Google, Apple, Disney, BMW and LEGO are the World's Most Reputable Companies According to Consumers Across 15 Countries

By Reputation Institute, PRNE
Tuesday, June 7, 2011

NEW YORK, June 8, 2011 -

Google (GOOG) and Apple (AAPL) share the top spot in a study of the
world's most reputable companies conducted by Reputation Institute. Disney
(DIS), BMW (BAMXY.PK), and LEGO round out the top five in the 2011 Global
RepTrak(TM) 100, a consumer study developed by Reputation Institute to assess
the reputations of 100 of the world's most prominent companies. The study
provides an assessment of the global reputation landscape-the companies that
are most liked, trusted, and respected by over 48,000 consumers across 15
countries. Data collection was powered by Survey Sampling International. Five
other companies round out the Top Ten: Sony (SNE), Daimler (DAI.DE), Canon
(CAJ), Intel (INTC), and Volkswagen (VLKAY.PK).

A major finding of this study is that most companies have stronger
reputations in their home countries than abroad. But even these powerhouse
companies are not able to generate respect in all 15 countries. Apple,
Google, LEGO, and Sony are the only companies to make the top ten in nine of
the 15 countries. Even more telling is the fact that, of the 100 companies,
only 12 made the top ten in five or more of the 15 countries.

Reputation Institute examined how these companies were perceived in four
regions. Each region had a different winner: Kellogg's (K) in North America,
Google in Latin America, LEGO in Europe, and Disney in Asia Pacific. "To
build a strong reputation on a global level requires a broad platform that
covers all seven dimensions of reputation, including Products & Services,
Innovation, Workplace, Governance, Citizenship, Leadership, and Performance,"
says Reputation Institute Executive Partner Nicolas Georges Trad. "Companies
need to integrate reputation management into the way they do business."

A second key finding of the study is that companies generate tangible
benefits from building strong emotional bonds with consumers. Across the 15
largest countries in the world, companies with strong reputations receive, on
average, three times the support of their less reputable competition.
Reputation can be used to drive this support-when a company improves its
RepTrak(TM) Pulse score by five points, public recommendations increase by
7%.

Because support is greater for better-regarded companies, their financial
performance is also higher. Among the RepTrak(TM) 100, better-rated companies
enjoy a 9% return on assets, compared to lesser-rated companies who earn a 6%
ROA. Despite facing similar risk profiles, investors appear to reward more
reputable companies by bidding up their shares. Companies with higher
RepTrak(TM) Pulse scores have both higher price earnings ratios and earnings
per share than lesser-regarded companies.

"The results of the Global RepTrak(TM) 100 Study confirm that, when
evaluating companies, consumers and investors are aligned. The greater the
reputation of a company, the more support it earns from consumers, the better
its operating performance, and the more money investors are willing to pay
for its shares. This is a key feature of the emerging Reputation Economy we
now live in," says Reputation Institute Chairman, Dr. Charles Fombrun.

Finally, a third key finding of this study is that the drivers of
reputation vary by industry and by region. While the product dimension is the
top driver of reputation globally, it has a lower impact in BRIC countries
(Brazil, Russia, India, China). Perceptions of a company's performance and
governance account for over 30% of a company's reputation in BRIC countries,
and are key differentiators for companies who want to win business there. As
Executive Partner Kasper Ulf Nielsen commented: "Many established brands are
finding that merely pumping advertising and products into a market does not
yield the return of investment they expect and desire. Having a local
presence and communicating about it are key ways to win trust and support
from consumers, politicians, and opinion leaders. That means focusing on
reputation."

About the Global RepTrak(TM) 100 Study

In January 2011, Reputation Institute measured the reputations of more
than 1,000 of the world's largest companies in their home countries. The
highest rated companies across 41 countries were then selected as candidates
for a second study that rated these companies provided they had above average
home country reputations and a global footprint. The outcome of the first
study was a roster of 100 companies-The Global RepTrak(TM) 100-that are well
regarded at home and are exporting their reputations around the world.

In April 2011, online consumers were invited to rate the Global
RepTrak(TM) 100 in each of 15 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain,
United Kingdom, and United States. Each respondent rated a maximum of five
randomly assigned companies from the list with which they were somewhat or
very familiar with, using Reputation Institute's standardized RepTrak(TM)
Pulse methodology. In interpreting results, all RepTrak(TM) Pulse scores that
differ by more than +/-0.5 are significantly different at a 95% confidence
level.

For more detail about the 2011 Global RepTrak(TM) study, interested
readers can download a top line report, watch video insights, and more by
going to www.ReputationInstitute.com.

About Reputation Institute

Reputation Institute is the world's leading reputation consulting firm.
As a pioneer in the field of brand and reputation management, Reputation
Institute helps companies build better relations with stakeholders. With a
presence in 30 countries, Reputation Institute is dedicated to advancing
knowledge about reputation and shares best practices and current research
through client engagement, memberships, seminars, conferences, and
publications such as Corporate Reputation Review and Reputation Intelligence.
Visit ReputationInstitute.com to learn how you can unlock the power of your
reputation.

