Bloomberg Media unveils second ‘Corporate Reputation Pulse’ study at Cannes Lions 2025

In a world of rising stakeholder expectations and real-time scrutiny reshaping how brands are interpreted and surfaced online, reputation has become more than a communications issue, it’s a business imperative. That’s why we asked: which drives which? And what we found is clear.  Corporate reputation is broader and deeper, while brand equity is how that reputation comes to life in the market.”

Michelle Lynn, global head of Data and Insights at Bloomberg Media

Bloomberg Media has released the latest study from its Bloomberg Industry Accelerator series: the second wave of its proprietary Global Corporate Reputation Pulse, exploring the evolving role of reputation in shaping brand equity, business performance and stakeholder trust.

Released during Bloomberg Media’s Corporate Reputation workshop at Cannes Lions under its “Good Business” banner, this study surveyed more than 1,250 marketing and communications C-suites and business decision-makers in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore between April 29 and May 14, 2025. The results from the study reveals corporate reputation as a performance multiplier; one that influences investor confidence, customer loyalty, brand equity and overall market perception.

“Now is the time to understand the relationship between corporate reputation and brand equity,” said Michelle Lynn, global head of Data and Insights at Bloomberg Media. “In a world of rising stakeholder expectations and real-time scrutiny reshaping how brands are interpreted and surfaced online, reputation has become more than a communications issue, it’s a business imperative. That’s why we asked: which drives which? And what we found is clear.  Corporate reputation is broader and deeper, while brand equity is how that reputation comes to life in the market.”

Key findings from the study below: 

• Global marketing and communications leaders, including over 40% of the next generation of leaders (aged 25-35), see a clear distinction between corporate reputation and brand equity, with each entity requiring its own strategy.
• Corporate reputation is driven by trust and credibility. In 2024, action and conduct was the lead driver of corporate reputation. While it’s still important, it’s likely that the events of the last year have resulted in trust and credibility pulling ahead as the lead driver in 2025.
• Brand personality, market positioning and customer experience are the top three elements that define brand equity. For brand equity, the emphasis is on identity, and how that stands out in the marketplace to deliver on the promise that corporate reputation makes. Emotional connection, on the other hand, ranked last, indicating that people’s relationship with brands may be getting more pragmatic and transactional.
• 44% of global marketing and communications leaders see brand equity as the single most important factor to their company’s success, closely followed by financial strength and digital or technological infrastructure.
• According to the findings, 30% of respondents rank brand equity as one of the top three goals their organization is working to achieve through their corporate reputation, indicating that corporate reputation now drives brand equity.

The top three challenges to building and maintaining a strong corporate reputation in 2025 are negative publicity or crises (28%), geopolitical constraints (27%), and access to cutting edge technology or advanced analytics tools for brand monitoring (26%).  Additionally, 40% of respondents identify keeping pace with technological advancements as the number one obstacle to communicating their corporate reputation, as companies managing misinformation, disinformation, and AI governance. 

Despite these challenges, 80% of respondents say that their marketing budgets have either slightly increased or significantly increased. 

According to the results, 27% of respondents say corporate reputation significantly impacts rankings, ratings and media visibility, while 26% point to increased investor confidence and another 26% cite increased customer loyalty. This data underscores that corporate reputation is not just a communications metric, but a business performance multiplier that influences external validation, financial confidence and long-term customer behavior.

The Global Corporate Reputation Pulse is part of Bloomberg Industry Accelerator series of industry-leading, proprietary study and analyses on critical topics and groups, including Wealth, Travel, Financial Advisors, etc. Industry Accelerator is one offering within the Bloomberg Accelerator Suite, the company’s proprietary data platform for driving insights, activation and targeting for advertising partners. Alongside the Industry Accelerator sits the Bloomberg Brand Accelerator, the proprietary brand diagnostic tool that assesses current brand perceptions and future potential of 700+ brands.

About Bloomberg Media:

Bloomberg Media is the world’s leading multi-platform media company for business and finance, which draws on the editorial resources of more than 3,000 journalists and analysts in more than 100 bureaus around the world. Bloomberg Media is the consumer-facing media organization of Bloomberg L.P.