Ipsos Unveils Reputation Council Report 2025
Ipsos has released the eighteenth edition of its Reputation Council Report, identifying the key trends emerging in corporate communication and reputation management.
Informed by in-depth interviews with a record 161 communications leaders globally, this year’s report, "The Eye of the Storm," highlights the shifting role of Chief Communications Officers (CCOs) from messenger to strategic sense-maker within organisations, and serves as a strategic guide for communicators striving to adapt their strategies in the face of uncertainty, tensions, and upheaval.
In today’s world of polycrisis, the report finds that “Strategic Silence” has emerged as a crucial approach for CCOs to navigate complex global landscapes.
A significant 32% of Reputation Council Members now favour strategic silence over outspoken corporate activism on divisive issues, with only one in five (21%) preferring for their organisation to speak out. This pivot underscores a growing preference for cautious, calculated engagement in a landscape fraught with geopolitical, social, and technological complexities.
“Communications leaders are operating in a state of persistent turbulence,” says Milorad Ajder, Global Service Line Leader, Corporate Reputation, Ipsos. “Our report reflects the evolution of the CCO’s role to strategic navigator, providing nuance, clarity and actionable insights to the C-Suite in the face of ongoing geopolitical, social, and technological storms.”
The rise in “Strategic Silence” is exemplified by a calculated shift that Council Members identify in ESG communications. 80% anticipate that businesses will adopt a more tentative stance in ESG communications over the next year, and 75% agree that corporate leaders are actively diluting their commitments to ESG. However, despite this caution in public discourse, 52% of CCOs still recognise ESG as fundamentally changing the way businesses operate today, and many foresee a gradual but radical transformation in the longer-term, when the principles of ESG will be integrated into their organisation’s DNA and core strategy.
"The move from corporate activism to Strategic Silence is a deliberate, risk-assessed response to an increasingly polarised world," adds Ajder. "CCOs are now prioritising authentication over amplification, embedding ESG principles into core business strategy and engaging in discreet, targeted communication with key stakeholders."
This nuanced understanding underscores the need for corporations to balance principled commitments with pragmatic communication strategies in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape – an approach made easier by the fact that 91% of Council Members say they have direct and sufficient access to CEOs. As well as underscoring the vital advisory role they play in shaping corporate strategy, this increased access exemplifies the trust placed in communications leaders as they interpret the chaotic external environments for their organisations.
The report also uncovers a paradox in the use of AI among communicators. Despite 57% of Council Members reporting daily use of AI, only 43% feel they use it "meaningfully," marking a sharp decline from 58% last year. Additionally, a concerning 67% believe existing ethical policies are inadequate to support AI adoption in their organisations.
This suggests that the initial enthusiasm for AI is being replaced by a more nuanced understanding of its potential and challenges. As leaders become more familiar with AI's complexities, their expectations for what constitutes "meaningful" use continue to escalate, acknowledging both the opportunities and the ethical and reputational risks involved as organisations move from adoption to strategic integration.
This year’s Ipsos Reputation Council Report aims to serve as a playbook for communicators in the eye of the storm, in an era where silence and reflective analysis are often more powerful than vocal stances. The findings foster a continued dialogue on the evolving responsibilities and opportunities faced by corporate communication leaders amid chaotic external pressures.
For further insights and to access the full report, visit https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-reputation-council-report-2025.
Methodological Note
161 in-depth interviews were carried out with Reputation Council Members between February and June 2025, either in person, by telephone or video call. Data may not total 100% due to rounding.
