Reputation Analysis of Selected European and US Brands in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The paper deals with the issue of sustainable development of corporate reputation, specifically the issue of traditional and innovative approaches to reputation management of selected global brands in terms of changes that occurred in the market during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of the ongoing Triple Transition. The main aim of the paper itself is to present the available ways and methods of measuring the phenomenon of reputation, especially online reputation, as the modern challenge for responsible and sustainable development of the perceived image of entities as their very fragile intangible assets. Moreover, the paper aims to identify and analyze the changes that occurred in the measurable levels of the reputations of selected entities during the pandemic. Preferred European and US brands owned by family businesses were analyzed using a standardized multifactor reputation analysis TOR in the virtual environment of the Internet. Considering all relevant factors, online ratings were standardized and compared with the offline ratings. The relationships between the factors were examined to identify and describe the underlying factors influencing the online reputation of entities in a hyper-competitive market environment, especially for the European and US markets. Based on the set goal, the results were compared with the values measured before the outbreak of the pandemic, and this comparison formed the basis for the identification of development trends. The analysis results provided a comprehensive view of the issue of selected approaches to the sustainable development of corporate reputation. Although literature offers a wide range of approaches to measuring reputation, the presented methodology offers a relatively simple and reasonably accurate form of active reputation management, thus providing an effective tool for enhancing the competitiveness of entities seeking to maximize their market advantages in the adaptation to the process of digital, green, and social transition.