How It Was: A Meeting with Olga Arinbasarova
ALMATY, November 19, 2025 — A successful meeting of the “Marketing Environment” Marketers’ Club took place at Turan University, hosted by the Kazakhstan Marketing Association. The event was dedicated to one of the most pressing topics of our time: “Reputation as an Asset: How to Manage Brand Trust in an Era of Information Noise.” The speaker for the event was Olga Arinbasarova, a recognized expert in journalism, PR, SMM, and reputational marketing with over 20 years of experience.
During her presentation, Olga Arinbasarova emphasized the key role of trust in forming and maintaining brand reputation. “Reputation is not what you say about yourself. Reputation is what people say about you when you’re not in the room,” the speaker noted, highlighting the need for a systematic approach, truth, and values in communication. She explained that trust is built not on facts or words, but on the consistency of actions and behavior.
The participants of the meeting, including students, faculty, and practicing specialists, gained deep insights into strategic reputation management. Special attention was paid to:
- The distinctions between image, reputation, and trust: Image as the “wrapper,” reputation as the “content,” and trust as the foundation that sustains a brand through a storm.
- The role of corporate culture and employees’ personal brands: A company’s reputation is the sum of the reputations of everyone who works within it.
- Brand archetypes: As a powerful tool for building trust and managing public expectations, Olga presented 12 archetypes, explaining how each influences reputation and how to use them in marketing.
- Managing “hate” and anti-crisis actions: An algorithm for actions in crisis situations was presented, emphasizing the inevitability of negativity and the importance of a swift, transparent response. Using the examples of Bek Air and Kaspi.kz, the speaker demonstrated how different crisis response strategies lead to dramatically different outcomes – from a brand’s complete disappearance to its strengthening.
Olga Arinbasarova urged the audience to reflect on the question: “Do people choose your brand because it’s the best, or because they trust it?”, leading to the main conclusion: a crisis is a test of honesty, and transparency is always rewarded. Reputation is a system of four elements: brand, people, values, and actions.
The meeting was conducted in an interactive format, with lively discussions and practical exercises, which allowed participants not only to absorb theoretical material but also to apply it in practice.
The Kazakhstan Marketing Association and Turan University express their gratitude to Olga Arinbasarova for her valuable contribution and profound knowledge shared with our community. This event marked an important step in developing the competencies of both aspiring and current marketers, emphasizing the significance of trust as a key asset in the modern business environment.
Thank you for being with us — see you at the next Marketers’ Club events!
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