Air NZ is country’s most respected company 3rd year in a row
- 24 March, 2017 06:50
122155
While Air New Zealand is joined in the top five by Toyota, Z Energy, AA Insurance and Pak ‘n’ Save, it is clearly setting the benchmark for other Kiwi companies.
Air New Zealand is this country’s most respected company for the third year in a row, according to the latest Colmar Brunton Corporate Reputation Index.
The index, developed in partnership with Wright Communications, is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and uses the Rep Z model, created by Colmar Brunton’s parent company Millward Brown.
The index measures four pillars of reputation – social responsibility, fairness, success/leadership and trust.
Sarah Bolger, chief client officer, Colmar Brunton, says while Air New Zealand is joined in the top five by Toyota, Z Energy, AA Insurance and Pak ‘n’ Save, the airline is clearly setting the benchmark for other Kiwi companies.
“In the last year Air New Zealand has increased its overall Rep Z score from 116 to 119 – its highest score in the three year history of the Index - and it is the only company surveyed to increase its score across all four pillars,” says Bolger, in a statement.
“To put that into perspective, the next best companies are Z Energy and Toyota on 110 and the remainder of the top 20 scored between 103 and 109.”
Bolger says based on the Rep Z model, a score of 105 or above indicates superior strength of reputation and aligns to the top 10 per cent of companies globally, while 101-104 is strong and 100 is average.
“This year the top 10 companies generally demonstrated strength across all four reputation pillars, often with an outstanding performance in one or more,” she says.
Air New Zealand excelled in trust and success with scores of 127 and 121 respectively, and also recorded the highest responsibility score (115), while fairness was the top scoring pillar for Pak ‘Save (123), Toyota (118) and The Warehouse (115).
Bolger explains the Rep Z model calculates overall reputation based on the impact of the four pillars on advocacy.
“Advocacy, or the willingness of consumers to speak highly of a company without being asked, is in many ways the most important measure of reputation.”
“In this respect, Kiwis, compared to global consumers, respond more strongly to corporates that show they care.”
Bolger says in New Zealand, responsibility and trust account for just under 50 per cent of the impact on advocacy compared to only a third globally.
“That says to us that Kiwis respect companies that demonstrate substance to go along with their success.”
In New Zealand, trust remains the most important pillar driving reputation so brands that score highly in trust are likely to appear in the top rankings.
Advocacy, or the willingness of consumers to speak highly of a company without being asked, is in many ways the most important measure of reputation
Bolger says leaders in the success pillar tend to be big and established, dominating or leading their categories.
The 2017 Index reflects this with giants Apple, The Coca Cola Company, BP and Fonterra all among the top 10 success leaders.
“Brands that score highly in fairness have a strong value proposition which equates to the consumer’s perception of how well a brand has balanced its desirability and price. Pak ‘n’ Save is this year’s fairness leader followed by Toyota.”
Bolger says while social responsibility is not the main driver of reputation, from a consumer perspective, it can be a weakness holding back a company if it is perceived to be lacking.
Companies included in the survey included the top 100 consumer facing corporates by revenue as listed in the Deloitte Top 200 plus financial service brands.
The survey featured a nationally representative sample with an average sample size of 500 respondents per industry category.
Send news tips and comments to divina_paredes@idg.co.nz
Follow Divina Paredes on Twitter: @divinap
Sign up for CIO newsletters for regular updates on CIO news, views and events.
