Burson debuts AI-driven reputation intelligence platform

Burson, the global communications agency focused on driving value through reputation, has announced the launch of 'Reputation Capital,' an AI-powered technology and consulting solution designed to directly connect key reputation drivers with measurable business outcomes such as stock price, sales, or purchase intent.

The platform provides real-time analysis and forecasting on reputational performance, allowing organisations to respond to shifts that may impact business results. The solution is accessible through WPP Open, the group’s AI-enabled marketing platform.

“Our core belief at Burson is that reputation is the most valuable asset that any organisation possesses,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO of Burson. “It’s complex and constantly evolving, influenced by a variety of factors beyond any singular element such as trust. Traditional tools for measuring and shaping reputation simply can’t keep pace with the velocity and volume of challenges our clients are navigating today. With Reputation Capital, we're pinpointing the specific drivers of reputation, forecasting the impact of potential actions, connecting these insights directly to business outcomes, and pairing them with expert counsel.”

Reputation Capital uses advanced data models to evaluate eight key reputation levers, including leadership, innovation, and social responsibility. The platform analyses data continuously from both proprietary and public sources, ranging from digital and social media to news environments, to produce a dynamic, up-to-the-minute reputation score. This score not only gauges public perception but isolates the specific areas requiring attention for reputation improvement with demonstrable business effects.

According to Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO of Burson Group India, “We have always known and demonstrated the impact of reputation on business. But now, Reputational Capital gives us a more tangible, AI-powered solution for understanding and even predicting that impact. It empowers us to move beyond traditional metrics, providing clients with a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between reputation and business performance.”

The technology allows segmentation by geography, sector, and audience, and offers insights on reputational risks or opportunities while forecasting their potential reach and consequences. It also delivers comparative scores and business-linked insights for thousands of public and private global companies.

“Traditional reputation management tools only offer a backwards view of corporate perception,” said Chad Latz, Global Chief Innovation Officer at Burson. “Reputation Capital changes the game by providing a dynamic understanding of a brand’s reputation in the marketplace and predicting the impact of actions relative to key business metrics. This latest innovation is unique in the marketplace and especially valuable during periods of turbulence or emerging opportunity.”

The platform includes modelling capabilities that estimate shareholder value linked to reputation. For example, in the technology sector, the platform showed that weekly returns increased by an average of 0.97% due to reputational factors. This translated into an added shareholder value of between USD $2.5 billion and $38 billion depending on the company. In one profile, a 1% increase in the reputation score equated to $2.4 billion in shareholder value.

“This profiling exercise underscores the critical role of reputation in driving financial outcomes,” duBrowa added. “For businesses, it highlights the tangible economic value of building, maintaining and enhancing reputation. For investors, it emphasises the importance of considering reputation when evaluating potential investments. For boards, it makes reputation, always a subject in the boardroom, a more tangible asset for every company and brand.”

Grant Toups, Global Chief Digital and Intelligence Officer at Burson, noted, “Imagine knowing that perception around corporate integrity and governance, for example, or creativity, was having outsized impact on shareholder value creation compared to the other levers of reputation. Reputation Capital delivers that specificity, arming our clients with the predictive intelligence needed to build and sustain the reputational currency that drives business performance.”

The platform’s technology has been validated by Augmented Intelligence Labs, a University of Oxford enterprise, and incorporates elements of Decipher, Burson’s proprietary cognitive AI solution developed in collaboration with Limbik.

Reputation Capital forms part of the Burson Innovation Portfolio, which also includes a suite of AI-enabled tools aimed at delivering faster insights, precise audience targeting, and culturally relevant communications solutions.