NEW YORK, April 9, 2014 – The Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) have the best corporate reputations around the world with consumers, according to Reputation Institute’s 2014 Global RepTrak® 100 study. More than 55,000 interviews with consumers were conducted across the 15 largest markets in the world during the first couple months of 2014 to measure the corporate reputation of the 100 most visible companies.
“The best companies in the world like The Walt Disney Company and Google see reputation as an input to their strategy, not as a passive output from their communications. They use feedback from customers and other key stakeholders to make better business decisions, and that is what makes them trusted and relevant,” says Kasper Ulf Nielsen, Executive Partner, Reputation Institute. “By working systematically with reputation they have a clearer understanding of where to invest and what to say, which in turn increases their return on investment.”
Google Inc GOOGWorld’s Most Reputable Companies – Tier 1
Samsung makes Top 10 – jumps 33 places in three years
Samsung Electronics enters the Top 10 for the first time. Rising from 43rd place in 2011, the consumer electronics company saw the largest improvement for any company. They are now in the same tier as rivals Sony and Apple when it comes to trust and respect from consumers.
In Europe, Samsung now enjoys the second best reputation of all companies with a very strong reputation rating of 79.7. “It is fantastic to receive this recognition from our customers and wider stakeholders. Samsung’s purpose is to innovate for customers all over the world, so the communications team is merely trying to open channels to communicate this philosophy. We are naturally pleased with our progress but recognize that reputation must continue to be earned every day”, says Greg Dawson, Samsung’s European Communications Director.
Most consumers don’t trust advertising – companies need new ways to build trust
The results from the 2014 Global RepTrak® 100 study highlight the problems companies face when trying to drive sales and build trust. Only 25% of consumers around the world trust what companies say in their advertising. In Japan, Germany, UK, and France, only 10-15% believe what companies claim in their advertising.
“Successful companies have changed their marketing approach to focus more on building trust in the company rather than pushing their product alone. They are doing it in a myriad of ways, from social media engagement to co-creation programs with customers. The key is to leverage existing product focused programs, but add a company face to it. The companies who are doing this right save money and get better results,” says Nielsen.
Companies face major reputation risks – up to 60% of consumers are undecided voters
Even the 100 most reputable companies in the world have a tough time explaining what they do. Up to 60% of consumers are uncertain if they can trust these companies for product quality, honest business practices, and credible leadership. Despite sending millions on marketing and communication, 43% of consumers are uncertain if these companies deliver high quality products and services. At the same time, 61% are neutral or not sure if these companies are good corporate citizens that supports good causes and protects the environment.
“Companies are facing major risks by not telling their story. The mix of social media and critical consumers is toxic so companies need to get their good stories out there as a buffer to the negative claims. We know that even a single story can disrupt the most well planned strategy so to ensure positive results, companies need to tell their story”, says Nielsen.
Reputation Institute 2014 Global RepTrak® 100 study key findings:
- Rolex rated #1 for products and services by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- Apple considered the most innovative company by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- Google considered the best place to work by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- BMW rated #1 for governance by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- The Walt Disney Company considered the best corporate citizen by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- Google rated # 1 for its leadership by consumers in RepTrak® 100 study
- Amazon has the best reputation in North America in RepTrak® 100 study
- Sony has the best reputation in Europe in RepTrak® 100 study
- Google has the best reputation in Latin America in RepTrak® 100 study
- Rolex has the best reputation in Asia in RepTrak® 100 study
Download complete results and findings: https://www.reputationinstitute.com/.
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Methodology for 2014 Reputation Study
Global RepTrak® 100
The Global RepTrak® 100 study measures the reputation of the 100 most highly regarded companies across 15 countries including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, UK and US. Members of the general public rated a maximum of five randomly assigned companies that they were somewhat or very familiar with using Reputation Institute’s RepTrak® Pulse methodology. Data was collected in Jan-Feb 2014. In interpreting results, all RepTrak® Pulse scores differing by more than +/-0.9 are significantly different at a 95 percent confidence level.
About Reputation Institute
Reputation Institute is the world’s leading reputation-based advisory firm, founded by Dr. Charles Fombrun and Dr. Cees van Riel in 1997. We enable many of the world’s leading companies to make more confident business decisions that build and protect reputation capital and drive competitive advantage. Our most prominent management tool is the RepTrak® model for analyzing the reputations of companies and institutions best known via the Forbes published Global RepTrak® 100, the world’s largest study of corporate reputations. Businesses and executives regularly discover best practices in reputation management by affiliating with our Knowledge Center and participating in its learning programs and networking events. Reputation Institute has offices and associates in 30 countries around the world.
For more information, visit: http://www.reputationinstitute.com
Contact:
Jamie Bedard (USA) +1 212 495 3855[email protected]
Carsten Wegmann (EU) +45 7025 0313 [email protected]
Global RepTrak® 100
2014 Results
Argentina-Australia-Belgium-Brazil-Canada-Chile-China-Colombia-Denmark-Finland-France-Germany-Greece-India
Ireland-Italy-Japan-Mexico-Netherlands-Norway-Panama-Peru-Portugal-Puerto Rico-Russia-South Africa-Spain-Sweden
Switzerland-Turkey-Ukraine-United Arab Emirates-United Kingdom-United States
