Watch On-Demand

This 25-minute webinar discussed the complex intersection of geopolitics and corporate reputation.

Using data-driven insights from PublicRelay’s benchmark, we explored when and how companies should engage in geopolitical discourse, balancing risk, reputation, and stakeholder expectations.

Watch on-demand to:

• Learn data-backed strategies for managing corporate reputation in a volatile geopolitical landscape.
• Hear insights on balancing stakeholder pressures while minimizing reputational risk.
• Gain a framework to assess whether your company should engage on a given issue.

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Climate Commitment Reversals & Energy Reputation Management

It’s never been more challenging to navigate the reputational landscape of climate commitments. PR and communications leaders in the energy industry, in particular, are managing intense public and media scrutiny. Every decision about emissions targets or clean energy initiatives can have lasting implications in energy reputation management.

Recent analysis highlights the stark contrast in media sentiment between energy companies that double down on their climate promises and those that walk them back. The data reveals valuable lessons for managing reputational risks in such a high-stakes environment.

Media Fallout According to the Data

PublicRelay analyzed media coverage surrounding energy companies’ low-carbon initiatives, and the results were eye-opening:

• 78% negative media sentiment for companies that reversed their climate commitments.
• 24% positive media sentiment for companies launching new low-carbon initiatives, with only 7% negative coverage.

The disparity is clear: rolling back on climate commitments is a critical failure in energy reputation management. Companies that failed to deliver on their pledges faced significant backlash, especially on social media, where climate advocates and engaged communities amplified criticism.

In contrast, companies that took proactive steps (regardless of whether they had previous commitments) garnered more favorable media sentiment. Even when their clean energy initiatives were coupled with continued oil and gas investments, these companies benefitted from the perception that they were taking meaningful action.

The Risk of Overpromising

Backtracking on climate commitments may be worse than making no commitments at all.
Energy companies with bold climate goals but inconsistent follow-through became easy targets for criticism. The gap between promises and actions undermines trust and disrupts effective energy reputation management, leading to questions about a company’s reliability and sincerity.

Conversely, firms without ambitious commitments but actively investing in low-carbon projects avoided this backlash. Their measured approach—taking meaningful actions without overpromising—helped them stay under the radar of critics and maintain trust.
Key Implications for PR Leaders:

1. Consistency is Non-Negotiable: Reversing commitments erodes credibility.
2. Proactive Communication Matters: Highlight progress on sustainability initiatives, no matter how small, to build positive momentum.
3. Crisis Mitigation Requires Speed: Companies that quickly address climate-related criticisms can minimize reputational damage.

Learn how PublicRelay’s data-driven insights can help communicators in the energy sector in navigate these challenges and more. 

The Healthcare Narrative Post-Assassination

Recent PublicRelay data underscores the shifting landscape for healthcare communicators. While media coverage of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s tragic death has diminished, it has sparked a broader, more significant narrative about systemic healthcare issues in America.

This unfolding story presents both challenges and opportunities for healthcare communications leaders as they navigate heightened public scrutiny, political involvement, and the potential for regulatory action.

The Numbers: What Media Coverage Reveals

• 47% of healthcare media coverage focuses on claim denials.
• 27% highlights healthcare affordability.
• Only 11% mentions other healthcare companies (for now).

Although the current focus is on a select few issues and companies, the conversation is rapidly broadening.

A Political Powder Keg

Politicians from across the spectrum are driving the narrative, with 32% of left-leaning mentions and 21% of right-leaning mentions dominating the conversation. President-elect Donald Trump has even weighed in. This bipartisan attention reflects a growing national policy debate fueled by individual frustrations and systemic healthcare failures.

Under the Trump administration’s deregulatory focus, this conversation is likely to intensify. Companies face the dual threat of public backlash and regulatory scrutiny if they are perceived as neglecting patient needs or engaging in harmful lobbying practices.

What Healthcare Communicators Need to Know

To navigate this complex environment, healthcare communications leaders must address these critical areas:

1. Patient Narratives Are the Dominant Story

The media conversation is increasingly driven by patient stories. Claim denials, AI-driven healthcare decisions, and unexpected policy changes are emerging as the most compelling narratives. Healthcare brands’ stakeholders include millions on social media sharing healthcare horror stories. These stories humanize systemic issues, turning abstract concerns into relatable, emotional calls for action. Healthcare communicators must be prepared to address these stories with transparency and empathy.

2. Sector-Wide Exposure Is Expanding

Currently, only 11% of media coverage mentions other healthcare companies, but this is expected to grow. As the spotlight expands, even companies not currently in the crosshairs may find themselves scrutinized. Proactive monitoring and analysis are essential to mitigate reputational risks.

3. Political and Regulatory Risks Are Increasing

Companies may face backlash for lobbying efforts that appear to prioritize profits over patients. Moreover, short-term fixes, such as cost-cutting initiatives or increased transparency, may not satisfy public and media demands for systemic change. Healthcare communicators must collaborate closely with policy and operations teams to advocate for meaningful, sustainable reforms.

