The critical role of reputation towards a brand’s identity
The importance of public perception has become a growing focus in the field of public relations, with more organisations recognising its significant impact on their bottom line. Recent events highlight how easily a company’s image can be damaged. BlackBerry, once a business essential, became outdated after its mobile email service experienced a four-day global outage. Similarly, despite Malaysian Airlines not being at fault for two tragic accidents, its standing took a major hit. These examples show that managing public perception can’t be overlooked.
Over time, this concept has been described in various ways and evaluated through different approaches, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly how an organisation is perceived, as many factors come into play.
While some argue that assessing a company’s standing is challenging due to its subjective nature, others have developed reliable methods for doing so.
One promising model is found in a book titled: ‘Rethinking Reputation.’ In it, the authors describe a comprehensive model that considers reputation to be a function of performance, behaviour, communication and identity. By assessing each of these elements, they state that one can determine where a company stands and what shapes its reputation. Let’s look briefly at what this reference guide says about these four elements:
Identity
A company’s identity is closely tied to what it offers. Effectively communicating this identity through public relations is key to enhancing its image. Organisations should leverage their unique strengths to create a distinct identity that sets them apart from competitors, thereby improving their position in the market. Without this, their products or services may blend in with those of other major players, making differentiation difficult.
Performance
Companies can also have their reputation evaluated according to their financial performance. Various elements should be included in calculating a company’s financial health, with long-term goals and growth plans taken into account.
Behaviour
Behaviour can be considered to be a company’s internal and external standing. How key stakeholders view the company is the most crucial part of this aspect. Companies should determine how the media, stakeholders and the wider public construe the organisation as a whole to understand how it should moderate and focus its behaviour.
Communication
Organisations have been using communication strategies for many years to boost their image in a number of ways, such as by launching awareness campaigns across numerous platforms. Communication is crucial to improving a company’s image and particularly helpful in steering away from misconceptions and rumours.
So how valuable is a company’s image? It is invaluable. A good reputation is essential to growth and prosperity. Communication in this instance should be continuous and engaging. With new elements available in PR, organisations today have more opportunities to tell their client’s stories and build their reputations.