Uncovering the $7 trillion reputation economy

What It Covers

Corey Dobrowa, CEO of Burson communications firm, reveals research quantifying corporate reputation value at $7 trillion and explains how companies navigate reputation challenges during political disruption, AI governance debates, and eroding media trust. He shares insights from advising leaders at Starbucks, Salesforce, and Google on stakeholder management and authentic communication.

Key Questions Answered

• •Reputation Valuation Framework: Companies with strong reputations generate 4.78% unexpected additional shareholder returns, creating a $7 trillion reputation economy. Oxford University research identifies eight measurable levers comprising modern reputation: citizenship, creativity, governance, innovation, leadership, performance, products, and workplace culture. Each company must determine which levers to prioritize based on their unique value proposition and stakeholder expectations.
• •Strategic Silence vs. Collective Action: The Minnesota business letter responding to ICE activities demonstrates that getting multiple companies to publicly agree on controversial issues holds significant value despite appearing weak. Coordinating collective statements requires navigating diverse viewpoints and risk tolerances. Companies must evaluate whether speaking up serves stakeholders like employees and local communities rather than pursuing headlines or performative gestures.
• •Context-Driven Communication: Actions provide the license to communicate effectively, not the reverse. Companies must consider how identical actions receive different responses depending on political environment, administration policies, and social climate. What worked during mid-2010s Starbucks citizenship initiatives would require different execution and messaging in 2026. Reputation management integrates into product development and decision-making processes rather than bolting on crisis responses afterward.
• •Media Fragmentation Impact: Only 28% of US adults trust mainstream media in 2025, down from 72% in 1972, while 40% now get news from digital influencers. Companies must invest in owned media channels and direct storytelling capabilities as traditional media credibility erodes. This shift requires building internal content creation capacity and identifying authentic voices rather than relying solely on press coverage.
• •Engineering Reputation Into Products: Google's approach treats reputation as an engineering problem integrated throughout product development rather than a separate communications concern. The Gemini AI delay reflected solving technical parameters that manage user experience and reputational risks simultaneously. This methodology applies across products from cloud services to YouTube, embedding helpfulness and safety considerations into design decisions before launch.