Unpredictions: Insights into Public Trust in Institutions
From geopolitics to cyberattacks to ESG, major trends are shaping our world. The Weber Shandwick Collective is excited to share perspectives on a variety of critical issues in our latest report, Unpredictions: Insights into policy, business, tech, media and culture around the world. The report is a compilation of expertise across branding, organizational design, sustainability, popular culture as well as perspectives from The Collective Senior Advisors.
This week on Issues Decoded we will share four key sections from the report, focusing on Geopolitical Risk, Technology, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and Public Trust in Institutions. You can read the full report here.
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Public trust on traditional institutions — government, the media, and religion — is waning. Citizens are increasingly looking for corporate leaders and brands that embody and extol the values they find important.
Insights: Younger workers are reshaping the workplace and expecting more from their employers. Many expect more than a transactional relationship with their employer, and want companies to contribute to societal change. A recent Weber Shandwick national survey reported that Gen Z (76%) and Millennials (72%) are most likely to share this view, compared with Gen X (59%) and Baby Boomers (45%). For many consumers, a company’s stand on societal issues is as important as its products and services. Across the Global South, youth populations are the fastest growing segments of society, with the need for governments to prioritize job creating investments.
Implications: In some countries, corporate leaders face increasing pressure to speak out on controversial political and social issues. They can no longer take for granted that their products or services are so indispensable that the consumers will ignore their values and behavior in their purchasing decisions. Organizations that protect their reputation with the same vigor as they do other assets (e.g., intellectual property, human capital, etc.) will be best positioned to weather continued instability and polarization. In a global war for talent, employee loyalty is an asset. Many want their employers to care about social issues and offer leadership that models positive behavior, but they also want fair pay, generous benefits, workplace flexibility and job security — the latter especially in an economic slowdown. Corporate leaders need to understand changing employee sentiments across different generations and watch for employee burnout and mental health concerns.
Keep an Eye On: Despite some pushback against “woke” policies and recession concerns, corporate commitments to ESG are here to stay. The main reasons are that climate and diversity actions help attract and retain talent, are becoming embedded in business strategies, and seen as essential drivers of performance.
Want to work with us? Reach out to Ellen DeMunter at EDeMunter@powelltate.com
About Weber Shandwick Public Affairs
Weber Shandwick is a global in-culture communications agency built to make brave ideas connect with people. The agency is led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators and has won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age’s A-List in 2020 and Best Places to Work in 2019. Weber Shandwick was also awarded PR Agency of the Year by Campaign US in 2021, honored as PRovoke’s Global Agency of the Decade in 2020 and PRWeek’s Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The firm has earned more than 135 Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including 36 Lions in 2021 to become the most-awarded PR agency. Weber Shandwick also received Honorable Mention (and the only PR agency) on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global Marketing Agencies in 2021.
Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) and is the anchor agency within The Weber Shandwick Collective — a communications and consulting network built for the convergence of society, media, policy and technology.
For more information, visit: https://www.webershandwick.com/expertise/public-affairs/
Powell Tate is the Public Affairs Unit of the Weber Shandwick Collective. For more information, visit: www.powelltate.com
