NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 14, 2026--
Corporate reputation now has measurable value: companies with strong reputations can realize as much as 4.78% in additional unexpected annual shareholder returns, creating a global "Reputation Economy" worth an estimated $7.07 trillion, according to a landmark new study from Burson.
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The research, “The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era,” has successfully quantified the financial value of reputation, moving it from a soft concept to a hard asset. The analysis found that among the companies studied, the magnitude of this “reputation return” could add anywhere from $2 million to as much as $202 billion in unexpected shareholder returns, above what would be expected strictly from standard financial performance metrics.
“For decades, leaders have known intuitively that reputation matters, but they’ve never been able to quantify it as a financial asset; now, we can,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, Burson. “Our research shows that reputation is an interconnected system that, when rigorously managed, can yield billions in measurable returns, build resilience against shocks, and give leaders the confidence to make bold moves. A strong reputation that can deliver financial impact goes well beyond the simple binary of trust.”
The New Reputational Battleground: AI and the Workplace
While reputation leaders excel across the board, the research identified the workplace as presenting both a significant opportunity and challenge. Though ranked lowest in terms of perceived importance (11%) among the eight drivers of reputation in the study, it showed a performance gap of 11.8% between the top performing and worst performing companies in the research.
The study warns this gap may become a crisis for companies that mishandle the integration of artificial intelligence.
“Businesses must go beyond having an ‘AI strategy’ and create an ‘AI people strategy,’ because how they manage this transition will be a powerful statement about how they value their employees,” said Matt Reid, Global Corporate and Public Affairs Lead, Burson, and U.S. CEO, Burson Buchanan. “Organizations that invest in reskilling their workforce and co-create the future with their people will earn a reputation dividend. Conversely, those that view AI merely as a tool for headcount reduction will pay a reputation tax, with any efficiency gains offset by reputational losses.”
Additional Key Findings
“Our research proves that the historical models for studying reputation were at best static and at worst not actionable,” duBrowa continued. “Reputation is organic and constantly evolving, so with a clear understanding of which components of reputation are strong or require action, businesses can focus with precision on predicting and influencing the forces that drive perception and fuel financial outcomes.”
Burson’s complete report, “The Global Reputation Economy: A New Asset Class for a New Era,” can be found here.
About the Research
Between October 2024 and October 2025 Burson used its Reputation Capital methodology to model 66 publicly traded companies in the United States and throughout the world, using advanced data and AI models to predict the potential impact of the media environment, news, perceptions, narratives, events, or actions on each lever. The models ingest and analyze information 24/7 from proprietary sources and technology platforms, capturing signals ranging from client-owned information to primary research to digital and social media. This analysis yields an always-on reputation score that illustrates how a brand is perceived overall and isolates which specific levers (Citizenship, Creativity, Governance, Innovation, Leadership, Performance, Products, Workplace) need action to improve reputation with a direct impact on business.
About Burson
Burson is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry-leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. Burson operates under WPP (LSE/NYSE: WPP), the creative transformation company. Learn more at www.bursonglobal.com.
Burson Quantifies the Value of Reputation, Revealing a $7 Trillion Global “Reputation Economy”
Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades, with at least 2,571 people killed so far.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed of the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Here is the latest:
Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets near Tehran University for the funeral of more than 300 security forces and civilians on Wednesday.
Many held Iranian flags and identical photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and their relatives. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, were stacked at least three high in the backs of trucks and covered with red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed. The crowd chanted and beat their chests in response to an emcee speaking from a stage.
One man in the crowd held up a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump during the Pennsylvania assassination attempt, emblazoned with: “The arrow doesn’t always miss!”
India's Embassy in Tehran urged Wednesday all Indian nationals to leave Iran, citing what it called an “evolving situation” in the Islamic Republic.
The statement, posted on X, also advised Indian citizens to remain highly vigilant and avoid areas where protests are taking place.
German police said Wednesday the two climbed over a fence into embassy grounds and tore down an Iranian flag. Both wanted to hoist two pre-Islamic Republic flags but failed, German news agency dpa reported.
They left the grounds when guards used pepper spray and were detained on the sidewalk outside.
The incident happened late Tuesday.
Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.
The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”
Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.
Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the crackdown killed at least 2,571 people. It said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll, given the communications being disrupted in the country.
Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due to its purchases of Russian oil.
Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market, as its exports to Iran are modest.
India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.
Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran, including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.
Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.
He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.
His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.
Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.
More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service to people in Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.
Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
