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We asked our influencers to name the companies they think have most effectively managed their brand communications and corporate reputation over the past year. There were two stand-out winners here. In first place was Nvidia, which was one of those most-cited last year but this year was a clear leader. As one of our Influencers said: “Nvidia has probably been the only company that has been able to effectively deliver value on the back of the AI trend. Granted, much of the positioning has been underpinned by underlying value creation from a financial perspective – however they've have been able to effectively position this growth as part of the potential of AI.”
Coming up a very close second was Microsoft, perennially in the top handful of brands mentioned by our Influence 100 over the years, while in third place was Lego, also an oft-named brand in the best reputation and communications list.
There were also multiple positive namechecks for Singapore Airlines, post its handling of the recent sudden turbulence crisis, Walmart, Tata, and Meta, which as one respondent noted “has done a very good job of repositioning Mark Zuckerberg as a positive leader and force for good”.
Other brands mentioned among those who had best managed their reputations and comms included Mars, Apple, Nike, Google, McDonald’s, IBM, British Airways, AmEx, Blackrock, AMD and TikTok, of which one of our cohort said the social media platform “had done a very good job with consumers, amidst their policy issues.”
One other headline-hitting multimillion dollar conglomerate was also mentioned: there were several votes for Taylor Swift as someone who has handled her communications and reputation most effectively over the past year.
When we asked our Influence 100 which companies had managed their comms and reputation worst over the past year, it will probably come as no surprise that Boeing was far and away the most mentioned brand, after a series of crises in recent months related to multiple safety issues; the response to its crisis comms has clearly not been as well-received as that of Singapore Airlines.
After Twitter enjoyed years on the best brand comms list that stopped abruptly after PR-detractor Elon Musk took ownership, X was once again high up on the worst comms list; if you combine its mentions with the multiple mentions of its sister company Tesla, it’s not far behind Boeing.
There were also multiple negative mentions for brewer Anheuser-Busch, which featured highly last year and has continued to feel the financial and reputational fallout from after its botched handling of a partnership with a trans influencer.
Meta – which also features on the ‘best comms’ list above – had a couple of mentions, but nothing like the extent of previous years – before 2023 it (including Facebook) had topped the list for the previous four years. Apple and Nike also had a smattering of mentions in the worst as well as the best list.
Other brands judged and found wanting for the comms and reputation management over the year included Target, the World Economic Forum, Coca-Cola, Best Buy, Vedanta, Alibaba and the Post Office, which is still embroiled in one of the biggest British corporate scandals of recent years.
Out of the Influence 100’s list of nominees for best communicator among world leaders this year, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenkskyy again came out with the most votes. As one respondent noted, he is the epitome of “clarity and resilience” in leadership and communications terms, as Russia’s invasion stretched into its third year.
Several other world political leaders received multiple votes, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi – one of the most-cited last year, too – as well as former Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, who smoothly handed over leadership after 20 years in power, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, new UK prime minister Keir Starmer, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
The list of other nominations for best communicator among world leaders also included Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, Pope Francis and Poland’s Donald Tusk. Two leaders feature in equal (though low-level) measure on both the best and worst lists this year: Donald Trump, and French president Emmanuel Macron.
Two business leaders were also mentioned, exactly mirroring the two companies deemed above to have been best at managing their comms and reputations: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
On the list of the worst communicators among the world’s leaders, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin –maybe surprisingly – received hardly any votes, after being in undisputed first place last year. Instead, US president Joe Biden (still hanging on as Democrat nominee for this year’s presidential race at the time of writing) was far and away the leader judged as the worst communicator in recent months, although this seems to be with some regret; as one of our influencers noted, he is the “biggest disappointment”.
In second place was former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, who resoundingly lost the recent general election after the Conservative Party being in power for 14 years, and was widely criticized for his comms in the run up to and during the election campaign.
Other nominations for worst communicator were Canadian leader Justin Trudeau, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, and former UK prime minister Boris Johnson. There was only one business leader on the list, although he received so many nominations he was in third place: Elon Musk, again somewhat mirroring the results of the vote for the companies which have handled their reputation worst.
Edelman is the most admired PR agency for the fifth year running; it was briefly knocked off its perch by Weber Shandwick in 2019 after a six-year straight run of being the most frequently-cited public relations agency.
Coming in second place, as last year – but with a much narrower margin this year – was strategic comms powerhouse Brunswick. The only other agencies to get multiple mentions were Weber Shandwick, Teneo, FGS and India’s AdFactors.
There were also namechecks for other agencies of all sizes around the world, from networks to specialists, including: MSL, Hill & Knowlton (now Burson), Real Chemistry, IN.FOM, OPRG, South Africa’s Razor, UK agencies Red and Tancredi Group, SEC and Ruder Finn.
This section was written with the help of a first draft by ChatGPT.
As well as asking our Influence 100 which PR agencies they admire, we asked them to think about the future of agencies, and the biggest challenges and need for change they see for PR agencies, from their in-house perspective.
The tone of the – often frank – responses is a mix of cautious optimism and recognition of significant challenges. While there are clear threats and hurdles, many respondents also view these as opportunities for growth and innovation by PR agencies who are creative, strategic, agile – and willing and able to evolve.
One prominent theme is the integration and impact of artificial intelligence (AI). As one in-house leader said, the biggest challenge for agencies is “undoubtedly how they will use technology in the creative and content process, with rapid evolution in gen AI.” Another said: “With AI becoming more and more effective in covering basic PR service needs, businesses will be seeking agencies that are able to quickly and deeply understand their priorities and challenges so as to provide meaningful strategic counselling.
This technological shift is anticipated to redefine the nature of PR work. One respondent predicted: "I think AI will remove many of the entry-level roles and they will be redefined," while another said, "agencies can offer new services for clients as you start to think of AI as a new stakeholder/influencer."
In addition to AI, the role of PR agencies as strategic partners is becoming increasingly vital. One comms leader said one of the challenges for agencies was to become: “Being value creation partners to CCOs/CMOs who are being challenged to deliver business results that matter in the C-suite and boardroom.” It’s also necessary for agencies to differentiate themselves: “The best PR agencies must find ways to be indispensable. From a client perspective this is by leaning into their strengths, being relentlessly client focused and being genuinely creative.”
Economic pressures are also pushing PR agencies to demonstrate clear return on investment to clients. “As budgets become tighter, PR agencies will need to evolve their communications measurement and tactics to demonstrate ROI benefit,” said one respondent. The complexity of reaching the right audiences in a modern media landscape further complicates this, with one comms leader noting there is “a lot of change happening in the mainstream and social spheres, causing audience fragmentation.”
The evolving geopolitical environment also poses challenges, not least “keeping up with changing expectations in the C-suite as exec teams grapple with geopolitics. They will need to stand their ground against smart political think tanks,” according to one comms leader.
The structure of and specialisation within PR agencies is also expected to shift. One respondent foresees “more boutique agencies staffed by hands-on senior people who can be true thought partners for in-house comms heads,” while others want to see a greater emphasis on strategic skills over tactical ones.
As one respondent aptly put it: “PR agencies should stay abreast of these and other changes and continue evolving to meet client demands. They must be agile, creative, inclusive, and forward-thinking to thrive in an evolving industry that's transforming at an unprecedented pace.”
Intelligence and insight from across the PR world.
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