To Build Brand Reputation, Focus on Quality, Ads, and Word of Mouth

Our Privacy Policy has been updated! The Conference Board uses cookies to improve our website, enhance your experience, and deliver relevant messages and offers about our products. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy. For more information on how The Conference Board collects and uses personal data, please visit our privacy policy. By continuing to use this Site or by clicking "OK", you acknowledge our privacy policy and consent to the use of cookies.

Corporate Communications Practices

To Build Brand Reputation, Focus on Quality, Ads, and Word of Mouth

27 March 2025 / Article

Download Article

How do you get customers to trust and like your brand? Globally, a company’s products and services are the most powerful drivers of corporate reputation, according to an analysis of daily worldwide surveys on public perception by stakeholder intelligence firm Caliber. In contrast, in the US advertising and direct mail are what fuels reputation the most, the analysis finds. Knowing which interaction points have the most power to resonate positively with customers is important for companies when considering where they want to invest their time and money.

Key Insights

Quality products and services are the heart of a company’s reputation. Quality speaks for itself in driving customer preference and loyalty. This can impact other drivers like media coverage and word-of-mouth recommendations, which together account for around 30% of how a company’s reputation is shaped—showing the importance of earning positive endorsements from third parties.
In the US, paid media—specifically ads and direct mail—outperform shared, owned, and earned media in building a company’s reputation. This aligns with US CEOs indicating brand building and advertising as the leading marketing investment item in 2025, along with lead generation, according to our C-Suite Outlook 2025. Compared to their global peers, US CEOs are more focuse

Authors

Shahar Silbershatz

Co-founder and CEO
Caliber

Read Bio

Denise Dahlhoff, PhD

Director, Marketing & Communications Research
The Conference Board

Read Bio

This publication is available to you, but you need to sign in to myTCB^® or create an account to access it.To learn more about becoming a Member click here. To check if your company is a Member, click here

Sign In
Create An Account

By Clicking 'Create Account',
You Agree To Our Terms Of Use

Create Account

Members of The Conference Board get exclusive access to Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead^® through publications, Conferences and events, webcasts, podcasts, data & analysis, and Member Communities.