How Social Media Is Reshaping Corporate Reputation
Thought Leadership
Cristina Forlani
We Are Social
At We Are Social, we’ve spent 15 years helping brands navigate culture, community, and conversation. But increasingly, we’ve seen a new challenge emerge: the reputation of organisations, once carefully managed through boardrooms and media relations, is now being shaped (and sometimes shaken) in real time, on social media.
That’s why we’re excited to launch We Are Social Reputation, a new corporate reputation practice built to help organisations protect and grow trust in a social-first world.
Why now?
Because corporate reputation no longer lives behind closed doors. It lives in the feed.
Whether it’s a TikTok of an employee being fired, a LinkedIn post calling out executive bonuses, or a viral tweet triggering a media storm, reputation has become a public, participatory and often unpredictable space.
And yet, many corporate affairs teams are still playing by old rules: reactive statements, media-only strategies, and minimal engagement with the audiences who matter most. We’re here to change that.
WHAT IS WE ARE SOCIAL REPUTATION?
Our new practice is designed to give corporate leaders the tools to build reputation proactively, not just manage crises after the fact.
We offer:
Social-first reputation audits and recommendations
Strategic planning grounded in cultural and digital insight
Campaign execution across earned, owned and paid social
Leadership visibility and comms training to equip execs for real-time engagement
It’s social strategy built with reputation resilience in mind.
To launch it, we wrote the playbook
To mark the launch, we’ve released a new trends report: Reputation at the Speed of Social: How Digital is Disrupting Corporate Communications
The report outlines five key forces redefining corporate trust in Australia:
The consumer–shareholder disconnect, where cost-of-living pressure collides with public frustration at perceived corporate greed.
The DEI dilemma, as audiences push back on purpose-washing and demand meaningful, inclusive action.
The inside-out corporation, where employee stories and workplace culture are shaping brand perception more than any official comms.
The rise of vocal advocates, in a world where people trust creators and communities over corporate spokespeople.
Technological tension, with AI and data innovation fuelling equal parts excitement and anxiety.
We Are Social Reputation is led by our APAC CEO Suzie Shaw and Chief Strategy Officer Richard Parker, with Paul Edwards – former Group GM of Corporate Communications at ANZ – joining as adviser. Together, they bring deep experience across both traditional corporate communications and the real-time world of social strategy.
As Suzie puts it:
“Reputations are no longer shaped behind closed doors: they’re built, challenged and rebuilt online. We’re launching this practice to help organisations embrace that reality and lead with confidence.”
We’re excited to help the next generation of corporate leaders build reputation not just through statements, but through social connection, clarity and action.
Want to learn more or speak to our expert team? Get in touch.
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