Dallas, TX, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Key findings:
- 67% of consumers say AI-generated content makes it harder to trust a brand's claims.
- Consumers who recently attended a brand event are 5 times more likely to trust that brand than those who have not.
- 77% of event attendees say the event positively shifted their belief in the brand.
- Trust is now equal to value and quality as a driver of purchase decisions.
- 94% of B2B buyers who attended a live experience came away with more conviction in the brand. Only 1% came away with less.
- TFC’s proprietary framework, Connection, Credibility, and Conviction, identifies how brands close the gap content cannot close alone.
Consumers who have attended a brand event trust that brand at 5 times the rate of those who haven't, 56% versus just 11%, according to new research designed by The Freeman Company (TFC) and fielded independently by The Harris Poll. Additionally, 77% of consumers who attended a brand event say the experience positively shifted their belief in that brand.
As machine-made content floods every feed and search result, 67% say AI-generated content makes it harder to trust a brand's claims, and 66% of consumers say they worry that the brand content they encounter online may not be real, unless they've experienced that brand for themselves. Consumers are seeking the feeling of a shared experience, something they can talk about afterward, rather than something just consumed online.
TFC's Belief Gap™ research set out to answer a simple question: if AI decides what people see, what decides what people actually believe? The answer, based on new data spanning B2B buyers, consumers, and marketers, is consistent across every audience: belief is not manufactured in a feed. It's earned in a room.
"People can feel the difference between something real and something generated," said Janet Dell, Chief Executive Officer of The Freeman Company (TFC). "AI can get a brand seen, but it can’t make anyone believe in it. Belief only happens through a ‘you had to be there’ moment, where a connection becomes credibility, and credibility becomes conviction. That’s the Live Multiplier™; the compounding value brands earn when they create experiences that no algorithm can fake."
Consumers are already living this shift. Brands that earn a place in consumers' short list are the ones people have actually experienced and chosen to believe. The pattern holds for business buyers too: 93% place more trust in companies they've met in person than in any analyst report or AI-generated summary, and brands that create live moments are seeing that trust translate directly into renewals and revenue.
“A digital impression is gone in a second. A good live experience is something people carry with them and retell over dinner,” added Mickey Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer of The Freeman Company (TFC). “Once that experience turns into belief, they recommend you to peers, say yes to more and stay longer. That’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
As AI becomes the front door to nearly every buying decision and the first stop for a growing share of everyday consumer research, all brands will be findable, but few will be believed. Being found is the price of entry, and being believed is the win. With AI making it easy to generate almost anything, belief still happens in the way it always has: in person, one experience at a time.
For more insights or to download the full Belief Gap™ Report
Media Contact:
The Freeman Company
media@thefreemancompany.com
About the Research
The Belief Gap™ Report is based on two phases of research conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Freeman Company: Initial report surveyed 506 U.S. Marketing decision-makers (March 2026); Phase 2 surveyed 412 B2B decision-makers (June 2026) and 2,004 U.S. consumers (July 2026). Additional market context is drawn from the Forrester Buyers' Journey Survey (January 2025), G2 Buyer Behavior Report (March 2026), Gartner (May 2026), and the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report. Data is unweighted, with Top-3 Box used where available. MOE for B2B: +/- 4.7% at the 95% confidence interval; MOE for Consumers: +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence interval; MOE for Marketing: +/- 4.4% at the 95% confidence interval
About The Freeman Company (TFC):
The Freeman Company (TFC) is an integrated live experience platform that delivers complex events, at scale. From global trade shows to flagship events and fan activations, we work with leading companies to create these high-stakes moments. It's made possible by our specialized brands, each built for a different kind of client need. They stand alone. They perform better together — delivering experiences that make people say, “You just had to be there.” TFC’s brands include 3D Exhibits, Alford Media, BaAM, Color Gamut, Freeman AV Production, Freeman Events & Exhibit Services, mdg, Sparks, and Studio Blue. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Learn more at thefreemancompany.com. Intro to TFC & Power of Being Ther
Attachment
- The Freeman Company (TFC) Belief Gap Report: How Live Experiences Build Brand Trust in the Age of AI
The Freeman Company media@thefreemancompany.com
