Weber Shandwick Launches ReputationRx Web Site

November 6, 2006 | 9:00 am

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Global public relations firm Weber Shandwick today launched a new Web site -- reputationRx (www.webershandwick.com/reputationrx). This comprehensive site is an up-to-date reputation management resource that provides the latest news, research findings, insights and commentary on how to build and safeguard CEO and corporate reputation.

"ReputationRx fills a critical information gap on reputation best practices," said Weber Shandwick President Andy Polansky. "It was created for companies searching for the resources and tools needed to respond to a growing business imperative -- more effectively building, maintaining and repairing reputation."

The new Web site covers a wide variety of topics such as reputation care, reputation recovery, CEO turnover, CEO reputation, corporate responsibility and strategies for communicating reputation. It also features a ReputationXchange blog (http://www.reputationxchange.blogspot.com/), links to additional resources, and the most recent reputation-related facts and figures including:

    * The word "reputation" has risen 108% in global top-tier media from 2001
      to 2005.

    * Only 43% of companies have a formal system for measuring reputation
      (Kitchen and Laurence, Corporate Reputation: An Eight Country Analysis,
      2003).

    * A substantial 72 percent of global business executives report that CEO
      reputation significantly contributes to company reputation (Weber
      Shandwick/KRC Research, Safeguarding Reputation(TM) 2006).

    * Global business executives report that reputation risk is the most
      significant threat facing business today - twice the risk posed by
      terrorism, foreign exchange, natural hazard and political actions (EIU,
      2005).

"A company's success and sustainability often correlate directly with the strength of its reputation," said Weber Shandwick Chief Reputation Strategist Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross and architect of reputationRx. "The launch of reputationRx could not have arrived at a better time for business leaders since our new Safeguarding Reputation(TM) research found that 63 percent of a company's market value is attributable to corporate reputation."

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is one of the world's leading global public relations firms with offices in major media, business and government capitals around the world. The firm specializes in strategic marketing communications, media relations programs, public affairs and issues management, reputation management, and provides corporate communications counseling. Weber Shandwick also provides specialized integrated services including Web relations, advocacy advertising, market research and visual communications. Find out more at www.webershandwick.com. Weber Shandwick is a unit of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), which is among the world's largest advertising and marketing services organizations.

    Contact
    Laura Bachrach
    Weber Shandwick
    212-445-8467
    lbachrach@webershandwick.com