Reputation: 5 tips for 2017

By Jirimiko Oranen, CEO, T-Media Relations

We’re living in crazy times. What does this means to corporate brand reputation in 2017? These are our five tips on things to watch for:

First, expect unexpectedness. With Brexit, Trump, the upcoming French presidential election, repeated acts of terrorism, rampant inequality and whatnot, our civilisation is in an emotional state. This paired with the hurricane of technological revolution that allows the formation of alternate realities within social groups, it is only realistic to prepare for a bumpy ride. In the current societal setting, enterprises can become targets, with any kind of perceived justification.

Second, secure your emotional license to operate. Enterprises that genuinely contribute to the community around them are on a firm footing. Porter and Kramer’s (2011) idea of creating shared value is more topical than ever. As a rule of thumb, you might want to ask, not what society can do for your company, but what your company can do for society.

Third, make sure you have your story together. Build a platform. Emotional times favour powerful, authentic, easy-to-understand narratives. After all, your business depends entirely on human behaviour. Employees are people. Investors are individuals. Customers live and breathe. And your entire operational environment consists of humans. Listen to them. Tell them stories they can relate to. In a way they understand.

Fourth, omni-channel interaction is the new black. Know your touchpoints with the audience. Identify the channels that make or break your reputation, and own them. These are great times for up-to-speed marketers (it is marketing we’re talking about – as in integrated communications, marketing and stakeholder relations). The proliferation of online methodologies allows pinpointing very specific audiences and targeting your messaging to them.

Fifth, make sure you get to see the money. Demand that your reputation value chain quantifies what it does. What smells like fluff, is fluff. We do not condone.

Want to know more? Please, drop me a line at jiri@t-media.fi, or call +358 40 756 6655.