Each year, the Harris Poll ranks the reputations of the 100 most visible companies in the U.S. As with any list, there are those at the top, to be admired or copied, and there are those at the bottom, who best serve as cautionary tales.
As with any problem, reputational or otherwise, the first step in solving it is to admit it. At least, we think so. And the first step to having that frank discussion begins with registering your own dotSucks domain name.
Which Volkswagen diesel buyer would not be attracted to vent at www.volkswagen.sucks? Who among us cable subscribers would not be drawn to either a www.comcast or timewarner or charter.sucks conversation? And where better to have a debate over just who is too big to fail than at www.goldmansachs.sucks?
Most, but not all of those five, have had their names registered. We hope they all come to see what we see.
In fact, of the 50 companies at the bottom half of the Harris Poll list — from Tyson Foods to Volkswagen — 35 of the brands’ names have been registered. Of the top 50 companies — from Amazon to Ford — 30 have been registered.
Just two months ago, we took a look at the list of Fortune 100 companies and found that 55 of those names had been registered. We see the increased total of 65 among the Harris Poll companies as a bit of good news for those having to deal with the bad.
As to how a company gets on the list, here is how Harris explains it:
“Best-in-class companies demonstrate that corporate reputation matters – to your customers, employees, potential hires, business partners and investors. Not only does it matter, but corporate reputation is critically important to measure and understand in the context of your company’s business goals. A positive reputation can provide competitive advantages and help your company achieve its objectives while a poor one can obstruct your ability to execute against your business plan.”
Creating, enhancing and protecting a company’s reputation is an essential element of its success. As we have seen, from AIG to GM to Chipotle, problems can arise quickly.
The dotSucks platform is one tool available to companies who want to shorten the distance between a consumer’s criticism and responding to it.