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“If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless” – Warren Buffet

Reputation management has become a vital business tool. No longer is it a soft skill, but a core responsibility of each and every employee and all involved stakeholders within an organisation.

“Reputation management may all too often be considered intangible by top management, but if left unmanaged, its shockwaves leave a tangible tremor affecting the bottom line – and it’s the bottom line that top executives value most,” says Janine Hills, chief executive officer of Vuma Reputation Management.

The mainstay of corporate reputation management is a combination of strategic communications and well-managed relationships that result in profits.

Much has changed in communications since the introduction of public relations in the early 1930s. Business has evolved and become more innovative and as such, the need to shift business from shareholder value offering to stakeholder value offering seemingly has become important.

Reputation management is the next generation of communications which focuses on strategic alignment of the business offering, its internal stakeholders and the brand promise.

While public relations (PR) is the management of communication between an organisation and the public, reputation management presents a more comprehensive approach to communications. Reputation management aligns internal communication strategies with external stakeholder needs.

Communications is no longer about having an internal PR department – it is a way of operating a successful business, and can no longer be viewed as a soft issue in business.

Reputation management is the process of tracking actions, opinions, perceptions and trends about an organisation, business/company or individual. The focus of reputation management involves establishing a strategic approach to ensure that these, in turn, influence positive brand impact. It is an emotional bond that should result in trust, admiration and raise esteem.

Reputation management holds companies accountable for their actions, comments, opinion and deliverables to the public.

Reputation management recognises that both internal and external stakeholders play a fundamental role in building a company’s reputation. While a brand is a product of the company, its reputation is inevitably in the hands of its stakeholders.

A company’s reputation equates to how well the company fulfils its brand promise to all its stakeholders. They are informed by first-hand experience with internal stakeholders (i.e. call centre agents, employees, front-line staff etc.), and make comparison between what the company says it does and what it actually does.

First, BE your brand promise and incorporate that promise, then lead: DO that which you say you will do, and do the right thing. If it does not feel right, then it is not right.

Lead by example: the way you want to be seen is the way you should conduct business internally and externally. This, in turn, will have an impact on your reputation.

Reputation management is driven by internal stakeholders (all stakeholders/employees, from the cleaner to the board), leadership, products and services, leadership, innovation, good governance and performance.

Reputation management cannot be built overnight, it is built over time and requires commitment from all stakeholders, as they are ambassadors of the company’s reputation.

Vuma Reputation Management is a member of the Institute of Directors South Africa and the International Women’s Forum South Africa (IWFSA). It is the only company is South Africa affiliated with the Reputation Institute, and has JSE endorsement on its media training.

Vuma is a leader in the field of reputation management, and specialises in building organisations’ reputations from the inside out. The company also offers a host of other strategic communications services including:

• Crisis communications;

• Stakeholder management;

• Media training;

• Online reputation management;

• Executive/management coaching;

• Mobile commerce communication;

• eCommerce communication; and

• Call centre reputation management.

One of Vuma’s clients is the Africa Leadership Retreat (ALR). Against the backdrop of the world’s greatest sporting event, South Africa will be host to a meeting between civil society and some of the greatest political and business minds from Africa and the world. The inaugural ALR will take place from 4 to 13 July and will be held at venues in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

The attendants will gather to discover, address and create strategic investment and partnership opportunities within the sectors of oil, gas and mining, infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and manufacturing, agribusiness and tourism, banking and financial institutions, investment climate and foreign direct investment, as well as branding Africa.

Consulting to this dynamic team, Vuma has worked directly with ALR’s founder Mamadou Toure to consolidate its communications and strategically align its messaging for key stakeholders. Vuma has coached ALR in authentically representing its brand promise to ensure that this vital initiative can achieve sustainability in and of itself, promoting a sustainable future for Africa.

Ntokozo Ndlovu

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