New research: How AI is reshaping reputation – and the teams behind it
Bowen Craggs has partnered with global nonprofit think tank The Conference Board on a study to find out how AI is changing reputation management and communications more widely.
Altogether, 167 communications and marketing leaders mainly across the US and Europe contributed their views.
The results reveal today’s communications priorities and how corporate communications and marketing are likely to change in the coming months and years.
Here are some highlights...
Owned media remains the foundation for corporate communicators
- 60% of communications leaders said “Own websites and social media” are the most important channels for reputation building.
- A strong, well-structured corporate website should continue to be the “mothership of truth” in your reputation strategy, especially as AI engines increasingly draw from owned content.
AI platforms are becoming a mainstream reputation channel
- Over 25% of communications leaders already consider ChatGPT, Gemini and similar AI platforms to be among the top channels for corporate reputation building.
- Visibility in AI-generated answers needs to be treated as a core part of corporate digital strategy.
Video, audio and human-led content are gaining ground as differentiators
- 13% of communications leaders said they are increasingly focussing on formats AI cannot easily summarise – video and audio – as a deliberate response to AI’s advancing text capabilities.
- Consider how the company’s digital presence can become an authoritative destination in its own right, not just a source for AI answers.
Expectations around skills and team dynamics are shifting
- 35% of communications leaders said the rise of AI means they expect to hire more AI specialists and technically literate people. Only 21% said they foresee shrinking their team size.
- 31% said they expect there to be more collaboration across internal teams, and there seems to be value in corporate communicators and marketers working more closely together especially, to harness the potential for AI to boost reputation.
We encourage you to read the full report. It contains many data points insights that can help you build the case for a future-proofed team and strategy. Consider sharing the report with your internal stakeholders, including senior leaders and marketing colleagues, as a conversation starter.
