At a time when corporate reputations can be built—or dismantled—in a single news cycle, the country’s top communications leaders are underscoring one resounding truth: reputation is no longer a passive by-product of doing business. It is a deliberate strategy.
This point was driven home during the 32nd National PR Congress in Manila, where Joe Zaldarriaga, Vice President and Head of Communications at Meralco, led the panel discussion titled “By the Numbers: Putting a Value to Reputation and Relationships.” Joining him onstage were Richard Arboleda (Country Communications, Government Affairs & Market Access Head of GSK), Nina Franco (Country Manager of Brand Finance), Toff Rada (Head of Corporate Affairs at Maya), and Marzie Marzan (Co-founder & CEO of Alpas Consultancy).
Zaldarriaga, a stalwart in the industry with nearly four decades of experience, delivered a message that resonated across the C-suite:
“After almost four decades in communications, I’ve seen reputation evolve from a reactive concern to a strategic asset. What communicators have long known is now clear to the C-suite: a company’s reputation is not a soft metric. It is a high-value, intangible asset that must be actively managed, protected, and nurtured.”
Building reputation in peacetime The panel agreed: reputation must be built during calm waters, not just managed when storms hit. Companies often treat reputation as an emergency lever, pulled only during crisis. But as Zaldarriaga emphasized, reputation is more than crisis containment—it is trust accumulation.
By weaving compelling narratives, building stakeholder intelligence, and using strategic foresight, companies can create a “reputation reserve” that cushions them in times of volatility. Zaldarriaga described it as maintaining a “reputation savings account,” making regular deposits of goodwill through transparency, community engagement, and alignment with stakeholder values.
From storytellers to strategic advisors Gone are the days when corporate communicators were simply tasked with managing press releases or social media channels. They are now expected to be strategic advisors who influence corporate direction.
“As communicators, we are not just storytellers. We are strategic advisors, risk mitigators, and architects of trust,” Zaldarriaga told the audience. “Our impact may not always be visible in every aspect, but it echoes in every stakeholder relationship, every policy win, and every crisis quietly averted.”
This shift mirrors a broader industry transformation: communications leaders are now aligning their strategies more closely with overarching business objectives. Corporate affairs teams are under increasing pressure to demonstrate commercial value—quantifying how their work influences policy outcomes, improves regulatory engagement, and strengthens reputation to drive financial returns.
The tangible value of an intangible asset Reputation might be intangible, but its effects on the bottom line are anything but. A strong reputation can lower customer acquisition costs, raise stock prices, improve financing terms, and even reduce insurance premiums. It attracts top talent, boosts employee morale, and fosters trust among partners and regulators—critical for expansion, mergers, and acquisitions.
Conversely, reputational damage can be financially devastating. A single scandal can erase billions in market value and derail years of growth. That is why reputation management must be proactive, continuous, and embedded in corporate strategy. The future of strategic reputation management Strategic reputation management reframes the business environment as a communicative ecosystem—where meaning, perception, and trust define organizational success or failure. As communications scholars Pekka Aula and Saku Mantere note in their book Strategic Reputation Management, companies can deploy specific reputation strategies to shape stakeholder relationships and sustain their “license to operate.”
The takeaway from the PR Congress is clear: reputation is not a decorative flourish to be polished during good times or repaired during bad. It is the invisible architecture upon which brands, businesses, and trust are built.
In Zaldarriaga’s words, reputation is no longer “nice to have”—it is a strategic currency. And for companies striving to thrive in a hyperconnected world, it may well be their most valuable asset.
