Burson launches AI-powered tool to link reputation with shareholder value

Burson has unveiled a proprietary AI-powered platform that aims to redefine how brands measure, manage and monetise its reputation in real-time.

Dubbed "Reputation capital", the new solution is the latest addition to Burson’s innovation portfolio, designed to help brands connect reputational signals with tangible business outcomes from stock price movements to purchase intent.

Available via WPP’s open platform, the tool pulls signals from news, social media, client-owned data and more, offering an always-on reputation score and near-instant analysis of the eight key levers of brand reputation, including leadership, innovation and corporate responsibility.

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The platform is also designed to anticipate reputational risks and opportunities in near real-time, forecasting which specific drivers will have the strongest impact on business performance. In one study of the tech sector, Burson found that a one percent increase in a company’s reputation score could equate to up to US$2.4 billion in added shareholder value.

Reputation capital was developed in collaboration with Augmented Intelligence Labs, an Oxford University enterprise, and is powered by Burson’s proprietary cognitive AI solution, Decipher, built with Limbik.

The launch comes as brands face increasing pressure to respond to cultural, financial and reputational risks in real time and to prove the ROI of their communications strategies at board level.

Speaking to the tool’s potential, Corey duBrowa, global CEO of Burson said “Our core belief at Burson is that reputation is the most valuable asset that any organisation possesses. With 'Reputation capital', we're pinpointing the specific drivers of reputation, forecasting the impact of potential actions, connecting these insights directly to business outcomes, and pairing them with expert counsel.”

“This profiling exercise underscores the critical role of reputation in driving financial outcomes. For boards, it makes reputation a more tangible asset for every company and brand," he added. 

Meanwhile, Chad Latz, global chief innovation officer, Burson, said the tool "changes the game by providing a dynamic understanding of a brand’s reputation in the marketplace and predicting the impact of actions relative to key business metrics.”

“The tool gives leaders an unprecedented level of specificity, including insight into which elements of reputation such as integrity or creativity are generating disproportionate value," added Grant Toups, global chief digital and intelligence officer, Burson. 

In tandem, Felipe Thomaz, associate professor of marketing, Oxford University, and co-founder of Augmented Intelligence Labs called it "an exceptionally advanced platform that takes the most comprehensive view of reputation and provides the most actionable intelligence of anything that’s currently on the market.”

Burson is not the only agency tapping into the power of AI in recent months. 

Earlier this month, R/GA launched a global AI Products team to help brands develop custom AI-enabled products, with creative technologist Ben Cooper appointed as global executive director, AI products.

The move signals a deep investment in AI innovation at the agency, backed by R/GA’s newly established US$50 million Innovation Fund. The multidisciplinary team brings together AI consultants, designers, and developers with experience delivering more than 100 AI products for major tech firms and global brands.

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