4. Public Trust Hinges on Authentic Action

Trust is the foundation of healthcare brands. In a landscape dominated by patient dissatisfaction and political pressure, companies must take authentic, proactive steps to address systemic challenges. This means going beyond surface-level initiatives to implement strategies that genuinely improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities

The healthcare industry is at a pivotal moment. As the trial of Luigi Mangione unfolds, the sector could face even greater scrutiny. This trial, and others like it, may bring previously unexamined practices and policies into the public eye, sparking further debate about systemic healthcare issues.

For healthcare communicators, the path forward involves:

Collaborating on Systemic Solutions: Working with stakeholders to develop long-term strategies that address root causes rather than symptoms.

Engaging Patient-Centric Strategies: Proactively sharing success stories and initiatives that directly address patient concerns.

Enhancing Transparency: Demonstrating how the company is addressing affordability, claim denials, and other key concerns.

The Bottom Line

Healthcare communicators have an opportunity to position their brands as leaders in addressing systemic challenges while maintaining trust with both shareholders and the public. By prioritizing patient-centric narratives, understanding sector-wide trends, and advocating for meaningful change, they can help guide their organizations through this volatile and highly scrutinized landscape.

Learn how PublicRelay’s data-driven insights can support healthcare communicators in navigating these challenges.   

Watch On Demand at PRSA

The polarizing environment of the 2024 U.S. election season has made communicators more cautious than ever. There is significant concern about being pulled into political discourse because of the potential for misrepresentation and resulting reputational harm.

Unfortunately, concerns of this nature aren’t likely to dissipate anytime soon. It remains critical for communicators to be able to quickly identify political mentions and respond appropriately.

Using real data from media coverage around this year’s election, this PRSA Learning Webinar will discuss how a combination of predictive technology and human assessment can help communicators respond to being brought into political discussions by identifying:

• Articles that require a prioritized response (i.e., those that are likely to go viral).
• Increasing trends in mentions of your brand surrounding a particular topic area.
• Risk areas for political discussion based on mentions of your competitors or peer brands.

By joining this webinar, participants will:

• Learn how to best respond to potential predictions
• Understand the capabilities of current predictive analytical approaches that benefit communicators.
• Explore the foundation needed and methodology used to make accurate predictions.
• Gain awareness of some of the pitfalls of predictive solutions.

This webinar was hosted by PRSA. Watch on demand here.

The recent CrowdStrike outage has generated significant media coverage. We examined how various sectors and companies were mentioned to gain insight into the media’s priorities and their brand impact.

In short – and rather unexpectedly – the event had minimal negative impact on most companies’ media coverage, while for some, coverage was actually brand-positive.

Essential Services and Media Focus

We analyzed coverage of the CrowdStrike story across all the sectors in our Benchmark dataset, which tracks 49 global organizations across 9 industries, and found surprisingly low volumes across all of our non-Tech sectors.

However, our data shows the Finance sector was mentioned most out of our tracked industries, following a broader pattern where coverage gravitated toward sectors where disruption was most palpable to the public, such as everyday banking services.

Most coverage about the CrowdStrike outage focused on disruptions to time-sensitive essential public services like transport, healthcare and emergency services. A prominent example in transportation is Delta, who even 5 days after the incident is still having to cancel flights due to the issue, generating sustained media coverage as a result. Nonessential businesses, on the other hand, were generally spared scrutiny.

Starbucks: The Unexpected Essential Service

A deeper dive into the data by company surfaced Starbucks as the most mentioned brand, with 10 articles covering the impact of the outage on its services. This is striking given that Starbucks is a coffee retailer, not typically associated with critical infrastructure or essential services. The high media attention highlights an interesting perspective: Starbucks has become a significant part of many people’s daily lives, to the extent that disruptions to its service are considered noteworthy.

The media focus and portrayal of Starbucks as an essential service highlights how deeply the brand is embedded in daily life. Articles often included quotes from social media users that suggested that, for many, a day without their Starbucks coffee is a significant inconvenience, akin to disruptions in banking or transportation. In fact, in some instances, Starbucks closures were mentioned in the very same headline as these more essential services.

Mentions such as these were largely lighthearted in nature, with social media commentary from customers more so lamenting that their typical coffee routine was disrupted rather than placing any sort of blame on Starbucks itself. This spotlight on Starbucks generated a narrative that the brand is crucial for daily functioning, a testament to its strong market presence. For Starbucks, therefore, the CrowdStrike outage turned out to be brand-positive.

Preparing for the Next Outage

Communicators can expect that if a similarly widespread outage occurs in the future, it is unlikely to affect the majority of brands’ media reputation. Disruptions to time-sensitive essential services will draw most of the negative media attention, while businesses offering non-essential or non-time-sensitive products and services can fly under the radar.

For some lucky companies, a short disruption to services could even remind the public how beloved and essential their brand has become. This phenomenon underscores the importance of building a strong brand presence and fostering deep customer connections which can act as a buffer during crises such as this one.

To learn more about our research, contact us here.