About Survey Sampling International

Survey Sampling International (SSI) is the premier global provider of
sampling solutions for survey research. With offices in 15 countries, SSI
provides data collection services to more than 1,800 clients, including 48 of
the top 50 research organizations.

The 2011 Global RepTrak(TM) 100: The World's Most Reputable Companies

                                      Stock       RepTrak(TM)
       Rank    Company (Country)      Ticker           Pulse
       ----    -----------------      ------      -----------

           1      Google (USA)         GOOG            79.99
         ---      ------------         ----            -----
           2       Apple (USA)         AAPL            79.77
         ---       -----------         ----            -----
                 The Walt Disney
           3      Company (USA)         DIS            79.51
         ---    ----------------        ---            -----
           4      BMW (Germany)      BAMXY.PK          79.42
         ---      -------------      --------          -----
           5     LEGO (Denmark)          -             79.26
         ---     --------------         ---            -----
           6      Sony (Japan)          SNE            79.05
         ---      ------------          ---            -----
           7   Daimler (Germany)      DAI.DE           79.03
         ---   -----------------      ------           -----
           8      Canon (Japan)         CAJ            78.07
         ---      -------------         ---            -----
           9       Intel (USA)         INTC            77.56
         ---       -----------         ----            -----
                    Volkswagen
          10        (Germany)        VLKAY.PK          77.33
         ---       -----------       --------          -----
          11     Microsoft (USA)       MSFT            77.29
         ---     ---------------       ----            -----
          12    Nike, Inc. (USA)        NKE            76.92
         ---    ----------------        ---            -----
          13   Panasonic (Japan)        PC             76.84
         ---   -----------------        ---            -----
                Johnson & Johnson
          14          (USA)             JNJ            76.75
         ---   ------------------       ---            -----
          15     Nokia (Finland)        NOK            76.17
         ---     ---------------        ---            -----
                      Nestle
          16      (Switzerland)      NESN.VK           76.01
         ---     --------------      -------           -----
                 Hewlett-Packard
          17          (USA)             HPQ            75.90
         ---    ----------------        ---            -----
          18   Michelin (France)       ML.PA           75.75
         ---   -----------------       -----           -----
          19    L'Oreal (France)         -             75.72
         ---    ----------------        ---            -----
          20     Kellogg's (USA)         K             75.20
         ---     ---------------        ---            -----
          21     Goodyear (USA)         GT             75.09
         ---     --------------         ---            -----
          22     Ferrero (Italy)         -             75.01
         ---     ---------------        ---            -----
                     Philips
                Electronics (The
          23       Netherlands)         PHG            74.84
         ---   -----------------        ---            -----
          24        3M (USA)            MMM            74.68
         ---        --------            ---            -----
          25    Nintendo (Japan)     NTDOY.PK          74.66
         ---    ----------------     --------          -----
                Colgate-Palmolive
          26          (USA)             CL             74.62
         ---   ------------------       ---            -----
          27        IBM (USA)           IBM            74.41
         ---        ---------           ---            -----
                  The Coca-Cola
          28      Company (USA)         KO             74.27
         ---     --------------         ---            -----
                   Honda Motor
          29         (Japan)            HMC            73.99
         ---      ------------          ---            -----
          30     Danone (France)     DANOY.PK          73.92
         ---     ---------------     --------          -----
          31     Pirelli (Italy)       PC.MI           73.88
         ---     ---------------       -----           -----
          32      Ikea (Sweden)          -             73.83
         ---      -------------         ---            -----
          33    Amazon.com (USA)       AMZN            73.63
         ---    ----------------       ----            -----
          34       Dell (USA)          DELL            73.60
         ---       ----------          ----            -----
          35   Sony Ericsson (UK)       SNE            73.49
         ---   ------------------       ---            -----
                   Bridgestone
          36         (Japan)         BRDCY.PK          73.21
         ---      ------------       --------          -----
                   Swatch Group
          37      (Switzerland)      UHRN.SW           73.14
         ---      -------------      -------           -----
          38       Xerox (USA)          XRX            73.09
         ---       -----------          ---            -----
                     Marriott
                  International
          39          (USA)              -             73.08
         ---     --------------         ---            -----
                  Cisco Systems
          40          (USA)            CSCO            72.99
         ---     --------------        ----            -----
                  Eastman Kodak
          41          (USA)             EK             72.99
         ---     --------------         ---            -----
               Deutsche Lufthansa
          42        (Germany)         LHA.DE           72.84
         ---   -------------------    ------           -----
                     Samsung
                   Electronics
          43      (South Korea)      005930.KS         72.76
         ---     --------------      ---------         -----
                Procter & Gamble
          44          (USA)             PG             72.75
         ---     ----------------       ---            -----
          45     Toshiba (Japan)     TOSBF.PK          72.70
         ---     ---------------     --------          -----
          46       FedEx (USA)          FDX            72.68
         ---       -----------          ---            -----
          47    Fujifilm (Japan)       FJI.F           72.68
         ---    ----------------       -----           -----
          48   Siemens (Germany)        SI             72.34
         ---   -----------------        ---            -----
          49        UPS (USA)           UPS            72.20
         ---        ---------           ---            -----
                Hilton Worldwide
          50          (USA)              -             72.16
         ---   -----------------        ---            -----
                  LVMH Group
