Ogilvy unveils inaugural 2026 APAC Believability Index "The Power of Proof" study reveals hidden cost of lost belief

Conducted in partnership with YouGov, the research surveyed 7,176 respondents across the markets of Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, and Mainland China.

• The biggest reputation threat is silent disengagement
  Consumers are far more likely to walk away quietly than publicly criticize an organization. The research found that 93% of consumers who lose belief in an organization disengage silently, while 55% who disengage publicly, including just 10% who would post about a negative experience on social media.
• Competence before purpose
  Across the region, 42% of consumers stopped engaging with an organization over the past year because a product or service failed to deliver on its core promise, compared to 29% who disengaged due to poor business ethics. The findings reinforce that operational competence remains the foundation of credibility.
• Believability is built differently across APAC markets
  Consumers evaluate credibility differently across the region. Markets like Singapore and Malaysia place greater confidence in institutional authority and official sources, while markets like Australia and the Philippines rely heavily on peer-to-peer "lived experience". The findings highlight the danger of a one-size-fits-all regional communications strategy.
• Actions restore belief more effectively than apologies
  While 85% of consumers say lost belief can be regained, they increasingly expect meaningful operational correction before a corporate apology. More than half (57%) said actively fixing a problem is the most important step toward rebuilding belief.

To help leaders navigate this shift and operationalize these findings, Ogilvy PR has launched the Believability Diagnostic Tool, powered by enterprise-grade AI agent built and housed in WPP Open. Utilizing multi-agent architecture that pairs Ogilvy's proprietary seven-year Believability dataset with a behavioral science cognitive engine, the tool analyses a brand's "Say-Do Gap" - the distance between its marketing promises and actual operational reality. By triangulating corporate messaging against verified customer and employee sentiment, the tool calculates a brand's "Believability Elasticity," allowing leaders to predict and prevent silent customer churn before it impacts the bottom line.

The full Ogilvy APAC 2026 Believability Index: The Power of Proof is available for download here.
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About Ogilvy PR

Ogilvy PR and Influence is a global creative communications agency that partners with organisations to drive value and growth. We build brands, protect reputations, and earn attention and influence through creative storytelling informed by data, and fuelled by technology. Our specialist practice areas offer media relations, social and digital communications, external and internal stakeholder communications, issues and crisis management, and stakeholder engagement. We are the region's largest and most specialised public relations and public affairs consultancy.

About YouGov

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 7,176 adults in Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, and Mainland China. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd April – 4th May 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all respective market adults (aged 18+).