Does online reputation exist three answers and more questions d+i ll&c

ARTICLE

Does online reputation exist?

Three answers and more questions

Madrid, April 17, 2012

HOW TO MEASURE REPUTATION ONLINE? THREE ANSWERS AND MORE QUESTIONS

1. HOW TO EVALUATE THE

1. HOW TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF ONLINE COMMENTS
IMPACT TO OFLINE COMMENTS
Over the last five years, Llorente & Cuenca has been conducting an
2. IS THERE “ONLINE ambitious research project aiming to understand the impact of online
REPUTATION”? communication on the reputation of companies.
3. CAN REPUTATION ON THE
INTERNET BE MEASURED? To this end, we closely cooperated with our clients and managed to
4. IS IT POSSIBLE TO MANAGE clarify some areas that often become an object of a heated debate in
REPUTATION IN THE SOCIAL academic and research institutions: Is there “online” reputation? Can it
be measured effectively? Can it be managed? These are some of the
NETWORKS?
questions that we can answer, with the answers serving as the basis for
the BEO (Analysis of Online Comments, Balance de Expresiones
DOCUMENT PREPARED BY Online) methodology.
CORPORATE EXCELLENCE
LLORENTE & CUENCA
Other questions remain unanswered and are currently investigated
jointly by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership and
Llorente & Cuenca in order to make progress in the understanding of
the Internet as a source of corporate reputation.

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2. IS THERE “ONLINE” The problem is that it does not
REPUTATION? explain the relationship between
these elements, which leads to
Expansion of the so-called Web the misunderstanding that there
2.0 has turned online media and is a separate “online” reputation,
social networks into an important i.e. perceptions, evaluations and
communication environment, expectations existing exclusively
where millions of persons and in the web and independent from
organisations interact every day. other factors.

It seems obvious that the content
and experiences shared in the First answer: The Circle of
digital spaces such as Facebook, Reputation Sources
Twitter or blogs should affect This conceptual confusion was
perceptions, evaluation and one of the first challenges that
expectations formed by the Llorente & Cuenca faced in our
stakeholders of companies. research. Our answer is in the
“Circle of Reputation Sources”.
But what does it mean? Should
we consider these factors The graph attempts to explain
separately? Are there two kinds that the company’s reputation
of reputation: online and offline? does not exist on the Internet.
Instead, it exists in the minds of
The term “online reputation” has the people who are the
become an object of discussion company’s stakeholders.
and commercial interest in the Reputation is the combination of
last few years. The term clearly perceptions, the basis of
expresses two key elements that expectations and attitudes.
worry and interest professionals: Corporate Excellence – Centre for
“reputation” and “the Internet”. Reputation Leadership defines

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corporate reputation as the Besides, the “Circle of
combination of collective Reputation Sources” attempts to
evaluations developed by a contribute to the research aiming
stakeholder about a company, to solve the main issue: first, to
that drive value-generating overcome the increasingly virtual
behaviours. boundaries between the “on” and
“off” in the analysis of
The same graph explains that comments; and secondly, identify
what we see on the Internet are the environment or spaces most
comments about a company commonly used for posting
shared by its stakeholders on the comments on the Internet. In this
web, and that they may affect sense, we singled out four kinds
the perceptions of this company. of important comments:
In other words, in the term
“online reputation”, “online” is • Observation: largely visual
the cause or the source, and messages that may generate
“reputation” is the effect or the essentially emotional
result. perceptions that may be
“corporate managed by means of design
The graph also clearly expresses and advertising in the
reputation as the the central phenomenon in the traditional channels of
combination of process of building reputation: communication; or by means
collective evaluations of sequential or wall posts in
• On the one hand, the multimedia networks
developed by a experiences of the persons (Youtube, Pinterest, etc.).
stakeholder about a who constitute stakeholder
groups during their direct Information: informative
company, that drive interaction with the
•
comments on actions that
value-generating company; they represent the may generate simple
behaviours.” most influential source of cognitive perceptions and
comments for the may be managed with the
perceptions and evaluations help of journalistic
of the stakeholders. techniques in the
conventional channels of
• On the other hand, the communication, or by means
reality of the company itself of real-time social networks
(the result of its identity, (such as Twitter).
activity and culture) are at
the heart of everything and • Conversation: comments
determine the experiences made in the dialogues,
and comments of the mostly the ones expressing
stakeholders. an opinion, that may affect
motivational perceptions.
These usually may be
managed with the help of
events, promotions and
public relations activities;
now they are also managed
through social networks such
as Facebook.

