Autumn grieves: what the changing seasons mean for corporate reputation

Fingers on the buzzer — what do the following events have in common?  

The collapse of the South Sea Bubble. 

The start of the Second World War. 

Black Wednesday. 

9/11. 

And Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy and the near-implosion of the global economy. 

The answer, of course? They all happened in September. 

Indeed, early autumn is often politically and economically turbulent, violent even. 

As the Guardian’s economics editor once put it, September is when “problems that have been quietly developing over the summer come to a head … when share prices crumble, banks wobble, and currencies are devalued”. 

Why does this matter?  

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. 

 Geopolitical turmoil is one of the greatest threats to corporate reputation. 

  In the age of the polycrisis, it’s also grimly inevitable.  

For many organizations, the crisis will be specific — a conflict, say, or a climate disaster — one that chokes supply chains in one country or endangers employees in another. 

Others will be expected to take a stand in response to a particular event, such as the outbreak of war.   

For many, the risk is getting it wrong, leaping aboard a bandwagon and coming across as insincere or inauthentic.   

One solution, of course, is to listen to stakeholders and track their perceptions. 

To better understand what they think, how they’re likely to behave, and why.   

Knowing that will help any organization communicate quickly, effectively and authentically and show its values and purpose, whatever September brings.  

📰 REPUTATIONAL READS 

⏪ ICYMI 

An exclusive interview with our global advisor Ivan Rocabado about why brands and reputations are harder to manage than ever.  

Our deep dive into the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies by reputation.  

An increasingly relevant piece about the threat that “deepfake fraud” poses to corporate reputation and how to fight it.

🗣 MEDIA MENTIONS 

Our data on the impact of Elon Musk’s controversial views on Tesla’s reputation continues to fuel media coverage. Here’s our pick of the most inciteful stories.