Google ranked as most reputable company in Ireland

28th April 2010

Google has taken the top spot as the most reputable company operating in Ireland as Corporate Reputations launched the results of the Ireland RepTrak 2010 study today.  Kellogg’s, BMW, Marks & Spencer’s and Nokia rounded out the top tier of Ireland’s top ranking companies in 2010, all with excellent reputations. Anglo Irish Bank dwells at the bottom of the list, finishing last out of the 115 organizations included in the survey. John Player & Sons, UPC (Chorus NTL), NTR, and Bank of Ireland were also ranked in the bottom five. Top line results are available at www.corporatereputations.ie.

The Ireland RepTrak 2010, which ranked the reputations of some of the largest and most visible firms in Ireland, is the most comprehensive study of corporate reputations ever undertaken in Ireland. The study measured companies’ reputations based on consumer’s trust, esteem, admiration, and good feelings about a company while also gauging perceptions across seven rational dimensions of reputation. Companies from Anglo to Airtricity and Intel to Google were ranked with nearly 12,000 ratings received from members of the general public.

The study revealed that of the 20 companies with the best reputations in Ireland, 12 were multinationals and eight were indigenous firms. The top five indigenous Irish firms are, in order, the Irish Times, An Post National Lottery, Easons & Sons, Smyths Toys and An Post. 

The strongest performing industry overall was the computer industry, followed by the automotive industry, consumer goods, retail and food manufacturing. Marks & Spencer Group, FBD and Nokia were the top performing firms in retail, financial services and telecommunications industries respectively. The worst performing industries were, in order, tobacco, financial services, airlines and aerospace, and transport and logistics.

“At Google we know that our users are only one click away from moving to a competitor service,” said Niall O’Riordan, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Google. “Our corporate reputation is about putting our users first, meeting their expectations through the products and services we provide and is integral to everything we do as a company.”

 “The results of the Ireland RepTrak 2010 study clearly show that strong reputations lead to lucrative bottom-line results. The high rankings of organizations like Google, Kellogg’s and BMW means they are more four times more likely to gain recommendations, get the benefit of the doubt in a crisis and be spoken about in a positive light than those ranked at the bottom of the list.” said Niamh Boyle, Managing Director, Corporate Reputations. “Clearly, a good reputation is not just a nice to have; it’s a strategic business imperative.”

According to the Ireland RepTrak 2010 study, corporate reputation has an increased impact on business results - a company's reputation score has a positive and direct link to consumer attitudes and behaviors. In comparing the top 10 to the bottom 10 measured companies, the general public is:

• 400% more likely to verbally support;
• 400% more likely recommend and
• 360% more likely to give the benefit of the doubt in a crisis

The study rated how an organization was rated across the key dimensions of reputation and respondents in Ireland said that ‘products and services’, ‘governance’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘workplace’ were the most important dimensions when considering a company’s reputation. ‘Performance’, ‘innovation’ and ‘leadership’ were considered the least important dimensions.

Dr. Charles J. Fombrun, Chairman and Co-founder, Reputation Institute, added, “In today’s tough economic climate, corporate reputation is critical to sustaining and growing businesses. For the first time, Irish businesses now have statistics to show that there is a direct correlation between how well organizations manage their reputation and how likely consumers are to recommend or reject the company. In Ireland, as in the rest of the world where we have conducted research, companies operate at the grace of society. Those companies that take stock of their positions and invest in building robust reputation platforms today are the ones that will forge ahead of their competitors tomorrow.”

Prof Damien McLoughlin, UCD Michael Smurfit School of Business, commented, “A good corporate reputation does not happen by chance. The leading companies on this ranking have invested much time and resources in ensuring that their reputations are strong and their commitment has been rewarded. Google and Smyths Toys are perfect examples of companies that use their corporate story to create deep connections with their stakeholders, essentially deploying who they are as a company to drive business results.”