Consumer attitudes changed significantly during the pandemic, according to this Merkle survey.  While quality and price are still the most important factors in purchase decisions, their weight fell while customer service, personalization, and brand became more important.  Even more intriguing: consumers became more willing to share personal data in exchange for greater convenience and personalized experiences.

This Morning Consult report takes a more nuanced view of consumer motivations, finding that 40% had abandoned a brand due to quality, service, or pricing issues while 25% have dropped a brand due to privacy or social concerns.  Fewer than half (47%) assume companies are trustworthy until they do something wrong while 37% require a customer to earn their trust from the start.  Read on for fascinating differences by industry, country, and profession.

It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying.  IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).  Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.