We all know that a good reputation is hard to build and easily squandered. Warren Buffet reckons it takes 20 years to build and just five minutes to lose.

When most people think about lost reputations, they recall infamous, cliff-edge disasters—those lost-in-a-heartbeat crises we all see unfold in the media. These events cause irreparable damage through sudden, unexpected occurrences.

But what if those are actually in the minority? What if there is another, less sensational way to squander a reputation?

The Silent Threat: Slow Reputation Erosion

Losing your reputation is not only achieved through outright failure. It can be (and often is) eroded over time, slowly extracting value from organisations and individuals as the building blocks become moth-eaten and neglected.

There are individuals and organisations asleep at the reputational wheel right now. All it takes is for priorities to change over time, and for effort and focus to neglect the building process.

Case Studies

1. The SNP

A good example is the SNP. Yes, this is the party of government, and there is a cyclical nature to politics, with the SNP lately showing signs of regaining some of their support. But there has been a demonstrable and very slow erosion of trust in this most successful of parties because it has failed to recognise why it built such a strong reputation in the first place: good governance and strong leadership.

The negative effects of a poor record in government and a series of bad leadership decisions are felt slowly, over time. So now, when we see a poor record in transport, policing, or education, it has a piling-on effect on an ailing government.

2. The Retail-Led High Street

There are less political examples, too. The traditional retail-led high street has been on the wane for years—but how many have reinvented themselves? How many councils have put the same energy into forging a new path as they have in hunting down the next rent from an ever-decreasing pool of tenants?

We can all think of a struggling high street, and all will have deteriorated over time. The stand-outs are the ones that have invested in a reputation for being different and attractive to a new audience.

3. Energy and Utility Companies

And what about energy and utility companies? So content are they to accept poor customer service and accusations of profiteering as the norm that there is little reputation left to speak of.

Energy retailers shout about happy customers in advertising as if we should all be amazed anyone is happy about anything to do with gas and electricity. Meanwhile, water companies are now waking up to a reputational problem built up over decades of low investment in infrastructure and little communication with customers and stakeholders.

Warning Signs Your Reputation May Be Fading

I’m reluctant to pick out individuals or organisations, but there are some tell-tale signs when your reputation is at risk of slow decline.

1. Prioritising New Customers Over Existing Ones

When winning new customers becomes more important than keeping existing ones, your reputation is at risk. It is important to remember that your reputation is your life story—meaning if it is in a good place, those who came before your new customers have helped to get you where you are today.

2. Taking Reputation for Granted

Cutting back on the frequency or quality of your communications with customers, employees, shareholders, or other audiences may not have a short-term impact but can certainly have a long-term effect. Are you tired of communicating? Are you bored of it? Then take heed.

3. Lack of Clarity

Can you articulate what you’re doing and why you’re doing it? And can you do so simply and effectively? Reputations are forged through brutal simplicity—the simpler the message, the more people will understand it and amplify it. By contrast, any lack of clarity leads to ambivalence and far less hope of positive change.

PR agencies can be as guilty of this as anyone else. We all need to ask hard questions about how well we are nurturing our reputations, both personal and professional.

After all, if you’re found asleep at the wheel, you will have nobody else to blame.

if you would like to explore how your organisation can adapt and create advantage in 2025, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Reputation, Issues and Crisis specialists.

Billy Partridge is Head of Scotland and UK Board Director, Grayling UK.