Reputation Matters

In the 10th annual Reputation Quotient Study published in Monday's WSJ, readers can find obvious findings. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/expertise/reputation.asp

Then come the not so obvious and what no one ever studies closely enough -- how personal reptutation can either transcend or destroy a company's standing.

Case in point. This year's biggest loser, Disney, went from fourth last year all the way down to 16th in this year's edition. Reasons cited include greed, ridiculous salaries and general disenchantment with the company. One respondent said, "Next thing you know they'll layoff Mickey and Goofy to enrich their salaries."

With names on trial such as Ovitz and Eisner, it's clear that the company's magic has been lost.

At the other end of the spectrum lies Coke, which remained in the #3 spot despite their well documented problems.

However, unlike Disney, Coke's drumbeat doesn't revolve around imperial personalities gone wild. Names such as Heyer and Daft don't hold as much sway as Eisner and Ovitz, and for that basic fact, Coke is breathing a sigh of relief.

Coke also seems to retain an emotional connection, which is something that Disney has seen fade.

What can the rest of us takeaway from this study?
1.) Name awareness doesn't always translate into results. It's what you do with the awareness that makes a difference.
2.) While the public's attitudes toward business show modest improvement, the gap between the very top earners and the rank and file remains an extremely violatile source of discontent. And outsourcing isn't going away as an issue anytime soon.
3.) Standing for something is the best strategy to manage ebbs and flows.

Anyone interested who grabbed the top spot? Johnson & Johnson, of course. Not too shabby for a drug company. Rounding out the list at #60 was the perennial loser, Enron.