NEARLY HALF OF ALL CORPORATE REPUTATIONS DECLINE AGAIN IN 2025 AS CONSUMERS TAKE OUT FRUSTRATIONS OVER HIGH PRICES
Many companies fail to fulfill consumer needs as inflation has shifted America's focus and priorities toward seeking value and spending more carefully.
This, according The Axios-Harris Poll 100 Rankings on Corporate Reputation released this morning, is why Trader Joe's ranked first - followed by other value-prioritizing brands like Toyota and Arizona Beverage Company - among the top 10 most reputable companies in the country this year.
NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans, fatigued by a third year of inflation, high interest rates, and tariff uncertainty, gave nearly half of all businesses poorer marks in the 27th annual study of corporate reputation conducted by Harris' (RQ) Reputation Quotient Survey. Among the top 100 index of companies, more declined (46%) than improved (37%), as consumers criticized businesses for passing along higher costs, delivering poorer perceived quality for their stretched dollars, and even capitalizing on tariffs to pad profit margins.
Of note:
77% of Americans say companies often sell lower-quality products and services while charging higher prices.
70% believe companies are taking further advantage of inflation to increase their profit margins.
60% feel companies will use tariffs as an opportunity to raise prices more than needed to boost profits.
This comes as Americans are split over whether the economy is improving and whom to blame for their personal financial situation. Among those who feel stuck (39%) and falling behind (28%) – a quarter (26%) fault business for their predicament. Among those with a declining opinion of business, their number one reason cited was "companies not doing enough to keep prices fair from inflation". And over half of all Americans said they had recently stopped doing business with a company due to unreasonably high prices (63%) and quality falling below expectations (54%).
"As opposed to COVID, when corporate reputations surged with breakthrough vaccines and reliable package delivery, businesses haven't answered this moment," says John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll. "Americans don't see business with a solve for inflation. They want an ally."
Other key findings:
Inflation fighters come out on top: Prioritizing the consumer paid off for some companies with Trader Joe's experience the sixth largest increase in score (+3.5) to take the top spot. New-comer Arizona Beverage Co. (99 cent price policy) emerges at #7.
Perceived quality is falling: Consumers are twice as likely to say the quality of goods and services is falling behind their current prices than exceeding them (48% v. 22%). Especially as two-thirds (69%) report a noticeable decline in the quality of their everyday items.
AI is still more hype than utility for most: More Americans today than last year don't find it important for companies to integrate AI into their products and services (47%, +5%-pts from May 2024), saying companies often overestimate their interest in AI-infused products (71%). With over two in five (43%) even against companies marketing that they use AI.
Businesses should go back to the basics: American consumers point to quality as the most important consideration when considering company reputations today, followed by customer service, employee treatment and prices. As over three-quarters (79%) say brands with the best reputation are the ones prioritizing consumer wallets.
The Axios Harris Poll 100 is based on a survey of nearly 25,000 Americans in a nationally representative sample conducted January through March. The two-step process starts fresh each year by surveying the public's top-of-mind awareness of companies that either excel or falter. These 100 "most visible companies" are then ranked by a second group of Americans across the seven key dimensions of reputation to arrive at the ranking. If a company is not on the list, it did not reach a critical level of visibility to be measured.
For information on all companies and their ranking on the 2025 Axios-Harris Poll 100, or to purchase an in-depth analysis of a company's reputation, click here.
About The Harris PollThe Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963. It is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas: building 21st century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. Learn more by visiting www.harrispoll.com and follow Harris Poll on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About AxiosAxios is a digital media company launched in 2017. Axios – which means "worthy" in Greek – helps you become smarter, faster with news and information across politics, tech, business, media, science and the world. Subscribe to our newsletters at axios.com/newsletters and download our mobile app at axios.com/app.
About StagwellStagwell is the challenger holding company built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 45+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
ContactJohn Gerzemajgerzema@harrispoll.com
Drew HighamDrew.Higham@harrispoll.com
Jacklyn CooneyJacklyn.Cooney@harrispoll.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nearly-half-of-all-corporate-reputations-decline-again-in-2025-as-consumers-take-out-frustrations-over-high-prices-302460311.html
SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Individual investors account for 51% of Gibson Energy Inc.'s (TSE:GEI) ownership, while institutions account for 48%
Significant control over Gibson Energy by individual investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions 45% of the business is held by the top 25 shareholders Insiders have been buying lately AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. If you want to know who really controls Gibson Energy Inc. (TSE:GEI), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are individual investors with 51% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn). And institutions on the other hand have a 48% ownership in the company. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Gibson Energy. View our latest analysis for Gibson Energy Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. We can see that Gibson Energy does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Gibson Energy's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Gibson Energy is not owned by hedge funds. M&G Investment Management Limited is currently the largest shareholder, with 17% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 5.1% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.0% by the third-largest shareholder. Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder. While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our information suggests that Gibson Energy Inc. insiders own under 1% of the company. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around CA$14m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying. The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 51% stake in Gibson Energy, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This level of ownership gives investors from the wider public some power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio. I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Gibson Energy (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about. But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stella-Jones Insiders Placed Bullish Bets Worth CA$1.07m
Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Stella-Jones Inc. (TSE:SJ), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the insider, James Manzi, for CA$464k worth of shares, at about CA$92.79 per share. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is CA$77.59. So it may not shed much light on insider confidence at current levels. James Manzi was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 15.17k shares worth CA$1.1m. But insiders sold 11.00k shares worth CA$955k. Overall, Stella-Jones insiders were net buyers during the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! See our latest analysis for Stella-Jones Stella-Jones is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying. The last three months saw some Stella-Jones insider selling. insider James Manzi divested only CA$66k worth of shares in that time. It's not great to see insider selling, nor the lack of recent buyers. But the volume sold is so low that it really doesn't bother us. Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 0.2% of Stella-Jones shares, worth about CA$7.2m, according to our data. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings. An insider hasn't bought Stella-Jones stock in the last three months, but there was some selling. On the other hand, the insider transactions over the last year are encouraging. Still, insiders don't own a great deal of the stock. So we can't be sure that insiders are optimistic. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Stella-Jones. For example, Stella-Jones has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about. Of course Stella-Jones may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
2026 Toyota bZ review: Major upgrades make it a serious EV contender
2026 Toyota bZ review: Major upgrades make it a serious EV contender Show Caption Hide Caption Video first drive: 2026 Toyota bZ gets major makeover Big increases in power and range, new features and more make Toyota's renamed SUV a significant player among small SUVs. Improvements to the '26 bZ start at the EV's heart: battery, charging and motors. The Toyota bZ goes on sale in second half of 2025. The 2026 Toyota bZ makes a leap forward with improvements for everything from the subcompact EV's name to its charging system. The 2022 bZ4X was an uncharacteristic disappointment from the world's largest automaker. Overpriced and under-equipped, it was hamstrung by everything from uncompetitive technology to a ludicrous name. Toyota listened to its critics and turned one of the world's most formidable continuous improvement machines loose. Renamed the bZ ― still not poetry, but the badge no longer looks like a laser printer threw up ― the new model is competitive with small electric SUVs like the Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona and Fiat 500e. The 2026 bZ goes on sale in the second half of 2025. Detailed figures for price, range and charging will be available later. I recently drove a loaded bZ Limited through the exurbs surrounding Toyota's North America headquarters in Plano. It felt like a completely different vehicle from the bZ4X Limited I tested a couple of months ago. Key improvements to 2026 Toyota bZ 25% range increase to 314 miles 50% power increase to 338 horsepower NSCS charging port Plug & Charge compatibility Radical makeover Improvements to the '26 bZ start at the EV's heart: battery, charging and motors. The bZ gets two sizes of lithium-ion battery: a 74.7 kWh unit delivers up to 314 miles range and a 57.7 kWh unit rated at 236 miles. The battery is now capable of pre-conditioning, which speeds up charging and reduces energy use in cold weather. Toyota Tundra recall: Is Toyota's most expensive truck reliable or plagued with issues? A built-in NACS charging port provides access to Tesla's DC fast charging network. An adaptor will be necessary for CCS chargers common at other charging stations. An onboard charger upgraded from 7 to 11 kW will hasten charging at the 240v connections most EV owners use at home. Plug & Charge software makes charging fast and easy at participating chargers including Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint and Tesla. Maximum power increases dramatically, from 214 to 338 hp for the AWD model and 201 to 221 hp for FWD. The exterior styling benefits from updated front LED running lights and fascia that bring the nose into harmony with Toyota's "hammerhead" nose. Body-color front fascia and cladding around the wheels is also new. Driving impressions The '26 fairly leaps away from stops compared with its under-power predecessor. Toyota claims a 4.9-seconds 0-60 mph for the AWD bZ. It was mum on the previous model's acceleration, and not out of modesty. The steering was responsive in my time in neighborhoods, shopping districts and along wide, smooth roads that curved between corporate campuses and public parks. The brakes are firm and easy to modulate. New steering column paddles adjust regenerative braking to recapture energy, but there's no one-pedal setting to bring the bZ to a full stop. The front seat is roomy, with a big center console that holds two new wireless charging pads. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. The new dash has a 14-inch touch screen. The instrument cluster is new, too, bigger and easier to read. A heat pump reduces energy use for heating and cooling the cabin. Standard heated steering wheel and front seats further reduce cold-weather energy use. Climate control options include ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a radiant front-seat foot and leg heater. Why buy a 2026 Toyota bZ? Price and charging time are huge unknowns, but there's lots to like about the 2026 Toyota bZ. Its improved power and battery size give it competitive performance and range. Revised lights and exterior color pattern make it look like a grown-up vehicle, as opposed to the bZ4X's cobbled-together appearance. The interior of my bZ Limited was comfortable, trimmed in appealing soft materials and roomy. It's a huge step forward to Toyota's EV status, worth a look from anybody shopping for a small electric SUV. 2026 Toyota bZ at a glance Front- or all-wheel drive compact electric SUV Seats five Base price: TBA On sale second half of 2025 Model tested: bZ AWD Limited Price as tested: TBA Power: One electric motor on each axle (167 kW front/87 rear) Output: 338 hp; torque NA Transmission: Single-speed direct drive 0-60 mph: 4.9 seconds AWD, 8 seconds FWD (estimate) Battery: 74.7 or 57.7 kWh lithium-ion EPA estimated range on a charge: 314 miles FWD; 288 miles AWD; 236 miles; FWD 57.7 kWh battery Maximum charging speed: 150 kW DC; 11 kW 240v AC Charging time: TBA Maximum charging rate: 150 kW Wheelbase: 112.2 inches Length: 184.6 inches Width: 73.2 inches Height: 65 inches Ground clearance: 8.2 inches Passenger volume: 94.4 cubic feet Cargo volume: 27.7 cubic feet behind rear seat (25.8 w/JBL speakers) Curb weight: 4,453 pounds Assembled in Aichi, Japan Contact Mark Phelan: mmphelan@ Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
