Top Companies South Africa 2021

TSCA 2021
Managing reputation in uncertain times
DR SIFISO FALALA
As we ponder what the
pandemic means for
the future it becomes
obvious that it will
require a change of
attitude towards what we consider
important. While the importance of
the environment needs to catch up
with the rate of unfriendly corporate
and public practices, the pandemic
has thrown into the mix several other
questions. It has demonstrated the
supremacy of human life, health and
wellbeing. We are witnessing a future
world in which businesses are there
to interpret their role as co-architects
Media Torque & Events is grateful for
the unique opportunity to partner with
Plus 94 Research in an endeavour
to award the outstanding business
acumen of companies, its executives
and its staff for adapting to the
New Normal and in the process
successfully repositioned them in a
changed world during the COVID-19
global pandemic.
Grappling with issues which had
never before featured on the success
agenda of companies, those we
honour with the Top Companies
South Africa – Reputation Index
Award, had understood and
applied new criteria to birth a new
corporate tomorrow and successfully
weathered a constantly changing
marketplace.
While some had lost their footing,
the re-branding methods of these top
companies would continue to pave
the way for others in a quest to be
relevant. The men and women at the
top of the hierarchies of our winning
companies realised that their vision
and ability to adapt to changes out
of their control called for a new
mind-set and a can-do attitude. At
the same time, acknowledging the
importance of a loyal, willing and
capable workforce had seen these
companies evolve into successful
corporate benchmarks.
Consumers had become more
critical of the brands they support
and a holistic, sustainable
alternative for the profit-before-allof
a successful society. To that extent
the role of reputation and reputation
measurement is emphasized.
Leadership is critical for success
and sustainability in any undertaking
in both formal and informal settings.
It gives society its vision and
direction. Successful societies and
businesses have successful leaders.
This is the reason that reputation
measurements are often directed
at leaders, for it is they that can
engineer change in society.
Business leaders need to make
decisions and cannot run away
from that responsibility. It should be
amply demonstrated that not making
a decision at all, is in fact a default
decision (to not act). We are proud
to be associated with Media Torque,
especially as the subject matter at
hand is corporate reputation. Our
society does not lack the drive to
succeed. At times we find it hard
to agree what constitutes success,
and hence the importance of a
benchmark, such as this, for the
measurement and dissemination of
the drivers of reputation.
Celebrating
leaders who are
setting a new
agenda in a new era
NTHABISENG MOKAKE
else bottom line was needed. These
winning companies had addressed
concerns regarding health, wellness,
community needs and personal
fulfilment of their respective
workforces. After all, the impact of
the pandemic forced us all to take a
new, hard look at the world we had
created.
The pandemic had forever changed
the playing field, the way in which
businesses operate, how messages
are packaged and how products
and services are promoted. A Plus
94 study and a similar Harvard
published paper explored new
insights by applying quantitative
research methodologies to enable
respondents to recognise their
favourite brand. An extensive list of
reputational assessment pillars was
applied to these company and their
reputation drivers.
Dr Sifiso Falala, Chief Executive
Officer of Plus 94 Research, had put it
aptly in his statement that the factors
which influence reputational risk
had evolved, with the impact of the
pandemic shaking up perspectives
on what really matters.
This award ceremony is a tribute to
those brands which outperformed the
rest of the pack during these testing
times and we believe would continue
to lead the way into the future.
TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 02

TSCA 2021
Post-pandemic business calls
for new approach
ALEX ROSE-INNES
According to Dr Falala, Chief Executive
Officer of Plus 94 Research, the factors
influencing reputational risk had evolved,
with the impact of Covid-19, forever
changing perspectives on what really matters.
He said that altered consumer behaviour and
consumption models were likely to be far
longer-term than initially thought.
The major question for now is how branding
reputation can respond to these changes to
become more agile and impactful and drive
real differentiation?
COVID-19 had influenced the
business environment and market
place, engendering new consumer
trends calling for a rethink of whatever
had been considered as “normal”
before. There is no going back and it
is not a question of rebranding only,
but one of re-doing, clearing the way
for a holistic business approach.
The question foremost on the
minds of senior executives is how the
changed business landscape can be
sustainably rebuilt post-COVID-19.
Plus 94 Research, which had
partnered with Media Torque &
Events to award South Africa’s
(SA’s) Top Companies for 2021,
publishes an annual reputation index
study, taking into account key drivers
of brand recognition and reputation.
Applying data from 2001, trends
are studied in- depth to provide an
overview of the top 188 (according
to 2021 rating) companies in the
country.
As customers become increasingly
critical of brands they support,
strategic changes, underscored by
proper due diligence, are called for.
The new normal or if you wish, reality,
necessitates addressing consumer
concerns first of all. These include
health, wellness, community and
personal fulfilment. The competitive
landscape had completely changed
and only those brands which are
sustainable in the long run would
successfully weather the changes.
The Plus 94 Research Reputation
Index had applied quantitative
research methodologies to explore
the significant post-pandemic
changes. The research was
conducted with Tablet-Assisted
Personal Interviewing (TAPI) and
provides insight into open-ended
questions and analysis of 188 top
companies, according to 2021
industry information.
Dealing with evolved market
conditions, as a result of the negative
economic impact on all industry
sectors, should be top of the strategic
planning agenda. Sustainability
had become the name of the new
game and identifying and supplying
new products and services to meet
consumer expectations should focus
on creativity. Marketing campaigns
and the use of all types of media
should be re-evaluated and properly
analysed to provide operational
options.
Insights provided by Top Companies
SA (TCSA) would enable businesses
to successfully benchmark their
reputation against those of their
competitors.
The focus for brands
needs to be less about
how they can stand out
and more fundamentally
about how they can be
of use to consumers,
especially during these
testing times and beyond
- Nthabiseng Mokake,
MD Media Torque &
Events
An extremely successful webinar
was held at the end of August to
provide insights on the methodology
implemented in the survey. The
winners of the 2021 Top Companies
South Africa (TCSA) will be
announced at an online awards
ceremony on October 27.
TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 03

TSCA 2021
Winning leadership calls
for adaptabilty
ALEX ROSE-INNES
There is no denying the
pandemic had forever
changed, not only the
human life experience
around the globe, but
nowhere had the need for novel
approaches been greater than in
the business arena. Leadership
had undergone massive changes
and the bottom line is not focussed
just on profit anymore, but winning
leadership calls for adaptability and
agility in a complex and uncertain
new world.
The IBM Institute for Business Value
had published an in-depth report
on key opportunities to effectively
respond to change and addressed
leadership myths. The playing field
had become a grey area wherein
accepted core competencies of a
mere two years ago, had changed.
Those who adapted and showed
resilience during COVID-19 and
managed to embrace the Fourth
Industrial Revolution (4IR) at the
same time, would pave the way for a
new type of leader in the future.
Today’s top echelon of executives
had moved towards emphasising
workforce safety and security,
cost management and enterprise
agility. According to IBM research,
the business world should plan for
another prioritising shift within the
next 24 months.
Change remains
the name of the
game as leaders
plan for an
uncertain future –
IBM Institute for
Business Value
Transformation had become the
name of the game as part of a
continuously digital landscape.
Post-COVID, the world of passé
entrenched ideas and barriers are
making way for amplified flexibility
to counteract disruption, rapidly
evolving customer expectations
and an unprecedented pace
of digital change. Motivation is
not aspirational, it had become
existential and old-school beliefs
had been swept under the carpet.
The future has arrived and is
being governed by accelerated
digital transformation as workers
were moved to remote platforms
and supply chains had been
redressed to produce ondemand.
Mandatory to business
competency is the ability to adapt
to a new normal.
Whereas senior executives in the
past encountered resistance to
change from boards of directors,
66% were now quoted in the IBM
research paper as being enabled
to complete initiatives based
ON novel methodology. Experts
opined that this culture shift was
in part defensive with reducing
costs as the top benefit attributed
to transformation initiatives.
Technical platforms and those
who use them had delivered
results. Previous barriers to
implementation were brushed
aside and globally, companies
and organisations acknowledge
a 64% shift to increased cloudbased
activities which resulted
in permanent changes to
organisational strategies.
The figures speak for themselves
as 55% - 64% of organisations had
embraced Post-COVID strategies
which include large investment
into Artificial Intelligence (AI), the
Internet of Things (IoT), block
chain and cloud. Technophiles
had become the backbone of an
organisation. Chatbots are used
to immediately connect with and
react to customer queries.
Workforce training and
customer experience, which
had only played a 35% part in
organisational structures two
years ago, had risen to 84%
as most executives expect
changed customer behaviour
to continue after the pandemic.
Organisations are now more
focused than ever on retaining
staff with the right skills by also
focusing on their well-being.
They are not just paid to do a job
anymore, but had become the
heart of an organisation and are
being treated as such. However,
it is a fine line as machines take
over many jobs and those in
leadership positions would be
wise to ensure that the future of
staff members, who steered the
company through the pandemic,
is part of its overall strategy for
success.
As executive priorities became
rather fluid and the trauma of
pandemic stress literally hijacked
existing corporate strategies,
leaders are focusing inward and
not merely at external growth.
At the top of the spectrum is
cost management, enterprise
agility, cyber security, IT and new
product development to improve
customer experience.
According to the IBM survey,
executives across the globe are
increasingly focusing on crisis
management, safety and security,
with IT and supply-chain reliability
as major goals. One has not to
look any further than the recent
Transnet debacle that brought
the state-owned enterprise to its
knees when its data was hacked.
With a new appreciation of the
risks posed by crises such as
a pandemic, the commitment
to business agility, AI, data and
analytics and other emerging
technologies had grown
substantially and 94% of top
executives plan to participate in
platform-based business models.
It is true that COVID-19 had not
impacted all organisations and
industries equally. Economists
had labelled it as a “K-shaped”
consumer environment, where
some thrive and others languish.
The Amazons and Apples of
the world may be examples of
successful solo players, but most
businesses need partnerships
and ecosystems. And scale alone
does not predict above-industry
performance. The successful
interrelationships between
size and flexibility are defining
characteristics of successful
businesses. Executives expected
health-related sectors to be the
most likely post-crisis winners
with the losers’ list including
travel and transportation
and manufacturing-intensive
industries such as the automotive
industry. Health had become the
key to sustainability, together with
authenticity and environmental
positivity. Realising that people
and the planet are intrinsically
linked, corporations are now
required to reduce carbon
footprints and address waste
management.
Businesses are partnering up
and a renewed focus on essential
workers, competitiveness,
new business ventures and
expansions had been noted. The
question is where do we go from
here?
All the new challenges indicate
that there is no going back
to what had been before and
organisational complexity
remained the biggest hurdle
to progress, even leading to
employee burnout.
The new normal presents a
unique opportunity to build better
businesses and a better world.
Winning leaders realise that
enabling a diverse workforce
to perform optimally, as well as
building trust and confidence
among employees, would be
critical to success. The human
value would as never before have
the biggest impact on perceptions
and value in the future.
Time is of the essence and action
should be taken now and only
those who lead with inspirational
values would survive the postpandemic
business environment.
This new normal leaves no time
for complacency or the-good-olddays
nostalgia. There is no going
back. . Benjamin Franklin said
“…..everything seems to promise
it will be durable; but in this world,
nothing is certain except death
and taxes.” Those leaders who
prepare for ongoing uncertainty,
inevitable disruption and neverending
change, would be
the ones who lead the wbusiness
industry into unchartered waters
to benefit all.
TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 04

TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 05

The role of business
In creating an inclusive society
THABO MOHLALA
Social inclusivity is no longer an
option but it is a fundamental
business imperative particularly in
the rapidly evolving and innovating
world. Experts believe that
companies that have embedded
and prioritised social inclusion
as part of their business culture
are likely to perform better and to
realise their returns on investments.
This is because they draw a lot on
their employees’ diverse cultures,
viewpoints and gender which in
turn help the business to enrich and
optimise their operations.
Maximising business success
Shirley Engelmeier, the chief
executive and founder of
InclusionINC, believes inclusion
is like a call to action within the
workforce and aims to actively
involve and tap into every
employee’s ideas “knowledge,
perspectives, approaches, and
styles to maximise business
success”. She reckons businesses
that have adopted social inclusivity
are always ahead of their rivals
as they are able to pool together
diverse ideas for innovation and
performance.
Alan Jope, chief executive of
Unilever, is also a strong advocate
for social inclusion. Since he took
the helm in 2019 Jope identified
social inclusivity as an integral
part of Unilever’s operations in
all 190 countries. He uses it as
a lever through which Unilever
can contribute towards achieving
a more equitable and inclusive
society. Jope ensured that social
inclusion is expanded to encompass
other social components such as
women, youth, under-represented
and marginalised groups such as
people with disabilities, LGBTQI+
communities and other racial and
ethnic minorities.
Improving livelihood
Jope said the Covid-19 pandemic
has “undoubtedly widened the
social divide, and decisive and
collective action is needed to
build a society that helps to
improve livelihoods, embraces
diversity, nurtures talent and offers
opportunities for everyone.” Through
its ‘Sustainable Living Plan’ Unilever
aims to enhance the livelihood of
its employees and the communities
in which it operates by making sure
people earn a living wage to cover
their basic needs such as food,
housing and healthcare, said Jope.
Diversity and inclusion
In South Africa the creation of social
inclusion is even more crucial given
the history of racial and social
exclusion policies. South Africa and
Brazil have long occupied the top
spot as the world’s most socially
unequal countries where the gap
between the rich and poor keeps
widening. Four South African big
brands recently received accolades
for embracing and implementing
diversity and social inclusivity. They
were featured among the top 100
most diverse workplaces in the
world by the Thomson Reuters
Diversity & Inclusion Index, which
profiles global companies that
are leading the way in integrating
diversity and inclusion into their
company strategy.
The four companies are Woolworths
Holdings (ranked 24th overall),
Vodacom (42nd), Clicks Group
(58th) and Nedbank (95th). The
Thomas Reuters index scored
the companies mainly in terms
of diversity, inclusion, people
development. “Investors are keen
to see much more data related to
topics such as diversity to factor
these into their environment, social
and governance (ESG) strategies,
which have been gathering pace
over the last 12 months,” said
Thompson Reuters.
UN’s call for social inclusion
The promotion of an inclusive
society is also at the centre of the
UN’s agenda. Secretary-General
of the UN, António Guterres,
underscored the need for all key
sectors of society to implement
social integration policies as an
urgent priority. He said addressing
social inequalities is tied to the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals.
Guterres called on all partners
including big global corporates to
“fight against inequality, linking
global principles and policy knowhow
to local action”.
In its recent report titled: ‘The World
Social Report 2020: ‘Inequality in a
Rapidly Changing World’, released
by the global body’s department
of economic and social affairs, it
highlighted “the harsh realities of a
deeply unequal global landscape”.
The report further noted that “In
North and South alike, mass
protests have flared up, fuelled
by a combination of economic
woes, growing inequalities and job
insecurity. Income disparities and a
lack of opportunities are creating a
vicious cycle of inequality, frustration
and discontent across generations.”
Building partnerships
Various political pundits and
economists concur that the effects
of the Covid-19 pandemic will
undoubtedly endure for many years
to come. But they also feel it is
a disaster that should not be left
to waste. They say the pandemic
provides sobering lessons for
global leaders to rethink and reimagine
a new world order based
on inclusivity and other values that
promote global partnerships and
collaborations. The partnerships
are particularly more urgent as the
world is faced with two major threats
of climate change and glaring social
inequalities. These challenges
require alliances and collective
action to limit their impacts on
humanity.
Climate change report
Recent disasters in Australia,
Greece, Turkey and the US make
a compelling case for accelerated
multilateral interventions to address
the climate change. The first three
countries experienced almost
similar outbreaks of uncontrollable
and catastrophic wildfires forcing
thousands of residents to flee their
homes.
In the US Hurricane Ida triggered
unprecedented heavy flooding in the
cities of New York and New Jersey
causing mayhem and destruction.
Experts attribute these disasters to
the worsening climate change and
are predicting more similar tragedies
ahead. This was confirmed by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change’s recent report warning of
dire consequences if leaders do not
put measures in place to avert the
climate emergency.
TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 06

Top Companies South Africa
REPUTATION RATINGS 2021 | REPORT
Introduction
The reputation index of Top
Companies South Africa (TCSA)
gives a thorough ranking of South
Africa’s most reputable companies.
Once a year, Plus 94 conducts
the TCSA, a premium reputation
research study. The organisations
believes that a company’s reputation
is its most precious asset, and that
it has a direct impact on its ability to
grow and thrive.
TCSA asserts that brand
management and business
reputation management are not
the same thing. The opinions of
stakeholders about a company’s
reputation are crucial. Much
attention is spent on the more shortterm
operational aspects of a brand,
and insufficient time on longer-term
reputation. The TCSA awards offer
a gateway to an understanding and
the management of reputations.
TCSA uses a variety of reputational
pillars to evaluate each organisation,
which sets it distinct. The TCSA, on
the other hand, goes beyond simply
selecting the greatest companies by
offering actionable insights into what
generates reputation.
The Importance of Reputation
In the age of social media and online
customer review sites, reputation
management has never been
more complex. Because of the
convenience of the internet age, more
customers have a voice, as proven
by daily comments on websites like
Hello Peter and Trip Advisor. Before
making a purchase, many customers
rely on peer recommendations,
therefore maintaining a company’s
image is critical.
The TCSA Reputation Index was
created with the goal of identifying the
factors that influence a company’s
reputation, and thus its long-term
viability and profitability. Companies
can manage their reputation, but
they can’t always control or predict
it. Customers, suppliers, and other
stakeholders have control over it.
In order to build efficient reputation
management strategies as well
as client retention and loyalty
approaches, businesses must
undertake periodic brand audits.
TCSA’s insights can assist
businesses in evaluating their
reputation in comparison to their
primary competitors.
Understanding a company’s
reputation assists it to stay
competitive in a difficult economic
environment. A positive business
reputation is critical in a rising
economy, with pressing demands
to create more jobs, address
COVID-19 epidemic problems, as
well as grow and restructure the
organisation.
Methodology and Sample
The survey was conducted by Plus 94
Research using quantitative research
methodology. Additional open-ended
questions were incorporated to
elicit non-quantifiable ideas. The
respondents were interviewed face
to face utilising Tablet Assisted
Personal Interviewing (TAPI).
Because this was a public survey, it
was vital that the businesses picked
for consideration could be identified
quickly. The survey’s 2021 edition
looked at 200 of the most wellknown
companies. A total of over
209 businesses were included in the
2019 survey.
Due to COVID-19 constraints, no
surveys will be done in 2020. The
survey utilised eight important
reputation pillars to determine its
score. The pillars were weighted
according to their potential impact
on reputation to give each company
a score out of 100. The infographic
below contains further information
on the reputation pillars and their
weightings.
The total number of people in the
final sample was over 2000. To
account for the weight of purchasing
power in urban regions, the survey
was conducted in all nine provinces’
urban areas.
The majority of those who responded
were from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal,
and the Western Cape, which are
the most densely populated areas
in South Africa. Gauteng had 37%
of the respondents, KwaZulu Natal
had 15%, Western Cape has 15%,
Mpumalanga has 10%, Eastern
Cape had 7%, Free State had 6%,
North West has 5%, Limpopo has
3%, and Northern Cape has 2%.
The sample included people from
all major demographic groups,
including age, race, income, and
gender. Furthermore, 93 percent
of respondents fell into the Living
Standard Measures 5 to 10 category.
07

Top Companies South Africa, an initiative by:

TCSA 2021 Key Take-Outs
Scores for the Top 50 Companies ranged from a high of 82.24 to a low of 73.07.
Truworths was voted
the most trustworthy
company in South Africa.
Debonairs, Ackermens,
SABC, and Multichoice
were all listed after Truworths.
Truworths, Ackermans, and Mr
Price are three of the top ten retailers
in the fashion shopping category.
Dis-Chem and Pick n Pay
Healthcare, two pharmaceutical
retailers, stood out as having good
reputations.
The number of customers that
based their purchasing decisions on
the positive reputation of a company
remain study at 80% in 2021. This
result confirms the tendency for South
African’s to base their purchasing
choices on the good reputation. The
propensity of customers to avoid
purchasing from companies with
poor reputations is known as boycott
behaviour. The boycott behaviour
rates decreased from 55% in 2019
to 43% in 2021. The survey was not
in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdown
restrictions. The graph below shows
a trendline for purchasing decisions
since 2011.
Eighty percent of respondents
purposefully purchased goods
or services from a company
with a positive reputation. This
demonstrates the importance of
reputation in purchasing decisions.
43 percent of respondents said they
have stopped purchasing goods or
services from a company because of
its bad image.
Forty-five percent of respondents
think that companies are not doing
enough to address issues that
impact the country. Consumers are
no longer misled by non-relevant
corporate social responsibility and
are beginning to care, thus it is
critical for businesses to be good
corporate citizens. The following
are some examples of areas where
business can make a significant
contribution to society, according to
the respondents: job creation and
employment opportunities; excellent
customer service adapted to the
specific of customers; Community
development and upliftment;
donations, sponsorships, and
charitable support; food / food
parcels; supporting education
and skills development
programmes; assisting
disadvantaged communities;
supporting the government with
social initiatives such as crime, the
environment, health (e.g., COVID,
HIV), and sports; and support
projects that empower young
people.
26% of respondents admitted to
using social media to comment
about businesses either positively
or negatively. The results indicated
that the number was lower than in
previous years. The most popular
platform used was Facebook, while
the most talked-about company was
Shoprite Checkers. The propensity
to use social media as an outlet
indicates that businesses are highly
susceptible to public scrutiny.
The Top 50 Companies were ranked, each with a
score out of 100, for the past seven years.
10

TSCA 2021
Brand reputation in an era of
FAKE NEWS
THABO MOHLALA
The advent of social
media has signalled
a major technological
milestone across the
globe. It became a reliable
communication and marketing tool
both for social interactions and
business purposes.
Some of the benefits include,
among others, the fact that it is costeffective,
easy to set up and operate,
capable to drive traffic to website, it
builds and promotes brand loyalty
and awareness; provides real-time
feedback, reaches huge audience
and the message is likely to go viral.
But the platform has also shown
that it can be weaponised and
abused for wicked reasons such
as disseminating distorted and
manipulated information to cause
harm and irreparable damage.
Although fake news is not necessarily
a new phenomenon, social media
amplifies its potency, reach and
speed. Many powerful businesses
and political figures including
established global brands saw their
reputations and brand values built
over decades instantly eroded due
to the fake news.
Forestalling the risk
The first casualty of fake news is
reputation, considered to be the
heartbeat and the DNA of any
company. Companies that have
built strong reputations project a
sense of reliability, credibility and
trustworthiness. And this explains why
companies invest huge resources
and enlist services of experts
and specialised firms to monitor
and trawl social media platforms.
Through the use of sophisticated
artificial intelligence technologies
the experts are able to identify and
forestall possible risks posed by
fake news. Communications experts
advise company executives to brace
themselves for a fake news attack
at all times. And that they should
always have a plan on how they
can mitigate damage on their brand,
shareholders and consumers.
Damages caused by fake news
Examples of the damage fake news
can inflict in a company’s reputation
abounds. But two recent incidents
illustrate this point succinctly: the
Bell Pottinger’s fake news campaign
in South Africa and two similar
developments in the US.
Between 2016 and 2017, Oakbay
Capital, the then holding company
of the group of companies owned
by the fugitive Gupta brothers,
hired the infamous Bell Pottinger to
burnish their discredited image due
to their questionable political links.
The whole campaign was based on
stirring racial tensions by specifically
targeting white business owners.
They were projected as an organised
group that is aimed at sabotaging the
economy and deprive black people
economic opportunities.
Popularising hoax information
The Bell Pottinger’s campaign also
relied heavily on the use of bots 24/7
where Gupta employees and their
sympathisers churned out tomes of
fake news. They also created sham
countless accounts using hashtags
like #WhiteMonopolyCapital and
#RespectGuptas on Twitter and
Facebook to inflame race relations.
The campaign floundered leading to
the resignation of Timothy Bell, one
of the company’s co-founders.
In the US Donald Trump relied
heavily on social media to galvanise
support for his 2016 presidential
campaign. Just before the elections
his supporters spread fake news
and called for a boycott of Pepsi
products alleging that its CEO made
certain remarks which it was found
he never made. But the damage to
Pepsi’s brand was swift as the global
sentiments saw the stock prices
nosedived significantly. Another
incident related to a 2013 mishap
when Associated Press sent out a
tweet claiming two explosions went
off in the White House and that the
then president, Barack Obama,
was injured. Within minutes, an
estimated $130 billion in stock value
was reportedly lost.
Tried and tested approach
Experts say reacting promptly and
with honesty during a crisis remains
a tried and tested approach to
troubleshoot any possible damage.
Daniel Threlfall, a reputation
management specialist and trusted
voice, suggests specific proactive
steps that company executives can
take to protect their businesses
against any fake news damage.
Here are the
FIVE STEPS
• Admit your mistakes when they
happen
Fake news relies on old mistakes
which are then twisted to drive a
particular narrative. But this can
be nipped in the bud by owning by
owning up to your mistakes.
• Create robust, rapid-response
plans for each negative content risk
This should be preceded by a
brainstorming sessions to identify
reasons why someone might
use fake news against your
organisation. For each reason,
develop a thorough response plan
with actionable steps.
• Develop a positive social media
presence
One way to do so is by developing
a healthy and customer-first social
media presence that relies on facts
and transparency. If your company
is known for a friendly, open social
presence, you’ll have the advantage
when a problem arises.
• Reinforce employee conduct
policies
The best protection is prevention.
Make sure your employees all
understand and follow company
policies related to behaviour inside
and outside of the workplace.
If your employees are tweeting
controversial political opinions to
a wide audience, that may cause
problems in the future.
• Conduct reputation management
on executives
Finally, make sure executives in
your company are specifically
defended against this type of
information attack. Since executives
are often the target of fake news,
they’ll especially need protection.
TOP COMPANIES SOUTH AFRICA . REPUTATION INDEX 11