Stakeholder Intelligence Report 2026

Stakeholder Intelligence Report 2026

The Stakeholder Intelligence Report 2026 positions stakeholder intelligence as a data-based foundation for strategic decisions in reputation management.

The changed context is central: perception arises in an environment of multiple crises (“polycrisis”). Economic concerns such as the rising cost of living, fears of recession and job insecurity dominate the global agenda and overshadow traditional issues such as climate change. Reputation is therefore strongly influenced by external conditions and requires empathetic, context-aware communication.

A key finding of the report is the connection between brand perception and behavior. The Trust & Like Score acts as a strong predictor of support, willingness to buy and employer attractiveness. The Offerings, Inspiration and Authenticity dimensions are particularly decisive in the German market.

A central lever is familiarity, operationalized via awareness and familiarity. In this context, the awareness-familiarity gap describes the difference between mere familiarity and actual familiarity with a company. The data shows a clear correlation: a large awareness-familiarity gap is associated with higher volatility and increased reputational risk, while a smaller gap correlates with more stable and generally higher trust & like scores.

This finding makes it clear that visibility alone is not enough. Companies must develop a credible, relevant brand story that generates genuine familiarity and thus creates resilience to reputational fluctuations.