A company’s reputation is what its customers, employees, investors, partners and the media believe about it, based on what it does, how it behaves and how it communicates. It is one of the most valuable assets a business owns: intangible assets, with reputation among the most influential, now make up around 92% of the market value of S&P 500 companies. Its true worth shows most clearly when it is tested.
In today’s data-rich environment, marketing communications can track and measure almost everything, from audience engagement to revenue forecasting. Yet, the value of corporate reputation remains one of the most influential, yet intangible, business assets.
Ocean Tomo’s 2025 study of S&P 500 companies puts intangible assets, from brand and intellectual property to customer relationships and reputation, at around 92% of market value. In Deloitte’s global survey on reputation risk, 87% of executives rated reputation risk as more important than other strategic risks. The exact value depends on numerous factors: sector, geography, stakeholder base. But what’s certain is that reputation now carries more weight than ever.
Why? Because scrutiny is everywhere.
From environmental impact and AI adoption to employee well-being and financial performance, companies are constantly under the microscope. Thanks to the digital age, information—whether accurate or not—spreads faster than ever. With billions of internet-connected devices worldwide and a smartphone in almost every pocket, the media is no longer confined to newsrooms. Every individual is now a broadcaster, capable of influencing public perception in real time.
Crucially, the importance of reputation often becomes starkly clear only in its absence. When a company’s credibility is compromised, often in the wake of a crisis, significant value can vanish in an instant.
Take the case of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. In July 2024, a software update error caused global outages across industries, affecting an estimated 8.5 million devices. Giants like FedEx, UPS, Sky News, and even the UK’s NHS were impacted. The event, dubbed by some analysts as “the largest IT outage in history,” wiped more than $30 billion off CrowdStrike’s market value within two weeks.
But the story didn’t end there.
Rather than retreat, CrowdStrike leaned into transparency and accountability. Senior leaders took to public platforms, including U.S. Congressional hearings and cybersecurity conferences, to own the failure. Executives emphasized their commitment to change, reinforced stakeholder trust, and even embraced criticism—winning an ironic “Most Epic Fail” award at DEF CON, which the company president accepted in person.
In a later interview, CEO George Kurtz said that the incident became a competitive advantage as customers stayed with the company: "we had one customer say that broken bones heal stronger.’” By the end of 2024, the company had not only regained but exceeded its pre-crisis valuation.
The lesson? A strong reputation doesn’t just protect; it can propel recovery and even growth after a crisis, provided the response is swift, authentic, and strategic.
Reputation shouldn’t be left to chance. It must be managed with the same intent and rigour as financial planning or product development. That means embedding a robust communications strategy into the core of business operations.
Key components include:
Perception can now shift in a single social post and news cycles move at lightning speed. Reputation is an active determinant of future success as much as a reflection of past behaviour. Companies that invest in managing their reputation proactively, with transparency and consistency, can not only weather crises but build stronger businesses.
As the lines blur between internal and external audiences, and between media and individual voices, businesses that treat reputation as a strategic priority and not just a communications concern will be best positioned to lead.
In the end, reputation isn’t just what people say about you; it’s what shapes whether they choose to work with you, buy from you, invest in you—or walk away.
The article above looks at what reputation is worth and how to protect it. Here, we answer the questions we’re asked most often about how it works. Reputation is built long before it is tested, so if you’d like help building or protecting yours, talk to the PR and media team.