For decades the reputations of high-profile people, their businesses and families were largely shaped by newspapers, magazines, television and, on occasion, the law courts. Then came the internet. And, a little later, social media. With the arrival of a new generation of AI platforms and tools, are things shifting again?
This was among the questions Spear’s put to 30 specialist advisers to billionaires, family offices and UHNWs in the latest edition of our reputation survey. Their responses point to a sector in transition, increasingly focused on prevention and long-term risk mitigation rather than episodic crisis response.
While more than half of respondents (52 per cent) believe that UHNWs in general have a good or complete understanding of the advantages associated with effective reputation management, advisers consistently warn that awareness does not always translate into action. The majority of respondents (55 per cent) say their UHNW clients are only ‘moderately engaged’ when it comes to managing risks to their reputation.
[See also: What is a reputation manager?]
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‘Many UHNWs know what they don’t want – negative press, online misinformation, or personal crises becoming public,’ says Victoria Palmer-Moore, senior managing director at communications firm Sodali & Co. ‘What is less well understood is the strategic, long-term value of proactive reputation building. They may over-index on crisis response while underestimating reputation as an asset that can be actively managed.’
‘Misinformation and/or disinformation’ is considered the most significant threat to the reputations of UHNWs (72 per cent named it among the top two factors). Social media – often an associated threat – came second.
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‘Misinformation is a key factor in at least three quarters of the assignments we handle for HNWs,’ says Terence Fane-Saunders, chairman and founder of reputation consultancy Chelgate. ‘False narratives can be more difficult to challenge; the speed of spread can outrun the media.’
‘The explosion of platforms has significantly ramped up the threat level,’ agrees Addleshaw Goddard partner David Engel. ‘We look back almost fondly to the days when all we had to worry about was the mainstream media. Now we face an army of keyboard warriors, amateur sleuths and aggravated activists who relish the ability to cause trouble.’
Artificial intelligence has further complicated this dynamic. Deepfakes and synthetic audios are no longer theoretical risks but practical tools used in reputational attacks, extortion attempts and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
‘Deepfakes now allow highly convincing fabricated audio and video to be produced at minimal cost,’ says Tim Maltin, founder of Maltin PR. ‘Combined with the ease of amplification, reputational crises can be created artificially, at speed, and with a credibility that was previously harder to achieve.’
However, written content surfaced on platforms such as ChatGPT emerged as the most significant consequence of the AI revolution, as the rise of large language models (LLMs) continues to depower traditional search engines such as Google.
‘People are using chatbots to research individuals, and those tools often compile information from a range of sources without proper verification,’ explains Mohammed Habib, director at public affairs consultancy APCO. ‘Unsubstantiated claims or outright falsehoods can easily become part of the public narrative.’
The old formula
While the technology has changed, some of the underlying mechanics remain familiar. ‘In the old days, it was all about the first page of Google,’ says Charlie Bain, managing partner at Digitalis. ‘Now people are just as likely to use an LLM. Those models are still creating an AI “reputation” by accessing a person’s digital footprint, which makes having accurate, contemporaneous content ranking prominently more important than ever.’
However, a formulaic approach to reputation-building offers diminished returns. ‘Simply ticking off a list – a book, philanthropy, a website – is long past its sell-by date,’ warns Lawrence Dore, partner at DRD Partnership. ‘Being authentic and delivering actions that align to genuine – not manufactured – passions and interests is key.’
The digital dimension of reputation management also includes cyber risk and data protection. ‘Most of my more significant cases now involve a cyber element,’ says Payne Hicks Beach partner Andrew Willan. ‘The threats don’t just affect reputation; they affect people’s ability to conduct business and live peacefully.’
Preventative measures are becoming increasingly important. Regular threat assessments emerged as one of the most effective ways for UHNWs to protect themselves, with advisers emphasising the importance of identifying vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
‘Threat assessments allow UHNWs to act early, rather than firefight in public,’ says Maltin. ‘They map digital exposure, weak points in reputation and emerging narratives that could be weaponised.’
Despite the fragmentation of the media landscape, traditional outlets still matter. Just over half of respondents (52 per cent) believe regular engagement with the press remains among the most effective ways to build a positive reputation. This finding reflects the continued influence of established journalism on public perception and, increasingly, on AI systems. ‘LLMs draw heavily on established media sources,’ says Mark Borkowski, founder of the eponymous PR consultancy. ‘High-quality coverage strengthens a digital footprint, even as trust in traditional media declines.’
