Corporate reputation has officially crossed over from boardroom buzzword to balance-sheet muscle. A new global study by communications firm Burson has quantified reputation as a measurable financial asset, estimating the size of the global “Reputation Economy” at $7.07 trillion.
According to the research, companies with strong reputations generate an average of 4.78% in additional unexpected annual shareholder returns, above what traditional financial performance metrics would predict. In dollar terms, this “reputation return” can range from $2 million to as much as $202 billion per company.
The study, titled The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era, analyzed 66 publicly traded companies across global markets between October 2024 and October 2025. Using Burson’s AI-driven Reputation Capital methodology, the research tracked how reputation drivers such as governance, innovation, leadership and workplace practices translate directly into shareholder value.
“For decades, leaders understood that reputation mattered, but couldn’t price it,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO of Burson. “This research moves reputation from intuition to investment-grade reality.”
AI and the Workplace Become the New Reputation Flashpoint
One of the study’s most striking findings centres on how companies manage employees in the age of artificial intelligence. While workplace issues ranked lowest in perceived importance among reputation drivers, they showed one of the widest performance gaps between top- and bottom-performing companies.
Burson warns that organisations treating AI primarily as a cost-cutting tool risk long-term reputational damage. In contrast, companies investing in reskilling and workforce transition stand to earn a “reputation dividend.”
“Businesses need an AI people strategy, not just an AI strategy,” said Matt Reid, Burson’s Global Corporate and Public Affairs Lead. “How companies handle this transition sends a powerful signal about how they value their people.”
Sector Winners, Losers and Recovery Paths
The research shows that reputation leaders outperform across all eight drivers measured, including innovation, products and governance. Top-performing companies scored between 11 and 15 points higher on each driver than their peers.
In contrast, the finance sector emerged as one of the biggest reputational underperformers, with declines across leadership, governance and citizenship. Burson estimates that $4.3 billion, or 38% of the sector’s reputational value, is currently at risk.
Interestingly, traditionally high-risk industries such as aerospace and energy are rebuilding reputation from the inside out. Instead of marketing-led narratives, gains are being driven by improvements in governance, workplace practices and operational integrity.
Reputation Moves From Soft Power to Hard Value
Burson’s Asia-Pacific CEO, HS Chung, said the findings are particularly relevant for Asian companies competing on the global stage, where disciplined reputation management is becoming a strategic necessity rather than a communications function.
The study concludes that reputation is no longer an abstract concept or crisis-management tool, but a dynamic asset that directly influences enterprise value.
Companies that actively measure and manage reputation, the research suggests, will be better positioned to navigate volatility, attract capital and sustain long-term growth.
