14 DAY TRIAL // A recent survey by research firm Reputation Institute reveals that Apple and Samsung have experienced significant drops in their reputation score over the past year. Apple dropped to the 20th position, while Samsung dropped to 70 in an index of the top 100 companies.
The study surveyed over 170,000 consumers and revealed that Apple dropped 10 positions over the past year, but Samsung’s decrease was even more dramatic. Samsung had a reputation score that placed it on the 17th position in 2015, but the company is now on the 70th spot, after falling 53 positions.
The Reputation Institute stated, “The annual Global RepTrak® 100 spotlights the companies that truly understand what they stand for and how to reinforce the emotional bond with their stakeholders across all the markets they serve.”
Apple was no. 1 in 2011
Apple’s drop is even more alarming considering that, just a few years ago, the company had the best corporate reputation out of the top 100 companies. The decrease is part of a trend that started a few years ago, but Apple “still has an excellent reputation for its products and corporate performance, but as the perceptions of its governance and citizenship fade, the company is starting to take a hit when it comes to its overall corporate reputation,” Allen Bonde Reputation Institute’s chief marketing officer explained for CNET.
Another recent study corroborates these findings; the 2017 Reputation Quotient Ratings by Harris Poll showed that Samsung dropped 46 positions to the 49th position, while Apple landed on the 5th spot, after dropping 3 positions.
Samsung’s drop isn’t surprising, considering the recent Galaxy Note 7 recall and discontinuation, which affected the financial results and consumer trust in company products. In addition, Samsung has been involved in a scandal in South Korea which resulted in the indictment of its Vice-President on bribery and embezzlement charges.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S7 edge was named the best smartphone during this year’s MWC conference, while Samsung is preparing to announce its Galaxy S8 flagship. Apple, on its part, is getting ready to unveil the exciting iPhone 8, thus the two companies still have room to improve their reputation scores.