KCOE 4105 - Reputation means business : an introduction to corporate street cred

Reputation, PR, crisis management… What are we really talking about here, if not protecting a company's "street cred", i.e. the face it presents to the world and to its ecosystem?

Reputation is increasingly a substantial part of business development strategy. Although approaches diverge from country to country and national specificities still matter, this trend can be observed globally.

By inviting students to gradually think and design strategies as PR professionals working in an agency or in a corporate communications department, this course aims to provide future young professionals with a comprehensive and hands-on overview of the fields, strategic options and tools that compose reputation management and building for corporate clients.

On a regular basis, one can witness popular services and products being hit hard by aggressive regulation, often spurred by poor reputation among lawmakers, or a brand suddenly disappearing from the top picks of trendsetters although it had been the hot topic of the media for years. Even more striking is the ever-unpredictable interference of politics (and not just policies) and its consequences for corporations and their development. The accelerating role of AI-generated content, algorithmic amplification and social media virality has fundamentally altered the speed and scale at which reputations are built, damaged or weaponized.

Understanding the increasingly disintermediated interactions between public opinion and companies as well as the growing list of requirements for business (ethics, environment, quality, responsible use of technology, etc.) proves to be a prerequisite to navigate efficiently between the multiple crises involving big business. Moreover, public authorities are mutating stakeholders, with the emergence of a new generation of governing elites who do not abide by the same codes and expectations as their predecessors. In this context, each company has the responsibility to put in place new ways of addressing its publics, and to focus not only on its image on a pure business level, but most importantly on its reputation as an integral part of public life, supporting its business strategy.

Influence therefore requires a swiss-army-knife approach, to activate the right levers at the right time, according to the level of crisis and urgency. This course's objective is to introduce students to the right balance between crisis management and long-term reputation building, press relations and public affairs, pure PR and an integrated approach including the new tools AI is placing in the hands of communicators.

Course taught in English Language: at least a level 4 in English is required to register for this course.

12 x2h00

(i) Ongoing group case study presentation, based on a company designated during the first class:

Session 6 Presentation of a crisis management strategy for your case study – 10 min + 5 min Q&A

Session 12 Presentation of a long-term reputation strategy for your case study – 10 min + 5 min Q&A

(ii) Individual 5-minutes presentations on an topical issue concerning a company’s communication / Crisis management strategy

Grading breakdown: