Christopher J. Tennyson

Axios Harris Poll Ranks 100 Most Visible and Respected Brands in America

Findings Underscore Importance of Authenticity in Building Good Reputations

6/29/21 – – Each year, Axios and Harris Poll team up to rank the reputations of the 100 most visible brands in America. The 2021 survey, released last month, reported some very interesting results.

Completing the Axios Harris Poll ranking is a two-step process. First, the general public is surveyed, unaided, to determine the 100 most visible brands in America. Then a new set of respondents is asked to rate the reputations of those 100 brands based on seven variables: affinity, ethics, growth, products/services, citizenship, vision and culture.

A company can feel good about making it into the top 100 (based on high-visibility), but be disappointed when it ends up at the bottom of the list (based on reputation).

Here’s this year’s top 10:

  1. Patagonia
  2. Honda Motor Company
  3. Moderna
  4. Chick-fil-A
  5. SpaceX
  6. Chewy
  7. Pfizer
  8. Tesla Motors
  9. Costco
  10. Amazon.com

Two names among these most-respected brands jump out at me: Patagonia and Chick-fil-A. Are you surprised to see these controversial brands so highly ranked? While both offer great products, you couldn’t find two organizations with more incompatible politics and cultures. And neither is shy about expressing strong societal beliefs, even when a significant portion of the public is turned off by their positions.

So what does their presence in the top 10 tell us about reputation?

I believe it’s further evidence that authenticity is highly admired, even in (or maybe especially in) today’s divided, toxic political environment. Patagonia and Chick-fil-A unapologetically express and live their beliefs. There’s an important lesson here for CEOs and companies choosing to enter the minefield of political activism. Before you take a step, make sure you are willing and able to sustain your commitments.

The bottom 10 are also interesting, but less surprising:

91. My Pillow

92. Comcast

93. Twitter

94. TikToc

95. Wells Fargo

96. Sears

97. Wish.com

98. Facebook

99. Fox Corporation

100. The Trump Organization

As the saying goes, these companies/brands “have issues.” And in most cases, their reputational challenges reach well beyond political activism. They have much work to do. We’ll see where they rank in next year’s poll.

https://www.axios.com/the-2021-axios-harris-poll-100-reputation-rankings-af44bec1-4e00-4af4-9952-7bf4caa06cd6.html

Published by Christopher J. Tennyson

Christopher Tennyson brings more than 35 years of experience in major agency and corporate environments to his work as a senior communications and crisis management consultant. He has advised a broad range of high-profile companies, institutions and individuals in diverse industries, including real estate, retailing, consumer products, energy, education, art, sports and finance. Tennyson served as senior vice president and senior partner at the international public relations firm FleishmanHillard (FH), heading the New York Corporate and Public Affairs Group. His FH crisis team won the 2008 Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil for best crisis communications program, supporting a major food product recall. Prior to joining FH, Tennyson was a principal in the Michigan-based public relations firm Seyferth, Spaulding, Tennyson, and served as senior vice president, corporate affairs, for The Taubman Company, whose interests included the international art auction house Sotheby’s (NYSE:BID), the Woodward and Lothrop and John Wanamaker department store chains, A&W Restaurants, the Michigan Panthers of the U.S. Football League and Taubman Centers, Inc. (NYSE:TCO), a leading retail real estate developer and manager. Tennyson began his communications counseling career with the international public relations firm Hill & Knowlton, advancing from copywriter to vice president and director of the agency’s Issues and Corporate Advertising Unit in the New York office. A graduate of Syracuse University, Tennyson has been a visiting lecturer on leadership and crisis communications at the Wharton School and an adjunct professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. He is co-author of “Driving Crisis Communications in a 24/7 Digital World,” featured in the PR News Crisis Management Guidebook, Vol. 3. Tennyson also co-authored entrepreneur Alfred Taubman’s New York Times best-selling memoir, “Threshold Resistance – The Extraordinary Career of a Luxury Retailing Pioneer,” published in 2007 by Harper Collins.

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