New Burson Research Highlights Emerging Reputation Risks and Opportunities for Nigerian Brands in the AI era
The report, The Credibility Paradox, found significant differences in how audiences perceive and trust information generated by artificial intelligence platforms, underscoring the growing importance of reputation management in the AI era.
The findings are particularly relevant for Nigeria, where digital behavior is expanding quickly across individuals, businesses, institutions, and public figures. As at the end of 2025, Nigeria had 109 million internet users, representing 45.5% internet penetration, alongside 47.8 million social media user identities. With a median age of 18.1 and a majority-urban population, the market is increasingly shaped by fast-moving, mobile-first information discovery and evaluation.
For Nigerian companies, this means corporate reputation can increasingly be shaped by what AI tools say about a brand. As more consumers, investors, regulators, and professionals turn to AI-powered platforms for information, the quality, credibility and consistency of a brand’s digital footprint have become critical business assets.
Based on more than 55,000 believability scores across 85 companies and seven major AI answer platforms, the research examined how AI-generated responses influence perceptions across the eight levers of Burson’s Reputation Capital Framework—Innovation, Creativity, Workplace, Products, Financial Performance, Governance, Citizenship, and Leadership.
Commenting on the findings, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya (YBO), Lead Partner, CMC Connect LLP (Perception Consulting), the exclusive affiliate partner of Burson in Nigeria, said:
“The rise of AI-powered search and information platforms is reshaping how reputations are built, managed, and protected. For Nigerian organizations, the implication is clear: it is no longer enough to be visible online. Brands must ensure that the information available about them is credible, independently validated, and capable of earning trust across multiple audiences.”
Among the report’s key findings was that AI systems place greater weight on verifiable evidence than on corporate positioning alone. Claims supported by media coverage, customer experiences, reviews, third-party endorsements, and publicly available evidence were consistently rated as more believable than those based primarily on self-promotion.
The study also found that workplace reputation is emerging as one of the most credible drivers of trust. This insight is particularly relevant in Nigeria’s competitive talent environment, where employee experience, employer branding, and workplace culture are increasingly influencing corporate reputation.
Conversely, leadership-related claims were among the least believable across industries, highlighting the need for organizations to support executive narratives with measurable performance, strong governance, and independent validation.
The research further revealed that different audiences respond differently to AI-generated content. Business decision-makers, for example, were found to rate AI generated answers 10% more convincing than the general population, reinforcing the need for organizations to develop audience-specific communication strategies.
According to the report, organizations that wish to maintain a strong reputation in the AI era must adopt an integrated approach that combines earned media, owned content, shared media (social engagement), and third-party advocacy to build a robust ecosystem of credible information.
For Nigerian businesses operating in highly competitive sectors such as banking, telecommunications, fintech, energy, and consumer goods, the findings highlight a growing need to understand not only how they appear in AI-generated responses but also whether those responses are trusted by the audiences that matter most.
“As AI becomes a primary source of information for stakeholders, reputation management is evolving from managing perceptions to managing credibility at scale. Organizations that proactively shape and strengthen their digital reputation today will be better positioned to earn trust, attract investment, retain talent, and sustain long-term growth,” Raheem Olabode, Managing Partner at CMC Connect LLP, added.
The full report, “The Credibility Paradox,” explores the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence, reputation, and trust and provides practical insights for organizations seeking to strengthen their credibility in an increasingly AI-driven world.
