1. Focus on Reputation:
The Power of Rumours
Lolita STASANE
2.Uluslararası İtibar Yönetimi Konferansı
3-4 Ekim 2013, İstanbul

2. Focus on Reputation:
The Power of Rumours
Lolita Stašāne, University of Latvia
The 2nd International Reputation Management Conference
4.10.2013

3. What is reputation?
• Company’s reputation is company’s past action’s and future’s
projects detected description
• Reputation describes company’s the general attraction comparison
with other competitive companies
• Reputation contains countless concerned stake holders evaluations
relation to company’s ability to fill their expectations
• For large companies reputation provides unbroken
competitiveness. For little and new companies – base on who to
form business. Reputation is a significant, because it is both
valuable and woundable.
/Charles J.Fombrun/

4. Threats
• Threats to reputation – whether real or perceived – can destroy,
literally in hours or days, an image or brand developed and
invested in over decades. These threats need to be anticipated,
understood and planned for.
• Public perception of risk has become a constant and recurring
threat to reputation. Understanding and communicating effectively
around risk perception can help to reduce conflict and gain support
and trust – critical attributes in securing and maintaining customer,
investor and employee loyalty.
Michael Regester & Judy Larkin

5. Crisis communication
• Successful management of a crisis situation is about recognizing
you have one, taking the appropriate actions to remedy the
situation, being seen to take them and being heard to say the right
things.
• Companies often misclassify a problem, focusing on the technical
aspects and ignoring issues of perception. But perception is the
reality.
Michael Regester & Judy Larkin

6. Number of dilemmas
• Risk means different things to different people.
• Basic attitudes are hard to change.
• The public is not looking for zero risk.
• The source of information about risk is critical (Iwhom to trust on
what).
• Emotion is the most powerful influencer of all.
Michael Regester & Judy Larkin

7. Country’s trust

8. Trust in banks

9. Credibility of spokespersons

10. Rumours
• Webster gives a deffinition of rumor which is professionally
acceptable and workable: a story or report current within any known
authority for its truth.
• Ralph Rosnow defines rumor as „ a proposition that is unverified
and in general circulation”.
• Being unverified is not the same as being untrue. A rumor may turn
out to be „ true” , but until it is verified it is subject to the dynamics
of rumor. Much of the work on rumor assumes that the
communication is interpersonal and by word of mouth, but this is
not necessarily.

11. Issue lifecycle
Hainsworth and Meng

12. Latvijas Krajbanka – a month before
November 16, 2011
• Lithuania's central bank on Wednesday afternoon to suspend
"Snoras" bank activities and cancel its board. "Snoras" was one of
the "Latvijas Krajbanka" shareholders...
• “Krajbanka": Nothing special has happened

13. November 23, 2011
http://www.latgaleslaiks.lv/lv/2011/11/25/51046

14. Until begining of december
• Very active internal communication, Q&A,
support for branches, clients meetings etc.
• Clients e-magazines, e-letters
• Social media
• Special materials for employees
• Business results – most of clients choose
Swedbank as “the new bank” after Krājbanka
(~30 000 new clients in 2 weeks)

15. • Everythings seems fine, BUT...

16. December 2011
• Crash of Snoras and Krājbanka,
• Mess around EU and eurozone
 background for anxiety and fears
• Credibility of the “officials” is extremely low (14% believe, 86% do
not believe what officials say the financial system. Reason –
catastrophic communication in Krājbanka case)

17. During the second week of December some individuals start to
express concern about the stability of the Swedbank
On the weekend unreasonable rumors about Swedbank
stability are distributed
There are no certain facts in the rumors, no reference to an
author
Many different unfounded opinions are circulating

18. First tweets
• Can you guarantee that your bank is safe and can be relied on it?
• Who can give me garantees about stability of banks in Latvia? etc.

19. December 11 (Sunday)
• Social media, sms, calls
• Activity – 6-7x
• Filling ATM’s, web page
• Media relations

20. It can’t be true...

21. Twitter mentions (Swedbank account) by
hours

22. •

24. Monday, Dec 12
• Branches were opened earlier
• Activity 2-3x
• Monday evening, Tuesday midday – back to usual

27. Tuesday, Dec 13

28. Some conclusions
• Short term:
- more close cooperation with state sector (FSA, State Bank,
government, police)
- employees as “ambassadors”
• Long term:
- Financial literacy

29. Follower growth on Twitter

30. Special web page was made to
research “anatomy of rumours”

37. Results
• Crisis prevented in 2 days.
• Only 6-10% of clients moved money (150 million euro withdrawal
>average). Most of money returned in coming weeks, after 6
months amount of deposits increased by ~120 million euro.
• Gold category at Sustainability Index, 2nd place on Reputation Top,
3rd place in Most Loved Brand 2012

38. Minds are like parachutes; they work best when
open.
Lord Thomas Dewer

39. Thank you!
lolita.stasane@lu.lv