Global study shows 'company behind the brand' under increasing scrutiny

The survey involved nearly 2,000 people, with 70 per cent of consumers surveyed stating that they avoided buying products if they did not like the parent company.

Executives agreed, with 87 per cent saying that ‘a strong corporate brand is just as important as strong product brands'.

The Company Behind the Brand: In Reputation We Trust was commissioned by Weber Shandwick, whose chief reputation strategist is Leslie Gaines-Ross. She said: ‘Consumers are using their dollars as a vote of confidence in companies they trust. As our research confirms, corporate and brand reputations are now nearly indivisible.

‘The company standing behind the brand assures consumers that they can trust the quality, ethics and safety of the brands they are buying.’

The research also showed that 67 per cent of consumers are increasingly checking product labels to see what company is behind the product, while 56 per cent do research to learn about the companies that make products.

The same percentage said they would hesitate to buy products if they could not tell who made them, while consumers said word of mouth was the leading influence (88 per cent) on opinions of companies.

83 per cent were influenced by online reviews, while 2 per cent fewer were influenced by online search results.

The study was conducted with KRC Research in the United Kingdom, America, China and Brazil.

This article was first published on prweek.com