What is PRs role in leading the reputation management charge—who else is involved, discipline wise?
Besides PR, it is advertising and investor relations. PR drives it because PR is the one discipline that looks for credibility. And reputation is equal to credibility. Is reputation management best suited for an in-house department or an agency? Both have a role. The agency gives you an objective perspective of the stakeholders and can maintain contact with the stakeholders. Stakeholders will say things to the agency that in-house staffers won’t — they are the eyes and ears of a company in a way the company can’t be. Second, the agency is able to help the company understand what other companies have done in similar situations. The in-house people are also important because the stakeholders want to know they are talking to members of the company. So the internal people have to be the spokespeople for the company. How can PR take a greater leadership role? I think PR needs to be known as the “expert” on reputation. PR needs to do studies and research and analysis of reputation — which a
