Editor's note: Pepper Miller is a cultural insights strategist and trust steward who helps organizations deeply understand – not just target – communities. Rooted in Black cultural insight, her frameworks build trust, clarity and lasting relevance across audiences without erasing identity. Author of three books, she has advised AARP, American Cancer Society, CNN, Procter & Gamble and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Let’s tell the truth: Trust is collapsing everywhere – and the insights industry is not immune.
The Edelman Trust Barometer makes it plain: 51% of people worldwide do not trust major institutions – government, media, business, non-government organizations; nearly 7 in 10 worry that misinformation is being weaponized against them.
And globally, people believe leaders are more likely to mislead them than tell the truth.
We’re not dealing with a “trust challenge.” We’re in a truth abandonment era – a moment where truth feels negotiable, people feel unprotected and trust breaks quietly, then suddenly.
This moment demands courage, clarity and a new role in our field: the trust steward.
What is a trust steward? A trust steward is someone who restores clarity in moments of confusion. I name what’s happening without shaming. I reveal consequences without punishing. I
reintroduce the human beings behind the data, decisions and narratives.
Because when people feel seen, they trust you, they follow you and they hold you accountable in the best way.
The four forces fueling the trust crisis
Across organizations, four forces consistently undermine trust:
- The legal fear factor. Leaders tiptoe around the truth to avoid lawsuits, public backlash or political pressure. Fear replaces integrity.
- Budget bypass. Cultural insights and equity-centered work get cut first – even though trust lives exactly where nuance, context and lived experience exist.
- Representation shrinkage. When communities stop appearing in research, decision-making and advertising, trust disappears with them.
- Comfort over courage. Neutrality feels safer than truth but silence only protects the powerful.
These forces contribute to people feeling misunderstood and erased. Then trust collapses.
Let’s look at two real-time examples of how trust can break quietly. They aren’t from my client research; both unfolded publicly and I followed the community response closely.
The Asian ad backlash: When inclusion turns into caricature
A national brand released an ad intended to celebrate Asian American culture. The intention was inclusion. The execution was stereotypical.
Online conversations revealed the truth of what the ad really communicated:
“This feels like a cultural checklist.”
“The rituals aren’t even right.”
“No one Asian was in the room when they made this.”
“We’re tired of being props.”
The symbolism was off. The casting felt engineered. The storyline relied on clichés rather than lived experience. The brand saw “diversity.” Viewers saw a misunderstanding.
This is how trust fractures – not always through outrage but through the quiet disappointment of being misrepresented yet again.
The cultural extraction trend: When creativity is used without credit
Another moment surfaced when major media celebrated the appropriators of a viral dance created by a Black teenager – but never acknowledged the creator or the cultural community behind it.
I followed the comments as they poured in:
“They want the rhythm, not the people.”
“This is what extraction looks like.”
“Give credit where it’s due.”
The media thought it was timely. Keeping up with trends. Black audiences recognized something else: “You borrowed our creativity, but you still can’t see us.”
That’s a trust gap. And people feel it instantly.
The antidote: See people clearly
Trust does not come from polished messaging, glossy ads or even beautifully presented data. Trust is built when people feel seen.
Clarity creates alignment. Understanding creates connection. And truth – even uncomfortable truth – creates trust. This is where the work of a trust steward becomes essential.
Why does this matter for insights? The organizations that win in the next era won’t be those with the most dashboards or the most AI.
They’ll be the ones with: the courage to confront blind spots; the clarity to understand human truth; and the commitment to rebuild trust where it’s been broken.
Data explains what happened. Trust explains why it matters.
And that difference will define the next era of insights.
In April, I’m taking this full conversation to the Quirk’s stage in Chicago – unapologetically.
I’ll dive into:
- more ad examples that reveal exactly where trust breaks – and how it’s restored;
- how to find truth in a misinformed world when beliefs get in the way;
- why so many audiences feel misunderstood or unseen in advertising and insights work; and
- how researchers can lead with clarity and courage when everyone else is choosing safety.
Spoiler alert: In my session, we’ll explore why clarity is more powerful than neutrality, why comfort has become the new bias in research and how one question – Whose experience is missing and why? – can reset an entire insights strategy.
And, given that comfort has become the new bias in research – meaning, before presenting findings, some researchers avoid naming cultural tensions or racial gaps even when respondents name them clearly – another question to ask is: Have we told the full truth of this community or just the comfortable version?
Most teams think the barrier is a lack of data. But the real barrier is a lack of clarity – the courage to name what’s actually happening.
Must tell the truth
If we want to matter, we must do more than gather data – we must tell the truth before someone else distorts it. And if we rebuild trust, our industry becomes more honest, more human and more necessary.
See you in Chicago!