"Uncertainty" has become the word of the moment. We hear it in conversations with clients and in economists' forecasts. So when everything is uncertain, what protects a company's value?

"Uncertainty" has become the word of the moment. We hear it in conversations with clients and in economists' forecasts.

Today, every budget meeting starts with the same question: is it worth it? Geopolitical tension, market volatility and rapid technological change have made companies more careful with every dollar they spend on outside vendors, and strategic communications is no exception. Communications and marketing leaders are being asked to justify every line item, and that pressure isn't going away.

So when everything is uncertain, what protects a company's value?

The Data: Value Lives in Reputation

According to Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership, intangible assets have grown from less than 30% of a company's total value to between 60% and 90% today. In other words, most of what a company is worth depends on what people believe about it: trust, reputation, brand and credibility.

Its latest report, Approaching the Future 2026, based on a survey of 2,120 professionals across Ibero-America, confirms the trend:

  • For the first time, AI tops the ranking of priorities (55.5%). Communication comes in second (52.8%) and remains the area where companies invest the most resources, followed by reputation and reputational risk.
  • In Latin America, reputation carries even more weight: it ranks first, with 52.9% of organizations naming it their top strategic priority.

-Measurement is gaining ground: 8 in 10 organizations in Ibero-America now have mechanisms in place to measure and manage reputation, although embedding a reputation KPI into dashboards and business decisions is still a challenge.

The report also identifies the function's biggest outstanding challenge: proving the impact of communication on the business and on corporate reputation. That is exactly where strategic counsel makes the difference.

Reputation as a Buffer

Think of reputation as a cushion. You build it in calm times so it can absorb the blow when a crisis, a regulatory change or a market shock hits. Companies with that cushion recover faster, get the benefit of the doubt and keep the trust of investors, employees and the media.

Cutting investment in reputation during uncertain times is like canceling your insurance right before the storm.

But that cushion doesn't build itself, and it doesn't happen overnight. It's the result of consistent decisions: knowing what to say and when, building trusted relationships with journalists long before you need them, and having a clear narrative that holds up under pressure when the context shifts.

That's why the question isn't whether to invest in reputation, but who to build it with. An expert agency brings something you can't improvise: deep knowledge of the landscape, strong media relationships, proven judgment in difficult situations and the ability to measure its work and show concrete results.

At a time when every dollar has to be justified, having a trusted partner who understands your business, not just communications, is what turns reputation into an asset that both protects and creates value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why invest in reputation when budgets are tight? Because intangibles account for 60% to 90% of a company's value, and reputation acts as a cushion that protects that value when uncertainty turns into crisis.

How does AI affect corporate reputation? AI engines increasingly shape what people know about a company. A consistent, credible narrative backed by earned media improves how your brand appears in both search engines and AI-generated answers.

Let's Build Your Reputational Buffer

Uncertainty isn't going away anytime soon. The companies that come out stronger will be the ones that prepared ahead of time. Is your company ready for the next disruption? Let's talk. At MarketCross, we help organizations across Latin America design communication strategies that protect their reputation, strengthen their media relationships and turn uncertainty into an opportunity to lead.