Moira Conlon is the founder and CEO of Financial Profiles, a national strategic communications firm that builds long-term corporate value.
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Most companies have a crisis communications plan, but many were designed for yesterday’s media environment. Back then, traditional media outlets served as gatekeepers and companies usually had time to gather facts, develop messages and respond thoughtfully before public reaction took hold.
Today, everyone is a publisher. Information moves instantly and social media amplifies content globally. AI is making convincing, yet often misleading, content easier to create and distribute, and algorithms reward emotion and engagement rather than accuracy. As a result, misinformation, disinformation, speculation and opinion can travel faster than facts.
In this environment, even an unsubstantiated rumor can create real business risk, damaging credibility, creating uncertainty among key stakeholders and, in some cases, impacting valuation.
Reputation risk belongs on the business risk agenda.
Today, reputation damage often begins with a social media post, a misleading headline, an online rumor, a viral video, an employee complaint or, increasingly, AI generated content. We have all seen the examples in the press. A viral video involving senior executives turned a leadership conduct issue into a global reputational crisis overnight. A fake social media post impersonating Eli Lilly claimed that insulin would be free, contributing to a brief but sharp market reaction.
These are not traditional crises, but they gained momentum in a matter of hours. By the time these companies could prepare a response, customers, employees, investors and reporters were already forming opinions and shaping the narrative.
Against this backdrop, reputation management is no longer just a communications issue; it is a business risk issue. The question is not whether reputation risk belongs on the agenda, but whether the company is prepared to manage it with the same discipline as other enterprise risks.
Reputation readiness starts before the crisis.
A strong corporate brand is a critical advantage when reputation risk emerges. Companies that have earned trust before scrutiny hits are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong. That trust is built over time through consistent communication, credible leadership and alignment between what a company says and how it acts—not in the middle of a crisis.
Brand strength matters, but it is not a substitute for preparation. Leadership teams also need a practical framework for spotting risks early, assessing what could escalate, aligning internally, engaging stakeholders and communicating before the narrative gets away from them.
In my experience, the companies that manage these situations best are the ones that have robust processes in place and have already established how decisions will be made when the facts are incomplete, pressure is mounting and stakes are high.
Here’s what a reputation playbook should include.
1. Monitoring And Early Signals: Watch for early signals that could escalate across traditional media, social platforms, search results, AI-generated summaries, customer complaints, employee concerns and viral content.
2. Risk Scenarios: Identify the issues most likely to escalate, ranging from employee allegations and customer complaints to misinformation, activist pressure, operational disruptions, viral videos and AI-generated content.
3. A Decision Framework: Assign clear roles for verifying facts, assessing escalation potential, determining stakeholder impact and securing the approvals needed before the company communicates.
4. A Stakeholder Map: Create a map of the audiences that matter most in a reputation crisis, including employees, customers, investors, regulators, media, partners and other key stakeholders.
5. A Message Platform: Frequently review your core messages, proof points, mission and values so they can be quickly incorporated into holding statements and other communications.
6. Owned Media Channels: Identify the company’s owned channels in advance, including the website, newsroom, LinkedIn, email, investor communications and employee channels, so leadership can communicate directly with stakeholders when speed, accuracy and context matter.
Build the discipline early.
A traditional crisis plan is no longer enough. Companies also need a reputation management playbook that helps leadership move quickly, speak clearly and act consistently when pressure is high. The goal is not to script every response in advance. It is to build the discipline to respond before the narrative is shaped by others. Most companies will need it sooner than they expect.
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