Neryl East: Major Brands Decline in Reputation in 2025

This year saw major brands like Qantas and Optus embroiled in reputation crises, lacking effective communication during critical situations, such as Qantas’s cyber attack affecting 6 million customers and Optus’s failure to inform users about emergency call outages. Both companies faced severe public backlash, with Qantas being labeled Australia’s worst company and Optus struggling to regain trust after service outages and a controversial bonus for staff. Deloitte also faced scrutiny after submitting a flawed AI-generated report, highlighting the need for improved oversight in technology use. Leaders must recognize that their actions directly influence brand perception, especially in a climate of diminished trust.

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