Why Boomers trust Band-Aid & Gen Z trusts YouTube

The generational divide in brand loyalty Is real.

If you ever needed proof that we are living in entirely different worlds stacked on top of each other, Morning Consult’s Most Trusted Brands 2025 report (via AdWeek) just delivered it, with receipts.

Boomers and Gen X place their trust in sturdy, tactile brands like Dawn, Band-Aid, and UPS. But younger generations are out here pledging allegiance to platforms like YouTube, Google, and PayPal.

To put in bluntly, Boomers trust things that fix problems. Gen Z trusts the places they are. And that quiet little split speaks volumes about how different generations perceive value, reliability, and what trust even means in a brand-consumer relationship.

The set-it-and-forget-it brands still reign, but only for some.

Across all U.S. adults, the top three most trusted brands in 2025 are:

• Dawn detergent

• Band-Aid bandages

• United Parcel Service (UPS)

Functional. Familiar. Consistently there when you need them. These brands represent a kind of domestic reliability. A get-it-done pragmatism that’s deeply aligned with how Gen X and Boomers were raised to evaluate trust: Does it do what it says on the box? Can I count on it, year after year?

There’s nothing wrong with that. But now let’s look at what younger generations said.

For millennials and Gen Z, trust is digital and deeply integrated.

When asked which brands they trust most, Millennials gave the following answers:

• Google

• PayPal

• YouTube

Gen Z's top brand? YouTube (with Google close behind at #5).

Yeah yeah yeah. I know what you’re going to say: “young people like the internet.” But that’s not what’s at play here. This is about digital utility as emotional infrastructure. These brands aren’t just services. They’re daily lifelines, used for everything from education and entertainment to connection and payment.

For younger audiences, trust isn’t built on decades of heritage. It’s built on:

• Accessibility

• Seamlessness

• Personalisation

• Presence in their lives, all day, every day baby.

Why does this matter for marketers?

Because trust is being redefined. Younger consumers aren’t cynical about brands. They’re actually highly trusting, but only of brands that feel native to their digital existence. That trust is fluid, but it’s also earned. It comes from consistency, relevance, and real-time value, not legacy, logos, or clever slogans.

So what does that mean for you, darling?

• Heritage brands can no longer lean on reputation alone. They must show up in modern, interactive ways: social content, creator partnerships, smart utility, responsive UX.

• Digital-native brands must protect that trust fiercely. The second they feel exploitative, laggy, or out of sync with culture? That trust evaporates.

• Marketers everywhere need to understand that trust looks different at 25 than it does at 55. And your comms strategy has to flex accordingly.

Think of it as an opportunity to build cross generational trust.

If you’re a brand trying to appeal across generations, this data is both a warning and an opportunity. You’ll need to think in layers:

• For older audiences, reinforce reliability, consistency, and practical usefulness.

• For younger ones, show up seamlessly in their digital lives and reflect their values: transparency, speed, identity, and access.

The brands that win will be those that don’t just act trustworthy but feel native to the rhythms of modern life.

Think of trust like a mirror.

And it’s not universal, but generational. It’s shaped by what we grew up with, what we depend on, and where we live both physically and digitally. For some, that’s a bottle of Dawn. For others, it’s a search bar and a video feed.

Both are valid. But if you're marketing the former to the latter- or vice versa - you best know what kind of trust you're asking for.

-Sophie Randell, Writer