A great octogenarian businessman, owner of a company with more than R$ 40 billion in revenues, already considered one of the 100 most influential Brazilians and a leader with the best reputation in Brazil, was who best summed up for me the meaning of having a good corporate reputation: “It is when all your stakeholders are fully satisfied with your company. As long as there is a single disgruntled audience, then you are being incompetent in building a good reputation. Want to do some good reputation research? Go to them and ask: how happy are you with me?”
What is implicit in the businessman's words is that his company's reputation does not belong to him. You simply have no control, as it necessarily depends on the perception – favorable or not – of your audiences. What is within your power is to keep promises, meet goals and expectations - which, let's face it, is already quite challenging. And even if you manage to do this part well, if you don't have clear, consistent and engaging communication, then you won't have a reputation that differentiates you from your competition and drives your business and results.
A recent Accenture study, the 2021 Life Reimagined survey, heard 25,000 people in 22 countries and found that public behavior has changed radically in recent years and even more strongly during the pandemic. People acquired new motivations when choosing a brand, far beyond the traditional price and quality guidelines. And one of the new ones is precisely reputation:
12% categorically indicated this.
Around the world, 50% of the consumer public stated that relating to companies and brands aligned with their values has become a priority. In Brazil, this percentage is even higher: 71%. It means to say that, for most people, it is decisive to know the purpose of your company, the way you do things and the positive impacts you generate for society.
With all this in mind, how would you rate your reputation strategy? Are you clear about your company's reputation with your priority audiences? Are you in control of your own narrative and does it serve to inspire and engage people? Are you prepared for emerging issues and the current demands of your audiences? Do the leaders in your organization have speech alignment and are they trained? Do you know your main reputational risks and do you have a contingency plan for them? Calm. If most of the answers were “no”, you are not alone, but you need to hurry.
First, know what your vulnerabilities are. Along with the critical areas of your business, map your main risks and reputational threats. Establish the damage potential of each risk, have a mitigation plan for all of them, and have contingency plans ready for times of crisis.
Tell the company's story, talk about its purpose, let audiences know how exciting it was to get here and share your vision of the future. Update this narrative so that it is simple, human, with a language that connects with your stakeholders and disseminates it through the appropriate channels. So, align your leaders, train your spokespersons and develop multipliers of your key messages.
Map opportunities and build a positive agenda. Analyze that there is no overlap – as they generate waste of efforts, time and money – and do not allow long periods without good news and positioning opportunities. The positive agenda will also serve to form your reputation mattress.
If you are in doubt about the moment to start this journey, reflect on what companies with vigorous growth are showing us, many of them newcomers in their markets or responsible for the creation of innovative businesses supported by technology. Together with the new consumer decision makers, the intensification of our virtual life – on social networks, in the relationship channels with our customers or in the day-to-day activities of our internal teams – demands even more trust, which is one of the premises for a positive public perception. More than ever, reputation is a strategic ally of your business, whatever it may be.
Anik Suzuki is CEO of ANK Reputation
anik@ankreputation.com.br
*Article published in Época Negócios on January 12, 2022
