as 61% of consumers walk away

Almost all consumers take punitive action once they doubt a brand’s claims.

Hong Kong consumers are quick to disengage from brands and organisations they no longer believe in, with 61% saying they stopped engaging with or purchasing from a brand in the past year due to a lack of belief in its claims, according to a study by Ogilvy and YouGov.

The Hong Kong edition of Ogilvy’s Believability Index: The Power of Proof found that 94% of respondents take punitive action once they doubt a brand or organisation, slightly below the Asia-Pacific average of 96%.

Silent disengagement emerged as the biggest commercial risk. About 89% of Hong Kong consumers said they would quietly walk away from a brand, including 46% who would stop purchasing altogether and 32% who would switch to a competitor.

Consumers cited poor delivery and ethics as the top reasons for losing belief. About 34% said they disengaged because products or services failed to deliver what was promised, whilst 29% cited poor handling of issues or mistakes. Another 27% pointed to poor business ethics.

Communication missteps also affected trust, with 25% saying exaggerated or misleading communications caused them to disengage, whilst 24% said they walked away when a brand was unresponsive to concerns.

The study found that credibility matters more than polished content in shaping belief. Around 76% of respondents said they rely on credibility-related influences such as trusted or multiple sources, whilst 62% rely on whether information aligns with their own knowledge or experience.

Mainstream media and official brand channels remained the strongest trust-building channels. About 58% of Hong Kong respondents said mainstream media increases their belief in brands, whilst 50% said the same for official brand channels.

By contrast, influencer content and private messaging apps produced mixed effects. Around 30% said influencers and KOLs increased their belief, but 26% said they made them more sceptical. Private group chats such as WhatsApp showed the same split.

Despite the trust gap, Ogilvy said belief can still be restored. About 82% of Hong Kong respondents said lost belief can be regained, with 50% saying brands must actively fix the issue before they can be believed again. Public acknowledgement and consistent accuracy were each cited by 40% of respondents.

The Hong Kong study surveyed 1,032 adults online from 22 April to 4 May 2026. It formed part of Ogilvy’s seven-market Asia-Pacific Believability Index 2026, which covered 7,176 adults across Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia.