Ogilvy study warns brands of 'silent disengagement'

Ogilvy has released its inaugural 2026 APAC Believability Index, warning that brands risk losing customers without realizing it as most consumers quietly disengage after losing trust.

The study, conducted with YouGov, surveyed 7,176 respondents across Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, and Mainland China.

According to the report, 93 percent of consumers silently disengage from a brand or organization after losing confidence in it, while 48 percent stop purchasing its products or services altogether.

Richard Brett, president of Ogilvy PR APAC, said trust has become a commercial issue as artificial intelligence-generated content reshapes the communications landscape.

"As AI-generated content reshapes communications, the true cost of lost belief is measured in lost revenue rather than negative headlines," Brett said.

The study found that 42 percent of consumers stopped engaging with an organization because its products or services failed to deliver on their promises, compared with 29 percent who cited poor business ethics.

Researchers also found that consumers across Asia-Pacific assess credibility differently. While markets such as Singapore and Malaysia rely more on institutional authority, consumers in Australia and the Philippines place greater importance on peer recommendations and lived experiences.

The report further showed that consumers are willing to restore trust if organizations take meaningful action, with 57 percent saying fixing a problem is more important than issuing a public apology.

Alongside the report, Ogilvy introduced its Believability Agent, an AI-powered diagnostic tool designed to help organizations identify gaps between brand promises and customer experiences, allowing businesses to predict potential customer disengagement before it affects revenue.