The Reputation Game is a compelling read that has you nodding along in agreement, turning the page for another insight and then pausing to take in the academic research. Written by a former Financial Times journalist and PR guru David Waller and a Business School academic Rupert Younger, the blend of the journalism and the academic gives you two books beautifully blended into one.
I find you become engrossed for hours at time – it has that ‘can’t put it down’ quality, but also as it skips through so many examples and references that any of these can form a satisfying quick read making it good not only for a commute, but to flick through between stops on the underground.
I know a dozen people who should have a copy, one who probably wishes he had written it. On the one hand I can send them this review, on the other I might just buy them copies and tell them why they should read it and how it well both be a pleasure to read and of value to them either because they have a ‘reputation’ to maintain, build or rejuvenate, or because they are in the business of doing this for others, both individuals and organisations.
Amongst many, often interviewed for the book, in relation to ‘reputation’, you will gain insights into:
Roman Abramovich
Lance Armstrong
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi
Michel Barnier
David and Victoria Beckham
Benedict XVI aka the Pope
Jeff Bezos
Tony Blair
Sepp Blatter
Usain Bolt
Susan Boyle
Richard Branson aka Sir Richard
Gordon Brown
Warren Buffett
George W Bush
Caligula aka The Emperor
David Cameron
Jimmy Carter
Charles Windsor aka the Prince of Wales
Winston Churchill
Nick Clegg
Bill and Hillary Clinton
Jeremy Corbyn
Robert Downey Jnr
James Dyson aka Sir James
Elizabeth Windsor aka The Queen
Roger Federer
Niall Ferguson
Margaret Hodge
Steve Jobs
Boris Johnson
Tom Jones aka Sir Tom
Bernie Madoff – interviewed in person by the authors.
Theresa May
Max Mosley
Horatio Nelson aka Admiral Lord
Barack Obama aka President
John Profumo
Vladimir Putin aka President
Cecil Rhodes
Saddam Hussein
Maria Sharapova
Joseph Stalin
Ivan the Terrible
Margaret Thatcher
Donald Trump
Mark Zuckerberg
And when it comes to business and organisational reputation you will learn about:
Adidas
Amnesty International
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
The Bhopal Disaster
The British Army
Buzzfeed
Cazenove
The Catholic Church
CBS
BP
The Deepwater Horizon Crisis
Domino’s Pizza
The EU
Exxon
FIFA
GlaxoSmithKline
Goldman Sachs
Innocent Drinks
IS
The London School of Economics
Nestlé
Philip Morris International
Rolls-Royce
Rowntree
RBS
Unilver
Union Carbide
United Airlines
VW
Wonga
Zimbabwe
And in doing so you will learn about:
Capability reputation and character reputation and a whole lot more. Some of which will make you smile, much of which you can apply.
Mind Bursts 