Reputation Institute Highlights Connection Between Sincere Messaging and Strong Corporate Reputation - Expressiveness Rooted in Sincerity

Survey Results: Topping the list as the most sincere communicator is Kraft Foods, followed by Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills and Google. These five companies also ranked highest in overall reputation.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 17, 2008 -- As a result of its annual 2008 Global Pulse Study, the Reputation Institute announced today that the US companies with the best reputations are perceived to be communicating with the most sincerity. Topping the list as the most sincere is Kraft Foods, followed by Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills and Google. These five companies also ranked highest in overall reputation, the study found.

"In an era of financial upheaval and real worry by consumers, they look to be reassured by companies that they perceive to be speaking to them truthfully," said Kasper Nielsen, Managing Partner at Reputation Institute. "In today's media environment, consumers are highly aware of corporate activities and are especially critical of those that say one thing and do another."

To arrive at the ranking, Reputation Institute evaluated overall company messaging - or expressiveness - along six dimensions: visibility, consistency, distinctiveness, responsiveness, transparency and sincerity.

"Sincerity is a must for building and maintaining a good reputation with the American public," said Nielsen. "When people feel company messaging is in line with company actions it creates a stronger positive emotional connection."

More than 150 US companies were evaluated in the global study. There were some companies that ranked high for sincerity, but lower for overall reputation. According to Reputation Institute this suggests that the company is not leveraging its communications and marketing efforts to build reputation and support with the general public. The advisory firm has found that a systematic approach to reputation management helps companies improve the overall return on marketing and communications investments.

Besides ranking highest in sincerity, Google, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, General Mills and Disney are also seen as the companies with the best reputations among the 150 US corporations measured in the study.

Sincerity
Ranking in the U.S.                Company                       Overall Reputation Rank in the U.S.

1                                        Kraft Foods Inc.                                3
2                                        Walt Disney                                    5
3                                        Johnson & Johnson                            2
4                                        General Mills                                    4
5                                        Google                                            1
6                                        UPS                                                6
7                                        Deere & Co                                    15
8                                        Aflac                                               39
9                                        Anheuser-Busch                             44
10                                        FedEx                                            14

Survey Methodology
Data on corporate expressiveness was collected between February and March 2008 during fielding for Reputation Institute's annual Global Pulse Study, a study of the reputations of the largest 600 companies in 27 countries, including the 150 largest US companies. Over 7,450 American consumers were asked to rate corporations with which they were familiar on a range of communication criteria. Scores range from a low of 0 to a high of 100. Reputation Institute has been measuring corporate reputations since 1999 using an approach based on: 1) a carefully developed model of what constitutes reputation; 2) a rigorous process that ensures representative results, and 3) a process of analysis that standardizes output to enable international and cross-industry comparisons. Reputation Institute publishes its annual results with Forbes.com.

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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 unlock the power of reputation. With a presence in more than 25 countries, Reputation Institute is dedicated to advancing knowledge about reputation and shares best practices and current research through client engagement, membership, seminars, conferences, and publications such as Corporate Reputation Review. Reputation Institute's Global Pulse is the largest study of corporate reputations in the world, identifying what drives reputation and covering more than 1,000 companies from 27 countries annually. Reputation Institute provides specific reputation insight from more than 15 different stakeholder groups and 24 industries, allowing clients to create tangible value from intangible stakeholder feelings. Visit www.ReputationInstitute.com to learn how you can unlock the power of your reputation.