Time Inc readers reward innovative firms in images poll

<p>HONG KONG: Microsoft, Nokia and Sony dominated the Company Images </p><p>2001 survey conducted by Time Inc, the publishing group of AOL Time </p><p>Warner. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the technology and telecoms slowdown, players in both categories </p><p>dominated thelist of 20 most highly-rated companies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Conducted among readers of Time, Asiaweek and Fortune, the poll measured </p><p>readers' awareness and perception of leading companies around the </p><p>world. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A total of 19 companies from 11 different industry categories were </p><p>polled, including watches/luxury goods, airlines, finance and </p><p>consultants. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The results were largely expected. There was a high correlation between </p><p>familiarity and advertising recall," said Alice Chai, vice-president of </p><p>corporate communications (research). </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"As the world becomes more globalised, competititive pressures can be </p><p>intense and a company's image will often be the critical factor between </p><p>success or failure." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey, said Chai, provided Asia's corporate community with a report </p><p>card on how their image, products and services were performing among </p><p>readers of the three titles. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Respondents also placed quality, reliability and innovation as the three </p><p>most important factors when ranking image attributes. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The top category associated with "quality" was watches and luxury </p><p>goods. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The top three brands ranked according to quality were BMW, Mercedes-Benz </p><p>and Rolex. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Freight/distribution companies as a group maintained the highest levels </p><p>of "reliability". Among the companies which scored high in reliability </p><p>were Sony, Singapore Airlines and Mercedes-Benz. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ninety-six per cent of respondents said organisations must innovate to </p><p>remain successful. On this criteria, business equipment and IT companies </p><p>were viewed as leaders. Nokia, Sony and Microsoft were perceived to be </p><p>the most innovative companies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey questionnaire was mailed to 39,000 subscribers of the three </p><p>titles, achieving a response rate of close to 22 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>COMPANY IMAGES' TOP 20 PERFORMERS </p><p>1. Microsoft 11. Hewlett-Packard </p><p>2. Nokia 12. HSBC </p><p>3. Sony 13. American Express </p><p>4. Singapore Airlines 14. Philips </p><p>5. Citibank 15. BMW </p><p>6. Toyota 16. Boeing </p><p>7. Intel 17. Cisco </p><p>8. Mercedes-Benz 18. Shell </p><p>9. IBM 19. Panasonic </p><p>10. VISA 20. Motorola </p><p>Source: AMI (Hong Kong) and Objective Research (UK). </p><p><BR><BR> </p>