The Belief Gap™
How Connection, Credibility, and Conviction close the gap and multiply the impact of live.
What is The Belief Gap™?
The Belief Gap is the measurable distance between brand awareness and brand belief — between a customer who knows a brand exists and one who genuinely believes in it enough to choose it, defend it, and return to it.
The brands that win long term aren’t the most recognized — they’re the most believed in.
The Freeman Company (TFC) had a hypothesis that there was a measurable distance between a customer knowing your brand and genuinely believing in it. We commissioned initial research with The Harris Poll, published June 2026, to validate whether marketers saw the same thing, and they did.
72%
of marketers confirmed a real gap exists between brand awareness and brand belief.1
We call this The Belief Gap™.
For this second edition, we expanded our research to include B2B buyers and consumers to validate what they see and identify what closes the gap.
AI decides who gets seen. It doesn’t decide who gets believed.
94%
of B2B buyers used AI during their most recent purchase process.4
97%
of marketers say event-generated content is important to a brand’s visibility in AI-generated answers.1
In the Age of AI, People Still Trust People Over Pixels
AI-generated content is under suspicion. In-person contact isn’t.
87%
of B2B buyers say AI-generated content makes it harder to trust a brand’s claims.2
93%
of B2B buyers say they trust a brand more after a firsthand, in-person experience.2
The Takeaway
Belief doesn’t come from content. It comes from contact.
— Mickey Wilson, TFC Chief Marketing Officer
Connection, Credibility, and Conviction close The Belief GapTM, and live experience is where all three happen.
Connection
In-person engagement.
Credibility
Experiences people trust.
Conviction
Trust that leads to action.
Want to learn more?
Download The Belief Gap™ report for full findings.
Brands that understand what closes the gap are already moving.
How would your business change if more buyers believed in your brand?
More insights
Follow The Freeman Company (TFC) on Instagram and LinkedIn to catch the next wave of learning on The Belief Gap™, along with more research and insights.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is The Belief Gap™?
The distance between knowing a brand exists and genuinely believing it is worth your loyalty. Awareness is the start. Belief is the destination.
2. Why does belief matter more than awareness?
Awareness doesn’t protect your brand. A customer with high awareness and low belief is one competitive offer away from leaving. The brands that win long term aren’t the most recognized — they’re the most believed in.
3. Is this TFC’s own research, or is it independent?
The research was conducted by The Harris Poll, not TFC. We commissioned it, but the methodology, panel, fielding, and analysis belong to an independent firm with 60+ years of credibility.
4. What did the research find?
Across marketers, B2B buyers, and consumers, the same pattern held. 72% of marketers confirm a gap between brand awareness and belief.1 93% of B2B buyers place more trust in vendors they’ve met in person.2 77% of consumers say a live event shifted their brand trust.3 And 97% of marketers say events matter for visibility in AI-generated answers.1
5. How is this different from existing event industry research?
The Belief Gap™ study was commissioned by TFC and is the first independently validated study to confirm marketers believe a gap exists, and validate with B2B buyers and consumers what closes the gap. The research is the first to show that Connection, Credibility and Conviction are three factors that are built at live events and help close the gap and multiply the value of live experiences.
6. What does the research say about AI and brand discovery?
Events generate the credible, human-authored content LLMs favor at scale. 97% of marketers believe events and event-generated content are important for brand visibility and inclusion in AI-generated answers.1
7. Is The Belief Gap™ research an ongoing initiative?
Yes. This Full Report expands the original research to B2B buyers and consumers. The Belief Gap Report will continue publishing new findings annually.
8. How can brands close the gap between awareness and belief?
Brands close The Belief Gap™ by building Connection, Credibility, and Conviction, the pillars of The Freeman Company’s (TFC’s) proprietary belief framework. All are built through live experiences, and together they turn brand awareness into brand belief and trust.
The Belief Gap research, 2026, validated TFC’s hypothesis that a real gap exists between brand awareness and brand belief [72% of marketers confirmed1]. Download the full report now to learn more.
9. How do brands measure whether they are closing the gap between awareness and belief?
Sparks, a TFC company, has the tools to apply these insights to a brand’s live experience impact and opportunity, helping clients see where they build belief, and where they need to invest.
1 TFC AND HARRIS POLL n=506 U.S. MARKETING DECISION-MAKERS IN EVENTS, LOGISTICS, OR MARKETING ROLES, FIELDED MARCH 9–23, 2026
2 TFC AND HARRIS POLL n=412 B2B BUYERS, FIELDED JUNE 2026
3 TFC AND HARRIS POLL n=2,004 CONSUMERS, FIELDED JULY 2026.
4 FORRESTER BUYERS’ JOURNEY SURVEY, n=18,000, 2025
.