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@article{204689,
        author = {Nalinakshi.N and nil and nil and nil},
        title = {BUILDING A DIGITAL – FIRST BRAND STRATEGY: CONSUMER TRUST IN DIGITAL BRANDING},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {1},
        pages = {3939-3951},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=204689},
        abstract = {Today, almost every relationship can be described as an ‘interpersonal one’ more than anything else. This paper will investigate trust as relational ‘glue’ as simultaneously produced and reproduced between the brand and the consumer, and how the apparent communication transparency, engagement, and scope of social network brand activity correlate with trust, and finally with loyalty decision making. Using a combination of quantitative consumer surveys and qualitative consumer interviewing, the case presents an analysis of the way users talk about and depict authenticity as a characteristic of brands algorithmically advertised and story-branded on social media. The consumer stories reflect significant appreciation of transparency and ethical responsibility, but also reflect growing concern about manipulative advertising and algorithmic bias. The authors identify the consequences of trust and love: being responsive and actively incorporated trust feed a user's mental model of the brand. Control over data and accountability in digitally sustained relationships appeared as the strongest predictors of empirically captured trust. Communication focused on hunch and clear human values also dominated caring in understanding the consumer better. This research demonstrates, in a time where assets are everything, the ability to gain trust in a brand as a marketing feature also requires to be sustained relationally. Trust in a marketing sense, and the trust initiated and cultivated structurally around a brand, are of fundamental importance in making the brand stand out in a responsive ecosystem.},
        keywords = {Authenticity, Brand Loyalty, Consumer Trust, Digital Branding, Online Engagement, Transparency.},
        month = {June},
        }