Burson, a global communications agency aimed at creating value for clients through reputation, today announced the launch of Reputation Capital, the first AI-powered technology and consulting solution designed to link reputation drivers to specific business outcomes such as stock prices, sales and purchase intent. This new offer fundamentally advances how reputation is measured, evaluated and managed, providing key companies with this dynamic, multifaceted live view of assets. Burson's approach encourages immediate decision-making and allows businesses to act with speed and accuracy against changes in reputation that are directly related to commercial success. Reputation capital is available from WPP Open, an AI-enabled marketing platform.
“Our central belief at Burson is that reputation is the most valuable asset owned by any organization,” said Corey Dubrowa, Burson's global CEO. “It's complex, constantly evolving, and is influenced by a variety of factors beyond singular factors such as trust. Traditional tools for measuring and shaping reputations cannot meet the speed and volume challenges that clients are navigating today. Speed and agility allow their actions and communication to positively impact the perception and business performance of the company, ultimately creating a lasting competitive advantage in the market.”
Advanced AI modeling identifies reputational drivers and performance impacts
Reputation capital methodology defines eight levers of reputation management, ranging from citizenship and social responsibility to management and leadership, to creativity and innovation, particularly to advanced data and AI models, predicting the potential impact of media environments, news, stories, events, or behaviors on each lever. The model captures signals ranging from client-owned information to digital and social media, ingesting and analyzing 24/7 from its own sources and technology platforms. This analysis shows the latest reputation scores indicating that brands are generally perceived, and isolates that require action to directly impact the business and improve their reputation. Burson's expert counselors develop strategic and creative messages and ideas, then tested and completed for the potential for impact.
Reputation Capital analyzes brand-specific signals across segments, including geography, sector, reputation levers, and audiences, and uses close real-time AI analyses to identify hidden or emerging reputation risks and opportunities, and predicts scale and potential impact. Reputation Capital's breadth data and its modeling capabilities can provide reputation scores and insights to thousands of global companies, both public and private.
“Traditional reputation management tools provide a backward view of corporate perception,” said Chadratz, Burson's global chief innovation director. “Reputation capital changes the game by dynamically understanding the brand's reputation in the market and predicting the impact of actions on key business metrics. This latest innovation is unique in the market and is especially valuable during periods of turbulence or new opportunities when counsels of high intelligence, urgent action, and sophisticated communication are important to protect their reputation.”
Direct link between reputation and shareholder value
Reputation Capital Platform models the shareholder value of a company's reputation by focusing on business outcomes such as stock returns, providing a clear picture of the impact of certain factors on shareholder value, which differs from market expectations – such as reputation.
Modeling technology sector companies has proven that reputation contributes significantly to shareholder value. In this sector, company reputation shifts averaged, donating 0.97% in additional weekly returns. This ranges from US$2.5 billion to US$38 billion, depending on the company being analyzed, in the range of shareholder value. Simply put, a 1% increase in reputational capital scores equals $2.4 billion in the additional shareholder value of technology companies profiled on the platform.
“This profiling exercise highlights the important role of reputation in promoting economic outcomes,” Corey noted. “For businesses, it emphasizes the concrete economic value of building, maintaining and strengthening reputation. For investors, it emphasizes the importance of considering reputation when evaluating potential investments. For boards, it has always been the subject of the meeting room and a more specific asset of all companies and brands.”
“For clients in the UK, navigating today's complex landscape means that it's not just reputation, but public awareness. It's a measurable and strategic asset,” added Simon Redfern, CEO of Burson UK. “There's just a reputational capital and it doesn't just provide insights. It offers innovative AI lenses that show exactly how reputation affects trust in the UK market, from consumer trust to investors.
Added by GrantTop, Global Chief Digital and Intelligence Officer, Burson: “Imagine knowing that corporate integrity and governance, or perceptions of creativity, has a major impact on shareholder value creation compared to other levers of reputation. Reputation capital arms clients with the predictive intelligence needed to provide that specificity. It can be optimized for maximum ROI.”
The reputation capital includes features that were validated by the Extended Intelligence Lab, an Oxford University company, and created in collaboration with Limbik, part of Decipher, Burson's proprietary cognitive AI solution.
“We're a great opportunity to help you get started,” said Dr. Felipe Tohmas, an associate professor of marketing at Oxford University and co-founder and managing director of the Extended Intelligence Lab, who counseled Burson on the development of the solution. “The empirical evidence revealing the attributes that reputation capital constitutes reputation is invaluable information that can guide Burson's counselors and C-suites.”
Reputable Capital is the latest addition to Burson Innovation Portfolio, a suite of AI-enabled tools that will help Burson's communications experts provide faster and better insights. Precision audience targeting. and culturally relevant creative.
