Consumer firms ahead in US reputation race

Johnson & Johnson is the most reputable company in the USA, followed by Kraft Foods, Kellogg, The Walt Disney Company, PepsiCo and Sara Lee. Johnson & Johnson is winning the laurel for the second consecutive year in a study conducted among by Reputation Institute.

The study is based on 24,977 online interviews about the respondents’ perceptions of the USA's top (by annual revenue) 150 companies' products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, financial performance and leadership.

All the toppers are in the consumer space. According to Laurie Burkitt of Forbes, “Warm-and-fuzzy household names are most loved in tough times. Consumers are still critical of financial service giants. With big names like Tiger Woods and Toyota Motor stepping into the spotlight of public scrutiny this year, reputation is a hot topic in the media and in corporate boardrooms. No company wants its public image to be the reason it has a hard time rebounding from the recession.”

Burkitt continues, “The secret to Johnson & Johnson's success rings true for all of this year's top reputable companies: Each has direct connections to their consumers and their families.”