Many companies work hard to create and maintain visibility. That's what keeps those of us ion advertising and public relations busy.
But how much effort do those companies put into building and maintaining a good reputation? Some, like American Express and McDonald's, put heavy emphasis on PR, community relations and customer service as a way to secure a good reputation with customers and potential customers.
A survey just released by Mediabistro makes interesting reading. The poll, by Harris, got feedback from about 19,000 people at random.
The most trusted brand, the poll says, is Amazon. I know they work hard to keep their payment site safe and secure, and they are good about accepting returns on things if there's a problem.
Second is Apple, thanks to their innovation and customer service.
Disney is third. How can you not trust Mickey, right?
Google ranked fourth. We must trust them, because Google is where we all go when we want to find something out. Google it, right?
Johnson & Johnson is fifth on the list. We all have J&J products in our home, and they've done a good job with PR damage control when they''ve run into quality control problems.
Coca-Cola is #6. Maybe it's because the company's been around for close to 100 years and they spend and spend to keep their name in front of us, often using ads that tug at the heartstrings. So we trust them, even though Mayor Bloomberg is after them and other soft drink makers for causing childhood obesity.
Seventh is Whole Foods. We love their stores because they have great stuff niucely presented. Sometimes a little pricey, but tastes good. We trust them to have good-tasting, interesting foods.
Sony, Procter & Gamble and Costco round out the top ten in that order. Sony's products are quality, and they have a good reputation for customer service. Like J&J, P&G has products in every American home, it seems. From familiarity comes trust. Last is Costco. I don't know much about them. I've tried my best to avoid their stores, but my wife says their prices are great. I guess low prices creates trust... I guess.
I'm a bit surprised not to see American Express on this list. To me, they are among the best at customer service.
Perhaps less surprising is the absence of banks, insurance companies, pharma companies and electric companies on this list. Also, other than Disney, no media companies either.