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• Documentation: and Llorente & Cuenca in the
interpretational and medium run:
informative comments that
may develop complex • What is the relationship
cognitive perceptions. These between comments and
are traditionally managed perceptions? In practical
through publication of terms, what is the
articles and now, also, relationship between the
through hypertextual web BEO results and the
formats (websites, media Reptrak™ model developed
resources, blogs, forums,…), by the Reputation Institute
that use Google as the main together with the Forum for
mediator. Corporate Reputation.
“Growing interest
Thus, our response to the
in online reputation question “Is there online 3.CAN REPUTATION ON
has generated a reputation?” served as the basis THE INTERNET BE
demand for solutions for the methodology applied in
the Analysis of Online Comments
MEASURED?
that would allow (BEO), in its two key points:
Growing interest in online
to measure and reputation has generated a
The analysis unit is a
evaluate it.” •
comment published on the
demand for solutions that would
allow to measure and evaluate it.
Internet that refers to the
corporate brand of a studied
In order to meet this demand,
company
new monitoring tools sprouted up
on the market that include IT-
• The analysis sample is
based analysis of the reputation
drawn from the most
with the help of semantic filters
representative environments
and sophisticated algorithms that
or platforms based on the
follow all comments made about
four main types of
companies on the Internet,
comments found on the
interpret the meaning of these
Internet:
opinions and even estimate the
degree of influence that
○ Observation
characterisers their authors.
(multimedia): Youtube
○ Information (real time):
If we consider these
Twitter
developments, the answer to the
○ Conversation (social):
question will be obvious: “The
Facebook
reputation on the Internet can be
○ Documentation
measured”. However, we do not
(hypertextual): Google
believe that this question may be
answered in this way, or at least
This analysis led us to new
in such a categorical manner.
interesting questions that we are
still exploring. One of them
As experts on search engines and
became part of a further
programming languages well
research that is undertaken
know, computers have serious
jointly by Corporate Excellence –
limitations that cannot be
Centre for Reputation Leadership
resolved automatically when it

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comes to evaluation of comments • Select a sample of the most
made by people with regard to relevant comments on
the reputation. We single out at companies found by search
least three important limitations: engines of the main social
meeting places online:
• Monitoring capacity: no Google, Twitter, Facebook
search engine, not even and Youtube.
Google, is capable of
capturing the infinite • Apply transparent influence
number of messages that metrics offered by
circulate on the web. applications open for public
access and by the
• Disclosure of the metrics: communication platforms
the most reliable indicators themselves: number of
of influence are not followers, links,
transparent, and are visualisation, number of
measured with the analytical references, etc.
tools developed privately.
Those metrics that are open • Study the comments of the
“LLORENTE & CUENCA to public access (such as sample, using the techniques
Klout or Alexa) cannot be of content analysis. Based on
is cooperating with the applied to all stakeholders this analysis our researchers
within the frames of of a company. will determine the
the European dimensions and attributes of
• Interpretation of the the communicated
innovations programme language: machines are still reputation, the profile of
LIMOSINE, aiming to unable to understand all the stakeholders who
meanings or feelings implied produce these messages as
enhance the capacity by a statement made by a well as the meaning and
for information analysis human. feelings denoted or
of online comments” connoted by these messages.

