Closing the ‘Credibility Gap’

‘Credibility Gap’ - The distance between how you think you are perceived and how your target audience perceives you.

Whether through politicians losing favour with previously loyal followers, celebrities missing the mark when engaging with fans, or corporate scandals that leave consumers wary, we see the ‘Credibility Gap’ in action on a daily basis.

When a gap becomes clear, we are usually safely observing it from a distance, wondering how the involved parties reached this point and what they will do next. It’s ok because you are not involved.

But what if you worked for one of those organisations? Being aware of how particular  audiences view your organisation is a vital part of managing the perception of your brands.

So, what is the ‘Credibility Gap’? Well, it is simply the distance between how you want to be perceived by an audience and how they perceive you. Let’s expand on that, there are 3 options for a gap…

• Your self-perception matches that held by your target audience.
• Your self-perception is lower than that of your target audience.
• Your self-perception is higher than your target audience.

So, now you’ve started to think about the gap and which of the three positions applies to you, how do you go about confirming your suspicions and putting a plan in place to manage it? You could click on the link below and download our eBook - ‘Mind the Gap’.

Give me my copy of 'Mind the Gap'