How Brand Reputations are Under Threat in 2018

There have never been so many ways for brands to assert their identity and to engage with customers. Whether it’s using social media channels to share content, reaching out to consumers via a tightly constructed PR campaign or responding to reviews, brand managers have more opportunities than ever to market their products.

Global brands are under increasing threat from poor or unfounded reviews, historic and inaccurate press coverage or material created and shared maliciously. And in an age where this type of content can be distributed within seconds, the potential for serious brand damage and financial harm is immense.

The company I work for, Igniyte, are reputation specialists and we specialise in monitoring and countering these threats on behalf of brands, businesses and individuals across the world. Our latest research, the Reputation Report 2018, looks at the scale of the problem here in the UK – and the figures make for worrying reading.

The threat

The scale of the problem is vast. One in three businesses (31 per cent) we spoke to told us that negative content had already damaged their business. Another third were worried about the impact this kind of material could have on their operation in future.

And while the threat from reviews and social media posts remains strong, it is actually negative press coverage that is seen as posing the biggest threat.

Almost half – 46 per cent – of those we spoke to had been affected or had concerns about press material, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) of the businesses we questioned said this was their main concern moving forward too.

More general critical online content was seen as the number one worry for another 14 per cent, while negative social media posts and reviews are still viewed as most damaging by ten per cent.

Reviews are another major cause for concern, with 41 per cent of our respondents admitting negative feedback was causing them the most problems.

A further one in three (31%) felt negative social media posts posed the greatest threat to their brand. The same amount – 31% – were worrying about posts from disgruntled former employees, while 25% felt that competitors were their main problem and 23% referenced content about senior employees.