Second response: However, we keep looking for
qualitative research new and better measurement
solutions. Llorente & Cuenca is
Given these limitations, we cooperating with the Universities
believe that research on of Amsterdam, Glasgow, Trento,
reputation manifested on the UNED and the Barcelona Media
Internet cannot be based on Research of Yahoo, within the
quantitative, statistical or frames of the European
mechanical criteria. In this case innovations programme LIMOSINE
qualitative methodologies should (Linguistically Motivated
be applied with non-probabilistic Semantic Aggregation Engines),
samples and analysis done by aiming to enhance the capacity
people. for information analysis of online
Thus our response to the comments during this five-years’
limitations that characterise research.
measurements of the online
reputation for the Analysis of The results of this process will be
Online Comments is the reinforced by expert opinions
following: provided by the members of

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Corporate Excellence – Centre for Third answer: the matrix
Reputation Leadership. of awareness/recognition

4. IS IT POSSIBLE TO In line with the concept of online
MANAGE REPUTATION IN reputation that we are
THE SOCIAL NETWORKS? advocating here, we believe that
the environment that can be
reached and influenced at the
The drive to understand and moment rests in what is
estimate the implications of the commonly referred to as
Internet on corporate reputation “comments”. It is possible to
is closely linked to the manage the variables that
increase the quantity and quality
“It is possible companies’ desire to manage
of the comments published in the
these implications in connection
to manage the with the business objectives. networks about a certain
variables that corporate brand, and the ones
that affect perceptions and
increase the quantity Every day we observe new
evaluations (assessment) of a
debates and solutions related to
and quality of the ROI of communication in the company by the stakeholders.
comments published mass media and social networks,
We understand and apply the
attempting to pinpoint the
in the networks variables that may be used as variables used for the Analysis of
about a certain levers for increasing the return Online Comments in the same
way:
corporate brand” on investment.

This issue is similar to the • By figuring out the number
questions raised by the concept of comments, we are trying
of reputation, when we study the to describe the “Awareness”
elements that generate variable, which captures the
intangible value and the way it cognitive component of the
affects income or capital reputation and is defined as
dynamics in a company. “presence” or “reach” of
relevant comments shared
In this context, we can attempt about a company on the
to answer whether it is possible Internet. How much it is
to manage reputation in the mentioned or known.
social networks. And again, we • In order to estimate the
should do it with a lot of care quality of comments we
and precision. suggest the “Recognition”
variable that captures the
value-related component of
reputation and is defined
through “authority” and
“quality” of the opinions
shared about a company on
the Internet. How people
think about a company and
evaluate (assess) it.

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By combining the two variables Depending on the company’s
and always taking into account position in the matrix, its
how our object of study is dimensions, attributes,
related and compared to other stakeholders and the digital
objects, we can develop a space, we may provide
positioning matrix that allows us recommendations with regard to
to locate a company, its key aspects of managing online
dimensions, attributes, comments for each particular
stakeholders, and the platform case:
where the comment was found
in one of the following fields: • If deficiency of Awareness is
detected, we know that we
1. Efficient (Nt +, Nb +): More need to improve the
references and higher management of online
evaluation than the average communication assets,
for analysed sample. promoting more valuable
2. Sufficient (Nt-, Nb+): Fewer content among key
references and higher stakeholders of the
evaluation than the average company.
for analysed sample. • If deficiency of Recognition
3. Insufficient (Nt-, Nb-): is detected, we know that
Fewer references and lower we need to improve the
evaluation than the average management of participation
for analysed sample. in online communication,
4. Deficient (Nt+, Nb-): More establishing more valuable
references and lower relations with the company’s
evaluation than the average key stakeholders.
for analysed sample. • If deficiency of both
variables is detected, the
management of both content
and relations has to be
improved.

Such is our response to the
question that we posed earlier.
The experience of its application
shows that it is a useful
management tool. However, we
keep refining the tool thanks to
everyday cooperation with our
clients and the intellectual
debate initiated by Corporate
Excellence – Centre for
Reputation Leadership. New
solutions should be developed in
order to address additional
questions that emerged in the
course of the study.

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Autors

Ángel Alloza holds a BA degree in Psychology from the
Complutense University in Madrid and a PCD title from
IESE. He started his professional career as a Technical
Manager for Quantitative and Qualitative Market Research
in Alef, Strategic Planning Manager at J.Walter Thompson
and Managing Partner at Millward Brown International in
Spain and Portugal.

