The psychology of reputation is not something I had given a huge amount of thought to in the past, but I was given food for thought at a Shillings’ breakfast briefing (Communications strategies in a downturn - understanding the drivers and the key trends for 2009) this morning. It included a presentation by Dr Kevin Money from Henley Management College.

Kevin suggested that we are all driven by four key factors (which are all present constantly and need to be balanced for a happy and productive life): acquire – bond – learn – protect. Research that he and his team have recently carried out suggests that if we are to build strong reputations during the downturn then focusing on learning and protecting are critical. This means that companies need to avoid reputation stagnation and continue to learn, especially from companies outside of their own sector.

One amusing example he gave was that supermarkets do not seem to be learning. Why would you penalise your biggest spending clients by putting them in the longest queues and giving the lowest value customers the fastest service? Surely there should be special check-outs for the customers spending £100 plus!