Reputational risks, perceptions, values, and behaviors among spokespeople:

Construction of the reputational influence and risk model for emerging media

• Major Kristin Saling, M.S. (USMA West Point)

• Karen Freberg, Ph.D. (University of Louisville)

• Sabrina Page, M.S. (American Military University)

• Monica Colon-Aguirre, Ph.D. (Simmons College)

• Major Christy Licklider, M.S. (USMA West Point)#RICONF13 BARCELONA,

SPAIN

Research Team

Major Kristin Saling

@kcsaling

Karen Freberg,

Ph.D.@kfreberg

Sabrina Page@spage2

Mónica Colon-Aguirre

Christy Licklider

Introduction• Reputation is a perception on the

part of others of a person’s or entity’s quality or character, or their place in public esteem or regard.

• The spokesman or face of an organization is normally selected in order to provide a positive influence to that organization’s reputation, but when that spokesman misbehaves, the effects can be quite damaging.

Purpose of Study• In order to better understand the repercussions of a

spokesman’s behavior, the researchers utilized complex systems analysis techniques to understand, model, and qualify how positive and negative changes in spokesman behaviors affect or do not affect the perception of values and reputation of both the spokesman and his/her organization.

• Cases discussed: Lance Armstrong (2013) & General David Petraeus (2012)

Research Questions• RQ1: How do the reputations of spokespersons

and organizations influence each other?

• RQ2: Is there a methodology by which this influence can be modeled in order to be better understood?

Method

Discussion• The researchers developed the central quantity

of “Synergistic Reputation” by quantifying the correlation that emerges between spokesperson reputation and organizational reputation as the spokesperson is introduced and promoted over time as the face of the brand. • The higher the synergistic reputation, the better an

impact the organization and the spokesperson have on each other.

• Exploring multiple cases of spokesperson misbehavior, the researchers discovered that it was not necessarily the bad behavior that drove the drop in spokesperson reputation, and therefore the organizational impact through synergistic reputation. • Analysis of the cases showed that the driving factor in

the reputational drop was the level of perceived difference between the expected behavior of the spokesperson and the actual behavior, often resulting in a very charged, emotional response from followers of the brand.

• The researchers have termed this “reputational dissonance.”

• In the studied cases, the researchers found the largest decrease to spokesperson reputation and synergistic reputation came in the form of dissonance.

Reputational Influence Causal Loop Diagram

Best Practices• The impetus for the sudden drop in spokesperson

reputation and the ensuing drop in organizational reputation is a combination of dissonance and the amount of synergistic reputation that has emerged from the spokesperson-organization relationship.

• Since the synergistic relationship works to the betterment of both parties in the case of a successful spokesperson, special attention must be paid to the effect of dissonance.

Best Practices• Understanding the evolution

and synergy of a reputation via social media has to be incorporated into strategy practices for organizations to be prepared to monitor, listen, and engage audiences in crisis.

• Reputation managers must also consider the influence of the spokesperson’s personal staff, managers, and other elements of the entourage.

Conclusions• While a spokesperson might feel he or she is

entitled to act in a certain way, the spokesperson’s staff only enforces this when they act as enablers, or when they act to cover up these behaviors.

• Transparency, integrity, competence, and preparedness are all key to running a successful campaign and representing a brand well in the eyes of the public, and when any of those principles are violated, it only decreases the

brand’s reputation.

Questions or Comments?