With top executives from WorldCom, Enron, Tyco and others in the hot seat due to outrageous scandals and general chicanery, concerned marketers face the difficult challenge of minimizing damage and restoring trust in business.

Marketing-communications experts say it's critical to restore confidence in companies after recent high-profile scandals, but they point out that "trust" is an extremely difficult message to communicate. As some public relations analysts have noted, the least effective way for a company to be seen as trustworthy is to merely say so. Rebuilding trust is a serious problem that requires comprehensive solutions.

The consensus among analysts seems to be that corporations must go beyond words and first act in a trustworthy manner. Top marking-communications firms like BBDO Worldwide and Ketchum are working with clients to help communicate to the public that trustworthy business policies are being enacted-ones designed to protect against scandal and ensure ethical business practice.