Reputation Leaders Ltd

03/06/2026

We’re in Forbes! We’re so excited to see our research for Hershey’s Heated Debate being shared more widely!

There are two types of s’more eaters… those that like it Toasty, and those that like it Gooey.

And the results are in! Through a survey of 5,000 US Adults aged 18-65, we found that 69% are Camp Toasty, and 29% are Camp Gooey, while 2% don’t want the marshmallow or don’t think it matters.

However, whichever camp you are, it has to be Hershey’s chocolate, with 95% of respondents saying that Hershey’s belongs in a classic s’more. This isn’t a small matter; Reputation Leaders’ research found that the US consumes more than an estimated 2.5 billion s’mores annually!

So which Camp are you?

Marshmallow Guide:
• Camp Gooey: I roast the marshmallow until it’s perfectly golden brown
• Camp Toasty: I enjoy my mallows burnt to a crisp

Read the full Forbes article here: https://buff.ly/NudllHP

Over 30 years after he introduced s'mores to Scott Smalls in 'The Sandlot,' actor Patrick Renna is sharing the magic of the classic campfire treat with his own son.

02/06/2026

You can’t replace the human element.
Earlier this year we released the Vantage Point, our annual report for comms professionals.

In the report we asked American workers about their internal comms preferences.

What we found was that while AI, automation, and tech solutions can deliver cost-savings, most American workers prefer a future where tech supports rather than replaces comms.

In short, you can’t beat face-to-face conversations.
In an era of information and digital overload, employees value the human element.
Middle and line managers aren’t just network nodes for information dissemination; they are critical employees that show us that communication is first a human process.

For many of us, the people we work with make a huge difference to our experience of work.

The friendships and camaraderie are the difference between showing up to work with a smile and taking a deep sigh before the team meeting.

Getting the human – tech balance right is tricky, but companies that find ways for AI/automation and human processes to compliment one another will be tomorrow’s winners.

Want to read more?
Download the full Vantage Point here: https://buff.ly/vDtuPB7

13/05/2026

Three ways the Nordics are navigating today’s complexity:

1. Investing in talent. Talent shortages have led many Nordic firms to prioritize flexible working to hold onto top talent.
2. Integrating AI. In Denmark in particular, active AI-integration is helping businesses with financial forecasting, scenario planning, and complex HR processes.
3. Prioritizing Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity was frequently identified as a top area of investment for the next 12 months. Increasing cybersecurity risks and vulnerability have moved cybersecurity from an operational consideration to an existential one.

All three come straight from the latest Azets Barometer. Many thanks to Azets for inviting us to collaborate on the research behind the report.

What is the Azets Barometer?

It’s a survey of 1,768 business leaders across 6 nations.
It asks leaders about how their business is performing, their hopes and fears for their business, and the strategic bets they are placing for the future.

Their response paints a clear picture of Nordic business resilience, steering a path through growing complexity in trade, rules and regulations.

To dive deeper into the data and discover how your business can more easily navigate uncertainty, check out the latest Azets Barometer: https://buff.ly/JSSjzSD

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

12/05/2026

Etymology-nerds, word-lovers this one’s for you.
Do you know the origins of "crisis"?

The word’s lineage hold a clue that can reframe how we navigate times of tumult.

Crisis is the latinized version of the Greek krisis literally "judgment, result of a trial, selection," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge".

It was used by Hippocrates and others in a medical sense to indicate the turning point in a disease.

A crisis, therefore, can be:

A turning point
or
A moment in which a critical decision must be made.

When we reframe our crises not as calamity but as moments for decision making, for pivoting, for course correction, we empower ourselves.

We empower ourselves by identifying with the captain and not the storm.

This isn’t just chaos.
It’s decision time.

06/05/2026

Why is engagement so low? You’ve put out a thought leadership piece you believe in but only achieve a handful of downloads.

It’s frustrating when you see the value in your thought leadership but it’s not resonating with others. A few common problems can cause thought leadership to fall short. Fixing them can be the difference between thought leadership that opens doors and thought leadership that collects dust.

Here’s our COO, Lyndon speaking at Quirks last month alongside Tom Rippenger sharing the first 3 out of 7 deadly sins of thought leadership.

