Brand reputation management is the process of monitoring how consumers perceive your brand and taking strategic action to improve your brand’s image. Nowadays, reputation management is often centered on monitoring and protecting your brand’s online reputation in reviews, social media, and Google.
Brand reputation management is a continuous process. It allows you to stay on top of your brand’s public perception and address possible damaging situations as soon as they occur.
Reputation management and brand reputation management are sometimes used interchangeably. While there are similarities in definitions and practice, there are some crucial differences.

Brand reputation management focuses on a single brand, while reputation management impacts the business as a whole.

If a brand develops a reputation that isn’t connecting with its target customers, businesses have the chance to rebrand. For example, Airbnb rebranded in 2014 to help shift perceptions of the brand from tech-centric to people-centric.

That said, some businesses are so brand-centric that a rebrand can’t transform the reputation of the business. For example, Weight Watchers rebranded to WW in 2018 to shift the focus of the brand from dieting to health and wellness. In this example, rebranding made a less positive impact.

The reputation of your brand is only one part of how people perceive your business.

A strong brand reputation can entice a customer to trust a business. But reputation management measures and responds to the reputation of the business as a whole.
So, a business can have a strong brand reputation. At the same time, it may also need to do reputation management for production practices, sustainability, or other concerns that can impact reputation.
Brand safety is often connected to brand reputation management. We’ll explain it below.
Brand Reputation Management vs. Brand Safety
According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), brand safety makes sure that advertisements, their content, and any content shared by brands are appropriate. It also guides brands to steer away from inappropriate topics. Although somewhat similar concepts, brand safety falls into brand reputation management.
An example that can risk brand safety is correct ad placement. The IAB recommends purchasing ad space from trusted publishers. This way, your ads aren’t next to content that consumers may find offensive or cause them to distrust your brand.