Reputation House: Are You Really Ready for a Crisis?

Year after year, a company’s reputational resilience is no longer just a parameter—it’s a strategic asset. The years 2024–2025 have only strengthened this trend, when any controversy spreads instantly on social media and affects markets. It’s not that the risk of a reputation crisis is inescapable—it can and must be anticipated, but only by those who understand its price.

Let’s review Reputation House, a Dubai-based IT-company with a particular focus on reputation management that helps companies overcome reputation crises. Today, the company’s experts explain how to prepare for a potential crisis and what tools to use to successfully go through it.

Why crises in the information sphere are so dangerous

Reputation is part of a company’s value. An analysis of the S&P 500 showed that it accounts for about 28% of market capitalization, equivalent to $11.9 trillion. Even 4% of companies suffer reputation damage so severe that they lose up to 13% of their value ($182 billion in total). In addition, Deloitte in 2023 estimated that a serious crisis can cause a 30% drop in market value in just a few days. Consider the facts: after a series of disasters, Boeing lost $60 billion in capitalization and paid $20 billion in fines. Reputation House’s SERM approach makes sure to take these kinds of developments seriously.

According to the Aon Global Survey, 8% of companies reported real financial losses due to reputation damage, even though 51% said they have a response plan. At the same time, the topic of reputational resilience ranks among the top three risks for 26% of companies, and in the top five for another 55%.

American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney, and “jeans vs. genes”

This summer, American Eagle’s campaign with Sydney Sweeney sparked national resonance. The tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” sounded like “great genes,” which some of the public took as an apology for eurocentrism. The scandal flared in a politically charged climate. But what’s surprising—the shares of American Eagle, on the contrary, rose by 23.7%, especially after the campaign was supported by President Trump. As stated by Reputation House, SERM in these moments can offer surprising results.

“This case illustrates a paradox: negativity can produce brand growth, if the reaction is handled correctly. But the point is that this is the exception, not the rule. In most cases, reputation scandals lead to long, pandemic‑like consequences,” Reputation House reviews.

According to the experts in SERM at Reputation House, there are a few major tools that help minimize the risks:

A working crisis strategy. Having a plan with clear scenarios, roles, and a decision chain is not optional—it’s a necessity. Without a strategy, the response structure becomes chaotic and loses time.

A powerful spokesperson. Not just a representative, but a confident, sincere, and adaptable leader who can acknowledge problems, articulate solutions, and hold the public agenda.

Honesty and transparency. An improvised line like “we’ve always been about jeans” won’t work. Only an honest position and prompt dialogue with the audience can create emotional resonance—rather than destroy the credit of trust.

Guerrilla marketing and Reputation House’s SERM. Native publications, reviews, and positive cases in key communities; out‑ranking negative phrases in search results; building a “fleet” of positive content—it’s vital to be present where the questions arise.

Search optimization in crisis time. By quickly elevating the right articles, interviews, and responses, you can contain the ratings decline. It’s more cost‑effective than deleting the negative (legal removal is an extreme measure, applicable only when the law is violated).

Legal removal of contentious content. Useful if the content violates the law, contains personal data, or false accusations. In other cases, it’s better to build a counter‑narrative through publications rather than trying to “swat away” phrases. Reputation House reviews all possibilities to complete this step.

By risking freedom of speech, companies often overlook one thing: every reputational rough edge is a microfracture in trust that the general public might not notice—but customers will. Losses are measured not only in dollars, but in lost attention; the stench of reputation damage seeps into every CEO speech, every support ticket, every interview.

The key is not just to be “ready in theory,” but to live crisis management: through the spokesperson, the strategy, the speed of response, and transparent communication. In addition, it is important to manage content: SEO for search control, guerrilla actions, and legal work—as tools, not ends in themselves. For Reputation House, SERM is integral to this approach.

And the final diagnosis: crisis readiness is not a plan and not a topic for a board meeting. It is a suit the company must put on every day. Those who are already experimenting with this suit now—even if one cut is uncomfortable—will be the ones who hold firm when the storm hits the bow.