Global RepTrak® 2019 Report

The top 10 companies in the 2019 Global RepTrak 100 are:

1. Rolex (ranked in 1st place for the fourth year in a row)
2. Lego Group (no change)
3. Disney (+2 places)
4. Adidas (+3 places)
5. Microsoft (+5 places)
6. Sony (no change)
7. Canon (-3 places)
8. Michelin (+3 places)
9. Netflix (+15 places)
10. Bosch (-2 places)

Some notable Company performances:

Netflix - moved up 15 places in the rankings and has seen a rapid growth in its business, even producing Oscar winning movies. They handled the reputational crisis around Kevin Spacey by removing him from its hit show “House of Cards” following sexual harassment allegations, despite the show’s popularity. They were seen to do the right thing, no matter what the cost.

Microsoft - has been rewarded for its move towards becoming a more transparent organisation with strong and visible leadership. This transparency was demonstrated when they had problems with product flaws. Microsoft used crowdsourcing to obtain the fixes, involving their user community in the solution. By remaining transparent in the face of product bugs and updates, Microsoft was able to improve reputation while empowering its customers. This in turn helped Microsoft retain public trust in the face of increasing scepticism towards tech companies.

Uber - The new CEO made an ethical commitment with its “moving forward” promise and new processes to encourage user feedback direct to the company to improve service. People have started feeling differently about Uber as both their Pulse and Leadership scores have moved upwards.

Facebook - Facebook had the biggest overall decline in reputation in 2019, driven by a systematic failure to deliver on Governance and Leadership. This decline is directly tied back to the data privacy breaches and Cambridge Analytica crisis. People are conflicted. They have real concerns about privacy. However, they like the product (the facebook platform) and don’t want to give it up.