An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society

Yesterday at Davos, Richard Edelman, CEO of his self-named public relations giant, presented Edelman’s latestTrust Barometer”, following its official release Sunday. But is the “Trust Barometer” trustworthy? 
In a new brief, “An Untrustworthy Barometer,” the Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition exposes reasons to distrust Edelman’s Trust Barometer, from their resistance to transparency despite touting it, to the dodgy methodologies in what they will disclose publicly. 
Lee Edwards of the London School of Economics said of the report: “Like any exercise in corporate public relations, the Barometer’s results have to be read against Edelman’s actual actions. Its longstanding links to extractive industries mean that the overarching message of the Barometer – that business should engage with society and even lead social change – rings hollow, given that climate change is one of society’s most urgent crises.” Edwards also published an op-ed on the Barometer yesterday in The Drum warning that “advertising and public relations practitioners and their clients who buy blindly into the Barometer’s trust narrative may achieve exactly the opposite of their reputational goals.” 
Key Points: 
  • Edelman refused to share data behind its Trust Barometer, despite claims it is transparent, making it impossible to replicate their findings. 
  • Credible peer-reviewed sources often point to other institutions than businesses as being high-trust, such as scientists, so Edelman’s narrow polling stands relatively alone in touting businesses as being trusted by the public.
  • Edelman is one of the biggest enablers of the fossil fuel industry, working for more climate change causing companies than any PR firm in the last 30 years- yet they claim to believe “climate change is the biggest crisis we face as a society.”
“Edelman’s work with fossil fuel polluters makes them one of the least trustworthy sources of data imaginable,” according to Duncan Meisel, Executive Director of Clean Creatives.  “Their clients in the fossil fuel industry have produced decades of misinformation about their products and climate change, and Edelman continues to work with the biggest polluters and biggest greenwashers on the planet. The lack of transparency and self-admitted discrepancies in the Trust Barometer are a perfect representation of Edelman’s legacy of misleading the public on issues of grave importance.”
One such example of Edelman’s greenwashing comes from the founder of Fossil Free Advertising Femke Sleegers, who recounts that “The first time I heard of Edelman, was when Shell won a lobby award (!) for an annual festival aimed at kids aged 6-13 in the governmental capital of the Netherlands, The Hague. The festival, named “Generation Discover” was all about clean energy, the sustainable development goals and promotion for natural gas and other “solutions” that benefit Shell more than the climate. The festival concept was designed by Edelman, promoting Shell as a *trusted* thought leader and partner to the government in the energy transition. According to Edelman’s website “trust” is a key component to prevent government regulation.” 
With decades of experience, “Edelman are master manipulators so it’s no surprise the Trust Barometer lacks transparency and continues to be nothing more than self-serving performance art rather than advancing any public good,” added Kert Davies of the Center for Climate Integrity. 
From an academic perspective, Robert Brulle, Visiting Professor at Brown University, said that “It is very difficult for me to trust in the accuracy of the Edelman “Trust” barometer. The lack of transparency and external review of the research methodology cast doubt on its scientific validity. Subjecting their work to peer review could lend to its credibility. Additionally, Edelman has a long history of working with fossil fuel interests to shape their public image. In fact, Edelman is one of the leading PR firms for major oil companies. Given the decades of greenwashing and disinformation that the fossil fuel companies have engaged in, Edelman needs to demonstrate that the “Trust” barometer is not just one more public relations ploy to burnish the reputations of major oil companies.”
The brief, An Untrustworthy Barometer: Edelman Polling Promotes Clients’ Standing in Society, makes a compelling case for skepticism regarding Edelman, as confirmed by these additional quotes. 
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