In 1998, Ángel Alloza joined the Strategic Analysis Unit of Argentaria’s
Presidency and Risks Area aiming to define and implement the new strategy and
brand positioning. In January 2000, he joined the Communication and Image
Department of BBVA (now Communication and Brand Department) and was
responsible for different areas (corporate advertising, image, social activities,
brand, identity, reputation and metrics). Ángel worked at BBVA until 2011 as
the Director for Strategy and Evaluation in the global area of Communication
and Brand. Ángel’s responsibilities in this function included global management
of the brand, the reputation and the metrics. In April 2011, Ángel became the
CEO of Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership.

Jorge Cachinero has an MBA from the IE Business School in
Madrid and is a graduate in History from the Complutense
University of Madrid. He took postgraduate studies in
Political Science at St. Antony's College, Oxford
University.From 1999 until his appointment at LLORENTE &
CUENCA, Jorge held the position of Director of Corporate
and Communication Affairs for Iberia at JT Internacional. Before that he was
General Manager for the Public Affairs Practice and a member of the
management team for Europe at Burson-Marsteller, Public and Government
Affairs Manager for Spain and Portugal at Ford España and Communication and
Management Consulting Director at Holmes & Marchant.

Iván Pino has 15 years’ experience of management and
consulting in the area of corporate reputation. Iván started
his professional career in the CHF association, and later on
established the department of communication in this
company. For four years he worked as the head of the press
service at the Ports of Ferrol and San Cibrao. Then Iván
became the director of Imagen, the leading communication
agency in Galicia, Octo, and worked there for nine years. In November 2010, he
joined the online communication team of LLORENTE& CUENCA as the Director
for Spain.

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New Think Tank for Corporate Brand and Reputation

The major Spanish Corporations have joined together to launch a centre of excellence named “Corporate Excellence -
Centre for Reputation Leadership”, a think tank to promote corporate brand and reputation management as a strategic
driver for business excellence.

Our Trustees (BBVA, La Caixa, Iberdrola, Repsol, Santander and Telefónica) represent 65% of the IBEX-35 (250 million
of euros in stock market capitalization). Also, relevant public and private corporations have joined this initiative
including Adif, Agbar, Bankinter, Correos, Danone, El Corte Inglés, Gas Natural Fenosa, Meliá Hotels International and
Renfe. This group of companies has more than 750.000 employees in 82 countries.

Our vision

The Centre aims to become an international technical and ethical point of reference to help companies achieve
excellence and to lead the defense and strengthening of the integrated management of intangible assets through six
areas: reputation, brand, communication, public affairs, metrics and training.

Our Goals

● To consolidate brand and reputation management as a strategic driver to achieve business excellence.
● To show the financial return on the company's intangible assets.
● Creation of strategic alliances in order to support the relevance of reputation, as an essential element of
business management.

Ten years of experience

Corporate Excellence- Centre for reputation Leadership, is the result of experience obtained over the last decade by
the “Foro de Reputación Corporativa” (founded in 2002) and the “Instituto de Análisis de Intangibles” (founded in
2004), both now part of this new think tank.

www.corporateexcellence.org
blog.corporateexcellence.org

Tel.: +34 91 445 18 18
info@corporateexcellence.org
Sagasta, 27, 3º izq. B
28004 Madrid –España–

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Consultoría de Comunicación líder en España y América Latina

LLORENTE & CUENCA is the leading communications consultancy firm in Spain and Latin America. It has twelve partnersand 300 professionals who
provide strategic consultancy services to companies in all sectors, with operations aimed at the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world.

The firm currently has its own offices in Argentina , Brazil, Colombia, China, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Panama,Peru, Portugal and the Dominican
Republic. It also offers its services through affiliate companies in the United States, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Its progress on the international front led the firm to become one of the fifty most important communication companies in the world in 2010 and 2011,
as reflected in the global ranking published by The Holmes Report.

