Foreignness counts when building reputation

If there’s one thing that jumps out from Nielsen/Harris Poll’s latest report on the most reputable companies in the US, it is that foreignness counts.

Many foreign firms have high brand recognition and loyalty in the US, not to say substantial manufacturing interests.

Not a single European entity and only Honda, Samsung, Sony and Toyota from Asia are found to have an excellent, or very good corporate reputation in the country.

Stoking fears about foreign powers has long been a political fallback tool beloved of US politicians, and is, to a degree, embedded in the American psyche.

But it is equally true that foreign companies have to ensure they are seen to have high-quality products and are benefitting local communities if they are to gain real traction in the US.

The world is less flat than many of us care to imagine.