Trust Begins with Actions

1. Can PR build trust if business reality tells a different story? 

MAB: We don’t believe PR can build trust if business reality continually contradicts it. It can “buy” trust in the short term, explain the context, soften reactions and open up space for dialogue, but it cannot indefinitely serve as a substitute for a good product, responsible business practices or a positive customer experience. In our line of work, we often say that PR is not there to conceal a company’s weaknesses, but to present what it truly is in the right way. When there is a gap between what a company communicates and what its customers or the public actually experience, the problem cannot be solved in the long term through communication alone. Communication can be part of the solution, but it must be accompanied by real change. Sometimes, the best PR strategy is precisely to change what happens behind the communication. 

2. How long can good communication keep a negative public experience under control? 

TB: Today, not for very long. The public has far more ways to check whether what a company says aligns with its own experience. A well-crafted post or campaign can change the tone of the conversation, but it cannot change what someone has actually experienced as a customer, employee or business partner. And this is where we see one of the biggest changes in our profession. In the past, we focused much more on managing information; today, we focus much more on managing expectations. If you promise more than you can deliver, communication simply accelerates the moment when that gap becomes visible. 

3. Does a company’s reputation today depend more on what it does than on what it says? 

MAB: I think that has always been the case, but I would say that what matters most is what people experience, rather than simply what a company does or says. Today, reputation is built through countless small interactions with a brand and a company. You can have an excellent campaign, but if a customer fails to get an answer to their question three times, if an employee tells a different story, or if a product fails to live up to its promise, those experiences become part of the company’s reputation. That is where we come in: to understand our clients’ businesses and help them build and maintain a strong reputation.

4. What should a PR agency do when a client wants to communicate a message that reality does not support? 

TB: Tell them it is not a good idea. I think this is one of those moments when it becomes clear whether you are truly a partner and advisor to your client or merely a supplier. Saying “no” is not always easy, especially when a client has a very clear idea of what they want to communicate. But our job is not to craft a message that sounds good at any cost. Our job is to protect a company’s credibility, both in the short and the long term. If reality does not support a particular message today, we have two options: change reality or change the message. Anything in between is quite risky and ethically questionable. Once trust is lost, rebuilding it takes far more time and effort than building it on honesty from the outset. 

5. Can a campaign restore trust after a serious reputational mistake? 

MAB: A campaign alone certainly cannot. However, change and a serious process of rebuilding trust can make a difference, and a campaign can be part of that process — but only once there is something new and concrete the company can demonstrate. When a company makes a serious mistake, people do not expect a perfect slogan. They expect accountability, an explanation and evidence that things will be done differently. Only then does communication have something meaningful to say. In situations like these, it is far more important for us to ask what we can change than what we will publish about it. If we do not have a clear answer to the first question, it is unlikely that the communication that follows will be effective.

6. Is the biggest PR challenge today managing the message or managing the gap between the message and reality? 

TB: The gap is a much bigger challenge. When we are involved strategically, we can develop a message fairly quickly. But we cannot change reality or relationships with different stakeholder groups overnight. In my opinion, this is where the true value of a good PR advisor lies. It is not difficult to tell a client what they want to hear. Our job, however, is to be honest and tell them when the message they want to communicate does not align with what is actually happening. Today, practically everything can be verified, and every experience can become public. That is why companies need to understand that the best PR, now and in the future, is PR that is close enough to the business to influence what the company does, not just what it says.