Google has topped the Harris Interactive Reputation Quotient which asks US consumers to first identify the 60 most visible companies and then to rank these companies based on their reputation in six different categories: Emotional Appeal, Products & Services, Social Responsibility, Vision & Leadership, Workplace Environment, and Financial Performance.
- Johnson & Johnson
- Intel Corporation
- General Mills
- Kraft Foods
- Berkshire-Hathaway Inc
- 3M Company
- The Coca-Cola Company
- Honda Motor Co.
- Microsoft
Unlike the other companies to make the top ten, Google was not even on the list of the top 60 reputable companies four years ago. How did Google do it?
“The company scores either in first or second place on reputation drivers of financial performance, vision/leadership, social responsibility and workplace environment,” says Fronk of Harris Interactive. “For Americans to hold a company in high regards today, clearly more than just profits are needed – companies need to focus on overall corporate social responsibility and how their employees are treated in order to build trust with today’s consumers.” It’s interesting to note that Google ranked No. 2 on the social responsibility dimension, but does not even make the top five of companies based on its support of good causes, the environment or communities. “Google received a top-ranking for social responsibility primarily due to their workplace environment,” Fronk notes, “demonstrating that corporate responsibility, in the minds of consumers, starts with your own employees first.”
