• The 10th edition of the report by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership, in collaboration with CANVAS Sustainable Strategies and with the worldwide partnership of Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, identifies the nine key trends in intangible asset management shaping today’s business agenda.
• The study reveals a record increase in investment in corporate communication (+7.4 points) and the consolidation of Artificial Intelligence as an emerging priority, particularly for senior management (65.7%).
• Large companies and top executives place communication (65.7%), corporate purpose (49.3%), and reputation and reputational risk (48.6%) among the areas they are most actively working on.

November 17th. In an increasingly complex and uncertain international environment marked by social polarisation, misinformation, the accelerated rise of Artificial Intelligence, and growing distrust in institutions, companies are redoubling their efforts to strengthen their social legitimacy and build trust-based relationships.

In this context, intangible asset management is consolidating as a strategic resource to anticipate risks, generate value, and ensure the long-term sustainability of organisations.

This is the key finding of the 10th edition of Approaching the Future 2025: Trends in Reputation and Intangible Asset Management, produced by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership in collaboration with CANVAS Sustainable Strategies and Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management as worldwide partner.

Based on a sample of more than 2,100 professionals—39% of them senior executives—the report combines quantitative and qualitative analysis, expert insight, and a comprehensive global review of secondary sources.

Among the main conclusions, the study highlights the growing importance of reputation and reputational risk, the consolidation of communication as a key area of investment, and the strong emergence of Artificial Intelligence as a driver of business transformation.

Reputation, Communication and Responsible Leadership Lead the Agenda

For the second consecutive year, corporate reputation and reputational risk rank as the most relevant intangible for organisations (61.1%), consolidating their position as one of the areas seeing the strongest growth in resources and investment.

This trend is particularly pronounced in Latin America, where 73.7% of professionals place it as a top priority, and among large companies and senior management, who recognise its strategic value in anticipating risks, creating value, and expanding their social licence to operate.

At the same time, corporate communication is the area attracting the most resources in 2025. It rises three places in the relevance ranking (now 59.5%) and remains, for the third consecutive year, the trend companies are working on the most: 61.7% report actively investing in communication, a +7.4-point increase since 2024 and +17.3 since 2021.

“Strategic reputation management has become a central pillar of the company of the future. It acts as a catalyst for trust and social legitimacy, while serving as a solid source of differentiation and resilience,” says Ángel Alloza, CEO of Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership.

Responsible leadership completes the top three priorities for 2025, with 56.5% of professionals identifying it as a key focus area. Among senior executives, 44.4% are dedicating resources to transforming leadership models based on integrity, ethics, and responsible conduct—a clear sign of a shift towards more human, conscious, and long-term value-oriented management.

Corporate Purpose, Brand and Artificial Intelligence Gain Momentum

Corporate purpose continues to consolidate its role as a strategic compass guiding decision-making. It climbs two positions to fourth place (55.4%), with over half of organisations (51.4%) actively working to integrate it across their culture, business strategy, and stakeholder engagement.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out as one of the major emerging priorities of 2025, climbing three positions in the ranking and becoming the top priority for senior management in Spain (65.7%). Overall, 53.8% of professionals already recognise its strategic importance, compared to just 28.5% last year.

Companies are focusing on integrating AI into business processes, training teams in its use, and addressing its ethical challenges. While there is still room for improvement in the latter, AI is no longer seen as an emerging technology but as a core vector of impact, driving operational efficiency, productivity, and the ability to anticipate risks and opportunities.

In parallel, corporate brand continues to gain prominence. Although it still ranks lower in relevance, it now occupies third place in investment, with 50.5% of companies allocating resources to its development. This figure reaches 48.1% in Spain and 52.3% in Latin America.

The steady increase in brand investment underscores its role as a strategic platform to activate purpose, differentiate, and build value and loyalty among stakeholders.

Ten Years of Approaching the Future

Since its first edition in 2016, Approaching the Future has undergone significant methodological evolution, expanding both its volume and diversity of information sources.

Over this decade, reputation, sustainability, and corporate governance—alongside ethics and transparency—have remained at the core of the study. Reputation and reputational risk have become strategic assets that create and protect value, while sustainability and ESG criteria have evolved into levers for opportunity and impact.

Corporate governance, ethics, and transparency have been constant themes, integrated into other key areas such as responsible leadership, ESG, corporate purpose, and communication.

“The findings of this edition confirm the growing importance of intangible assets as strategic drivers of business transformation. Managing them strengthens trust, ensures sustainability, and drives long-term value creation,” adds Justin Green, President and CEO of Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.

“Ten years of Approaching the Future show how reputation, communication, and purpose have become central pillars of corporate strategy. This decade-long evolution reflects a collective journey toward more conscious, data-driven, and purpose-led business models,” concludes Clara Fontán, Director of Intelligence & Operations at Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership and Director of the study.

Methodology and Collaborating Entities

This year’s edition includes detailed analysis by geography (Spain and Latin America) and specific insights from senior management and large companies (5,000+ employees).

The 2025 study gathered responses from 2,116 professionals across 16 countries, 39.3% of whom belong to senior management. The methodology combines quantitative surveys, social and business trend analysis, review of specialised sources, and expert knowledge from a panel of nine renowned specialists:

Alberto Andreu (University of Navarra & EY), Ángel Pascual-Ramsay (ESADE), Esther Paniagua (Technology Analyst & Journalist), Juan de los Ángeles (Zink Innovation Trends), Luis Megías (BlackRock), Lucía Carballeda (Edelman Spain), Macarena Estévez (Cirentis), Oriol Iglesias (ESADE – The Global CCO), and Ramón Pueyo (KPMG Spain).