A good reputation is beneficial for innovations, yet it rarely evolves well by itself.
Reputation society provides challenges but also possibilities for innovations to
blossom. The process of reputation formation of innovations has its specific traits,
but the main process is the same: stakeholders estimate innovations on the basis of
the available clues varying from culture, industry and personal traits of people
involved. Though the assessments and impressions as such can not be managed, the
sources from which these impressions result can and should be strategically
planned. This places communication in the centre of the process of reputation
formation of innovations. Reputation society is in need of strategic communicators.
The ideas presented in this paper have also practical implications. The four distinct
areas of reputation should be consulted to fully understand reputation of
innovations. Target reputation, media reputation, stakeholder reputation and reality
may or may not go together. Still they all affect the innovation, and should be taken
into consideration.
This paper hopes to have served as an introduction into the important topic of
reputation of innovations. Future studies should concentrate on the possible
differences in reputation formation among different stakeholder groups, across
cultures and different types of innovations and industries. Empirical testing and
international comparisons of the processes of reputation formation of innovations
would also be of great benefit.