Reputation

All that glitters is not gold. The Beijing Olympics may damage reputations of companies associated with the games.

Our annual predictions feature touched on a number of themes, including companies wanting to avoid social issues. Social media, trust and AI are table stakes. Yet healthcare communication, particularly healthcare equity and ESG, are prominent. And accessibility is mentioned. New this year, a faux ‘Headlines We’d Like to See in 2022.’

Whether one chooses the descriptor new normal or next normal to discuss today’s reality, one suggestion is that we opt instead for the word uncertainty in the year ahead.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we offer an essay that expresses one PR pro’s gratitude for the industry. It’s our way of wishing you a wonderful holiday.

Companies are collections of people. So, one way to judge them is how they measure up during challenges, or a crisis. A Salesforce survey of 12,000 global consumers and 3,600 B2B buyers provides evidence.Polling people during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey found 90 percent say how a company acts during a crisis demonstrates its trustworthiness.

There used to be a belief that businesses could, and indeed should, stay away from the campaign trail. Sure, they donate to candidates and often have lots of lobbyists. But, it was not seen as their role to try and support or strengthen the democratic process itself. That all changed in 2020.

The majority of public opinions regarding standard time are not pleasant. Winter can be long, and it’s tough to end working for the day when it’s already dark out without Daylight Savings Time.

Given that a company of Facebook’s clout and perceived indifference to public scrutiny seems worried about product-related backlash, it follows that communicators at all organizations should consider reviewing products and services prior to launch. As such, we asked PR pros to assess the state of reputation reviews.

Like many social media platforms, Facebook is no stranger to reputation crises. How Facebook and other companies have managed them offers lessons in how to (and not to) address stakeholder concerns and shore up reputation when the proverbial excrement has collided with the rotating blades.

While fans, management and owners of the second-highest-rated syndicated game show knew Trebek’s time was short, his off-the-charts ability to live and work for months with pancreatic cancer might have provided a false sense of security. That’s one way to explain a series of fumbles and flip-flops, including one last week, to name Trebek’s permanent successor.