3 Key Insights from the Latest Reputation Rankings
Who you are is almost twice as important as what you do!
The Reputation Institute has just released their 2018 most reputable companies survey and digging through the data it is clear that having great products and services is a table stake, but by far the biggest drivers of reputation are those related to ‘who you are’.
Of the 20 top drivers of reputation, 42.4% of the score is influenced by your Sustainability elements – Leadership, Governance and Citizenship. And of the Top 20 drivers, only 9 relate to products / services, innovation and performance.
Whilst the global index dropped for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, companies that bucked the trend include Microsoft who have the highest ranking for their positive impact on society and for having a strong and appealing leader. Indeed, Microsoft’s purpose driven leadership is called out as an example of how to drive reputation.
Apple on the other hand dropped 38 places on the back of significant declines in governance related issues.
Needless to say, Uber doesn’t appear anywhere in the rankings…
The Lego Group – the people who make zillions of expensive little pieces of plastic for kids to play with, parents to step on and then discard to litter the plant – have proven once again that a purpose driven business strategy is the key to reputational success. They are the leaders in transparency and social contribution and are the only company to have strong scores in both Citizenship and Governance.
But even in data as important as this I managed to find a piece that really made me chuckle… Mars has come storming into the Top 100 and AB InBev has dropped so low it’s almost out of the rankings at #99. These things happen… but coincidentally the new Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer at AB InBev came from Mars.