Thou shall not…
1. Be boring. Thought leadership that plays it safe, is not leading, it’s following. More importantly it’s often forgettable.
2. Prioritize problems. Understanding the problem is critical but offering solutions and highlighting opportunities are also important.
3. Forget to get internal buy-in. We see better returns when thought leadership provides value across the organization and different teams want to use it.

David and Tom will be sharing the full 7 deadly sins of thought leadership and much more on May 21st at the Insights Association. For more details: https://northatlanticinsights.regfox.com/2026-north-atlantic-annual-conference-insights-in-motion-future-proofing-in-transformative-times

27/04/2026

One of the lessons from history is that moments of high competition combined with resource scarcity result in lean, innovative groups.

Whether it’s countries or organizations, the intensity of competition means that despite resource scarcity, groups are forced to invest in innovation to adapt and survive.

A similar phenomenon is unfolding in the UK and Ireland identified by Azets. Business leaders, despite economic sluggishness and geopolitical headwinds, are focused on innovation and investment.

In the most recent Azets Barometer, UK & Irish leaders said they would prioritize AI, digitization, and automation over the next 12 months. Almost half also expressed a willingness to accept investment from non-UK businesses to fuel growth.

In short, business leaders are aware of the challenges but are investing to stay competitive.

To learn more about how other businesses are adapting check out the latest Azets blog: https://buff.ly/C12stTn

Discover how UK SMEs are building resilience through agility, AI adoption and bold investment, based on insights from 492 business leaders.

23/04/2026

Water scarcity is a growing issue.

While water use is mostly driven by agriculture, public use, and thermoelectric, data centers are placing increased stress on specific water supplies.

According to Bloomberg, “Two-thirds of new data centers built since 2022 are in places already gripped by high levels of water stress.”

But how do Americans feel about this and how should companies respond?

In our latest Vantage Point survey, we found that if a company contributes to water scarcity Americans want them to provide alternative water sources. A second cohort wants companies to compensate affected communities.

Only 1 out of 8 wanted water-intensive companies to reduce operations. So, Americans aren’t luddites.

Instead, our data finds that they often want companies to thrive, but to invest where necessary to remove harm to the public.

This aligns with our other findings on AI, where we found that Americans want companies to invest in long-term retraining programs for employees alongside their investment in AI.

Americans are pro-growth, but they also value fairness. They want to share in the benefits of that growth and not be made to shoulder its burdens.

In short, sustainable investment is only sustainable when it’s sustainable for everyone.

Brands wanting to invest sustainably in the future, while maintaining credibility, will be the ones considering impacts on all stakeholders.

Happy Earth Day from all of us at Reputation Leaders.


Sources: https://buff.ly/UIO0CgE
https://buff.ly/3euQOCA

21/04/2026

Many brands create thought leadership that flops because they can’t answer this one question.

The question is why.

Why do the specific audience you want to reach consume thought leadership?

When we don’t answer this question clearly, we produce and disseminate research that lacks engagement or draws in the wrong people.

In his recent talk at Quirk's Media our COO David Lyndon identified 4 reasons from our research that top executives consume thought leadership. If you’re trying to reach executives, this is for you.

Executives will consume thought leadership to:
1. Solve a specific problem
2. Identify an opportunity
3. Stay informed. Hint: They don’t want to merely stay up to date. Instead, they want to get ahead of the curve by understanding unfolding trends.
4. Make better decisions

We’ll be releasing more snippets from David’s talk delivered alongside ManpowerGroup's insightful Tom Rippinger. So, give us a follow to stay informed if you’re trying to build better thought leadership.

16/04/2026

Good luck to our COO David Lyndon who will be giving at talk at Quirks today! David will be speaking with Tom Rippinger of ManpowerGroup on leveraging research to create differentiated thought leadership. If you're at Quirks and want to create compelling data-driven stories to engage clients, check it out: Room 2 | 3:45 pm - 4:15 pm https://buff.ly/50HMwDy

Credible thought leadership is increasingly critical as the proliferation of AI-generated content makes it more difficult to differentiate. In a recent study, most business leaders (71%) said thought leadership is [...]

15/04/2026

The team have landed! Our CEO Laurence Evans and COO David Lyndon will be at Quirks Event tomorrow. David will be giving a talk on leveraging research to create differentiated thought leadership. If you're at Quirks and want to get more out of your thought leadership: check it out. https://buff.ly/50HMwDy