          51       (France)          MC.PA               72.15
         ---     -----------         -----               -----
          52   Barilla (Italy)         -                 72.04
         ---   ---------------        ---                -----
          53     DuPont (USA)         DD                 72.00
         ---     ------------         ---                -----
          54    Sharp (Japan)      SHCAY.PK              71.77
         ---    -------------      --------              -----
                   Singapore
                   Airlines
          55      (Singapore)      SIA1.SG               71.77
         ---     ------------      -------               -----
          56     Boeing (USA)         BA                 71.57
         ---     ------------         ---                -----
          57    HJ Heinz (USA)        HNZ                71.53
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
                  Electrolux
          58       (Sweden)         ELX.SG               71.50
         ---     -----------        ------               -----
                 Unilever (The
          59     Netherlands)         UL                 71.37
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
          60    Toyota (Japan)        TM                 71.26
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
                 Nissan Motor
          61        (Japan)        NSANF.PK              71.11
         ---    -------------      --------              -----
                     Roche
          62     (Switzerland)     RHHBY.PK              71.11
         ---    --------------     --------              -----
                 Suzuki Motor
          63        (Japan)          SUK.F               71.04
         ---    -------------        -----               -----
               General Electric
          64         (USA)            GE                 70.99
         ---  -----------------       ---                -----
                LG Corporation
          65     (South Korea)    0035550.KS             70.97
         ---   ---------------    ----------             -----
          66   Hitachi (Japan)        HIT                70.66
         ---   ---------------        ---                -----
                 Heineken (The
          67     Netherlands)      HINKY.PK              70.65
         ---    --------------     --------              -----
          68     Oracle (USA)        ORCL                70.52
         ---     ------------        ----                -----
               Marks & Spencer
          69      Group (UK)         MKS.L               70.39
         ---  ----------------       -----               -----
          70  ACER INC (Taiwan)    2353.TW               70.31
         ---  -----------------    -------               -----
               Kraft Foods Inc.
          71         (USA)            KFT                70.15
         ---  -----------------       ---                -----
          72  Virgin Group (UK)        -                 69.80
         ---  -----------------       ---                -----
                Qantas Airways
          73      (Australia)       QAN.AZ               69.66
         ---   ---------------      ------               -----
          74   Airbus (France)         -                 69.51
         ---   ---------------        ---                -----
               GlaxoSmithKline
          75         (UK)             GSK                69.45
         ---  ----------------        ---                -----
          76    PepsiCo (USA)         PEP                69.36
         ---    -------------         ---                -----
          77     SAS (Sweden)       SAS.SS               69.30
         ---     ------------       ------               -----
          78   Fujitsu (Japan)     FJTSK.PK              69.29
         ---   ---------------     --------              -----
               Starbucks Coffee
          79     Company (USA)       SBUX                68.65
         ---  -----------------      ----                -----
                 General Mills
          80         (USA)            GIS                68.36
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
          81      Avon (USA)          AVP                68.33
         ---      ----------          ---                -----
          82     Zara (Spain)          -                 68.26
         ---     ------------         ---                -----
                Hyundai (South
          83        Korea)        005380.KS              68.19
         ---   ---------------    ---------              -----
                   Carlsberg         CARL-
          84       (Denmark)          B.Co               68.02
         ---      ----------        ------               -----
                 Lenovo Group
          85        (China)        LNVGF.PK              67.94
         ---    -------------      --------              -----
                Air France-KLM
          86       (France)         AFR.BE               67.91
         ---   ---------------      ------               -----
          87    Motorola (USA)        MMI                67.72
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
          88    Sara Lee (USA)        SLE                67.19
         ---    --------------        ---                -----
               De Beers (South
          89        Africa)            -                 65.27
         ---  ----------------        ---                -----
          90     Diageo (UK)          DEO                65.24
         ---     -----------          ---                -----
                Anheuser-Busch
          91   InBev (Belgium)        BUD                65.08
         ---   ---------------        ---                -----
          92    Vodafone (UK)         VOD                64.96
         ---    -------------         ---                -----
                   Petrobras
          93       (Brazil)           PZE                64.92
         ---      ----------          ---                -----
          94    Carnival (US)         CCL                64.73
         ---    -------------         ---                -----
                   Carrefour
          95       (France)          CA.PA               64.01
         ---      ----------         -----               -----
          96    SABMiller (UK)     SBMRY.PK              64.01
         ---    --------------     --------              -----
               Lockheed Martin
          97         (USA)            LMT                63.51
         ---  ----------------        ---                -----
                 Tsingtao Beer
          98        (China)        TSGTF.PK              62.52
         ---    --------------     --------              -----
                  Haier Group
          99        (China)        1169.HK               62.25
         ---     ------------      -------               -----
               BHP Billiton (UK
         100    and Australia)        BHP                59.54
         ---   ----------------       ---                -----

(c) Copyright 2011. Reputation Institute. All Rights Reserved.

    Contact:
    Adam Shoer, Reputation Institute
    +1-212-495-3855 x307, ashoer@reputationinstitute.com

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