It used to be we talked about music singles debuting at the top of charts. These days we talk about companies. Imagine Casey Kasem talking for this next line, then: In its first year to be included in the Reputation Institute‘s Global Pulse report on the most reputable companies, Google debuts at number one in the US.
With a score of 85.23, Google edged out Johnson & Johnson’s 83.48 score for the top spot among reputable companies. Call it a mid-year echo of Fortune’s January declaration of Google as the best place to work in America.
RI’s study measured the overall respect, trust, esteem, admiration, and good feelings consumers hold toward the largest 600 companies in the world. On the global list, Google placed second, losing out to Toyota. Johnson & Johnson was a more distant fifth, beat out by IKEA and Italian chocolatier Ferrero.
Large annual revenues boosted US companies’ presence on the list. US-based companies accounted for 150 of the 600 measured. Companies scoring above 80 were considered “excellent” or “top tier,” with a score of between 60 and 69 being considered average. Consumer goods companies and electronics companies seemed to do the best.
Who did the worst in terms of reputation? Bet you can guess, so go ahead and guess and I’ll tell you in 3…2…1…
The energy industry averaged a 51.45 in the US, and the telecommunications industry scored lowest among consumers worldwide with an average of 56.18. Gee, wonder how that happened?
Here are the top 25 US companies in terms of reputation:
1 Google 85.23
2 Johnson & Johnson 83.48
3 Kraft Foods Inc. 82.79
4 General Mills 81.34
5 Walt Disney 81.22
6 United Parcel Service 81.05
7 3M 79.79
8 Xerox 78.44
9 Colgate-Palmolive 78.04
10 Texas Instruments 77.22
11 Eastman Kodak 77.13
12 General Electric 76.82
13 Sara Lee 76.48
14 FedEx 76.28
15 Deere & Co 76.12
16 Goodyear 76.00
17 Apple 75.42
18 Hewlett-Packard 75.10
19 Intel 74.94
20 Publix Super Markets Inc. 74.91
21 Caterpillar 74.78
22 Whirlpool 74.41
23 Boeing 74.37
24 Costco Wholesale 74.33
25 Dell 74.26
