Long vision and short times, the balance that redesigns brands

A social boomerang as surprising as it was unexpected. Because they never thought they would be misunderstood. At least according to what they said in the press. Yet a flood of criticism rained down on the choice of the colour of the year 2026 bythe Pantone Institute. It is cloud dancer, identified with the shade 11-4201: a soft white conceived as a blank canvas and a metaphor for calm, simplicity, introspection in a world perceived as overstimulated. Some detractors have called it insensitive and out of place precisely because white in contemporary debate evokes privilege and blank slate. The heaviest accusation is a supposed form of support for white supremacism. But in an overloaded world, colour is needed to provide mental space, the institute defended itself in the Washington Post. Every coin has its flip side and so today it is not enough to do. We need to think and rethink about possible reputational risks.

What a complex job for the contemporary communicator, committed to anticipating scenarios, semantic overlaps, possible interpretations. Every choice must be codified not only in the here and now, but in its potential impact in the medium to long term. This is the picture taken by the new annual research "Communication Leaders 2025", carried out by Ey with Swg and focusing on the transformative role ofb>business communication as strategic capital because narrative weight becomes reputational value. From the managers interviewed emerges an awareness of a function that in organisations is called upon to interpret geopolitical contexts, social sensibilities and emerging languages. The reputation is the compass that orients choices: 65% indicate it as the driver of communication, surpassing sales promotion (23%) and relationship building (12%). Here is the paradox: communicators are required to have vision, but organisations act on instantaneousness. "We need a direction that combines long-term vision and rapid cycles, avoiding exasperated reactivity. The key is the possible necessary: not everything possible is needed, not every channel needs to be occupied. Being selective in today's decisions that build reputation tomorrow, avoiding the accumulation of messages,' says Alessandro Vanoni, brand, marketing and communication director of Ey Italia. In short, the communicator as an architect of meaning to grasp weak signals and transform them into strong strategies.

Communication from mere translation becomes an expression of responsibility. In a time marked by communication overflow, with constant background noise anaesthetising everything, communicating becomes an act of leadership because it implies lucidity. Almost all of the sample consider the function to be fundamental or very important for corporate positioning, and internal recognition is close to 98%, as is integration with the corporate ecosystem. But this centrality is measured within an unresolved tension: the time factor conditions. The communicator thus becomes a two-faced Janus: one eye on strategy, the other on the micro-tasks of operation and the social timeline. For 56% of those surveyed, the greatest risk is saturation: too much is communicated, without priority or intentionality. "There is a great need for distinctiveness, which comes from quality and consistency and not quantity. There is no need to multiply, there is a need for informed selection. Communication architecture is the answer: building well after understanding the context, giving messages meaning and purpose. Sometimes distinctiveness also means not communicating,' Vanoni points out.

Meanwhile, 87% use or experiment with artificial intelligence with applications ranging from content generation (74%) to task automation (67%) to personalisation (51%). Butthe tech advance is ambivalent: caution is growing, as well as enthusiasm. Perceived risks concern the loss of originality (67%), the rise of 'improvised communicators' (61%) and unsupervised publications (58%). New skills are needed. And indeed, half - 51% of managers - indicate as a priority the integrated development of technological and humanistic skills, starting with critical thinking and creativity. The communication of the future for 48% of those interviewed will be increasingly oriented towards message quality and prioritisation, not ubiquitous presence or channel bulimia. "Ai must be an accelerator to do better, not just faster and more uncritically. It requires human direction with critical thinking, creativity and soft skills. Connecting technology, culture and people is the key to protecting the most delicate asset: reputation,' Vanoni concludes. In a horizon of rapid transformations, the communicator becomes an architect of complexity. Taking a long view, even when the world looks at the short or very short term.