Reputation - 'lost in the blink of an eye'

While preparing a communications workshop to be delivered to a client, the Think Tank PR team got into a discussion about reputation management.  “Reputation, like trust, takes time to build but can be lost in the blink of an eye,” says Neville Bain, Chairman of the Institute of Directors in his foreword to the recently published Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ Reputation and the Board - Guidance for PR Consultants and Board Directors.

Paying attention to the long term value of a brand is often overlooked, particularly in tough times, when the attention is on the short-term sales cycle.  But it’s also worth considering that creating perceptions of a product or the service that supports it, or a service itself, is not just about communications.  It needs to be locked into the whole business process.

Today, and tomorrow, with increasing access to information, everyone it seems is an ‘expert’ and takes what you say at face value.  Trust has to be built in every aspect of how you do business.

There are some interesting recommendations about managing reputation in this guidance document and the CIPR is asking Directors and Board Directors for feedback.

You can download the PDF at here