Organización

DIRECCIÓN CORPORATIVA AMÉRICA LATINA Quito

José Antonio Llorente Alejandro Romero Gonzalo Ponce
Socio Fundador y Presidente Partner, Latin America CEO and General Partner and CEO
jallorente@llorenteycuenca.com Manager Mexico gponce@llorenteycuenca.com
aromero@llorenteycuenca.com
Enrique González Avda. 12 de Octubre 1830 y Cordero.
Socio y CFO José Luis Di Girolamo Edificio World Trade Center, Torre B,
egonzalez@llorenteycuenca.com Partner and CFO Latin America piso 11. Oficinas 1104-1105
jldgirolamo@llorenteycuenca.com Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (Ecuador)
Jorge Cachinero Tel: +593 2 2565820
Senior Director Antonio Lois
jcachinero@llorenteycuenca.com Regional Director of Human Resources Río de Janeiro
alois@llorenteycuenca.com
Germán Pariente
ESPAÑA Bogotá Partner and CEO
gpariente@llorenteycuenca.com
Madrid Claudia Esguerra
General Manager Rua da Assembleia, 10 – sala 1801
Arturo Pinedo cesguerra@llorenteycuenca.com Rio de Janeiro – RJ (Brasil)
Partner and Senior Tel: +55 21 3797 6400
Directorapinedo@llorenteycuenca.com Carrera 14, nº 94-44. Torre B – Oficina 501
Bogotá (Colombia) Santo Domingo
Juan Rivera Tel: +57 1 7438000
Partner and Senior Alexander Barrios
Directorjrivera@llorenteycuenca.com Buenos Aires General Manager
abarrios@llorenteycuenca.com
Adolfo Corujo Pablo Abiad
Partner and Senior General Manager Avda. Abraham Lincoln. Torre Ejecutiva
Directoracorujo@llorenteycuenca.com pabiad@llorenteycuenca.com Sonora, planta 7
Santo Domingo (República Dominicana)
Joan Navarro Enrique Morad Tel: +1 8096161975
Vice-Pesidente and Senior Council President for
Director of Public the Southern ConeDeshacer
Affairsjnavarro@llorenteycuenca.com cambiosemorad@llorenteycuenca.com ASIA

Amalio Moratalla Av. Corrientes 222, piso 8 Beijing
Director Senior C1043AAP Ciudad de Buenos Aires
amoratalla@llorenteycuenca.com (Argentina) Sergi Torrents
Tel: +54 11 5556 0700 General Manager
Juan Castillero storrents@grupo-11.com
Finantial Director Lima
jcastillero@llorenteycuenca.com 2009 Tower A, Ocean Express
Luisa García N2 Dong san Huan Bei Road, Chaoyang
Hermanos Bécquer, 4 Partner, COO and CEO Latin America Peru District. Beijing (China)
28006 Madrid (España) lgarcia@llorenteycuenca.com Tel: +86 10 5286 0338
Tel: +34 91 563 77 22
Av. Andrés Reyes, 420, piso 7
Barcelona San Isidro, Lima (Perú) PRESENCIA EN LA RED
Tel: +51 1 2229491
María Cura Corporate website
Managing Director Barcelona México www.llorenteycuenca.com
mcura@llorenteycuenca.com
Alejandro Romero Corporative blog
Muntaner, 240-242, 1º-1ª Partner, CEO and General Manager www.elblogdellorenteycuenca.com
08021 Barcelona (España) Latin America
Tel: +34 93 217 22 17 aromero@llorenteycuenca.com Facebook
www.facebook.com/llorenteycuenca
Bosque de Radiatas, 22 – PH7
PORTUGAL Col. Bosques las Lomas. Cuajimalpa de Twitter
Morelos. C.P. 05120 (México) http://twitter.com/llorenteycuenca
Tel: +52 55 52571084
Lisboa
LinkedIn
Panamá www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gi
Madalena Martins
Founding Member d=144360
Javier Rosado
madalena.martins@imago.pt
General Manager YouTube
jrosado@llorenteycuenca.com www.youtube.com/LLORENTEYCUENCA
Carlos Matos
Founding Member
Avda. Samuel Lewis. Edificio Omega, Delicious
carlos.matos@imago.pt
piso 6, Oficina 6ª. Panamá (Panamá) www.delicious.com/LLORENTEYCUENCA
Tel: +507 263 9899
Rua do Fetal, 18
2714-504 S. Pedro de Sintra - Portugal Slideshare
www.slideshare.net/LLORENTEYCUENCA
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Tel: + 351 21 923 97 00


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Does online reputation exist three answers and more questions d+i ll&c

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Does online reputation exist three answers and more questions d+i ll&c