Samsung drops from 7th to 49th in U.S. brand reputation survey

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Samsung drops from 7th to 49th in U.S. brand reputation survey

AFP

A political scandal involving Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong and the Note 7 snafu take their toll on the South Korean tech giant

MANILA, Philippines – An annual survey in the US demonstrated the detrimental effects that recent incidents have had on Samsung’s reputation.

The South Korean tech giant experienced a big drop in this year’s Reputation Quotient Ratings by Harris Poll, going from the 7th spot in 2016 to the 49th spot. In 2015, Samsung ranked 3rd. 

The ranking is based on the perception of US consumers and not entirely representative of the world view. The polls though carry a lot of weight as it involves the participation of 30,000 US individuals, which judged the brands according to six dimensions: social responsibility, vision and leadership, financial performance, products and services, workplace environment, and emotional appeal.

The Harris Poll conducts the reputation survey annually for the most visible companies in the US, and has been conducting it since 1999. 

This year’s polls were carried out from November 28, 2016 to December 16, 2016 – a period that included the December 8 probe into Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong and his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal with impeached South Korean president Park Geun-Hye. A few months before that, the brand was in the midst of an unprecedented global recall of its flagship Galaxy Note 7 phone for its exploding battery. 

REPUTATION RATINGS. The annual survey ranks the 100 most visible companies in the US. Screenshot from The Harris Poll

These incidents fall under 2 of the biggest risks to corporate reputation, according to the Harris Poll: “Intentional wrongdoing or illegal actions by company leaders” and “product recalls.”

While the latest earnings reports for the brand show positive growth, what can’t be denied is that the incidents have had a significant impact on Samsung’s reputation.

This year will be critical for the tech giant in halting the reputation slide. 

On a positive note, Samsung’s overall score of 75.17 is still considered as “Very Good” in Harris Poll’s rating system. Last year, they scored 80.44  – an “Excellent” rating.

Some other tech companies on the list include Amazon (1st, 86.27), Apple (5th, 82.07), Google (8th, 82.00), Tesla (9th, 81.70), Netflix (18th, 79.86), Microsoft (20th, 79.29), Sony (42nd, 76.76), Facebook (66th, 72.29) and Yahoo! (72nd, 70.56).

You can view the full report here. – Rappler.com

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