• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, May 21, 2019

In today's always-on media culture, every company is just one tweet or Instagram photo away from disaster. That’s part of the reason why WPP's digital consultancy SJR recently surveyed CMOs to gauge how much they value owned content as part of their overall company's reputation management strategy. 

Nearly all CMOs recognize content as an essential aspect of reputation management.

But, stresses SJR, the value of content is fleeting and the content pipeline is in need of constant replenishment. In fact, 80% of CMOs believe content that builds and protects corporate reputation should be published daily (43%) or weekly (40%). 

But it’s essential to publish the right types of content through the right social channels at the right times. Owned corporate blogs (62%), LinkedIn (65%) and social media channels, such as Twitter (63%), are considered nearly as valuable as traditional media (69%). What’s striking about these results is that owned content barely existed as a concept a few years ago, and yet the survey responses speak to its reputation-enhancing ability if managed correctly across channels, says SJR. 

The study also found that bigger companies in particular tend to appreciate the value of owned content.  Among respondents at companies with $100-million-plus in annual revenue, infographics, editorial content, executive bylines and interactive modules are considered among the most impactful messaging tools at their disposal.

And cultural relevance matters when protecting corporate reputation, per the study. Two in three respondents are extremely likely to integrate the brand into cultural conversations and over half say they are extremely likely to take a stand on issues that matter most to their audiences. 

"The most surprising aspect to us was the finding around cultural relevance," says Michael Lustina, Managing Director, SJR. "We quantified a growing trend for companies not to be afraid to stand for what they believe in when it is consistent with their brand. For advertisers, this is definitely a sign that there’s more freedom to push the envelope for brands."