Reputation is a slippery thing, something that it can feel unnecessary to manage when things are going well – but crucial to never lose sight of.
Publicity and discussion after a company’s misstep can last far longer than anyone expects, and the mantra of “all publicity is good publicity” seems to fall short of what happens in reality. As well as being embarrassing, a reputation-damaging mistake can hurt financial fortunes significantly too.
Simultaneously, companies that manage their reputation well sometimes bounce back quickly and more strong than before – using honesty and positivity to recover from even big setbacks.
Even when they seem set in stone, reputations can be damaged irreparably in an instant. It seems simple, but it sometimes isn’t – those who do best rely upon being straight-up, while those who fall down have been cynical or lacked transparency.
Next week, Prolific North is hosting ‘The Power of Reputation’ roundtable in association with Smoking Gun PR to discuss just that. To emphasise how important reputation is, let’s look at five instances of serious reputational errors, and five times brands got it right.
