For years, marketers and communications professionals aimed to control their brand’s message through planned campaigns. However, reputation today is largely shaped by employees, customers, creators, and online communities like LinkedIn and Reddit. Trust is built in spaces you don’t control. The key is to convene and guide conversations rather than control them, by participating authentically in communities, equipping influential voices with accurate information, and working with AI to communicate clearly. Brands must engage where conversations already happen, support credible voices, and present clear, accessible information to earn trust daily. Reputation isn’t about controlling the narrative but about joining and enriching ongoing dialogues authentically. Nathan Friedman, copresident and CMO at Understood.org, shares these insights from his experience in marketing and nonprofit sectors.
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