Corporate reputation rankings of Google and Apple plummet as Tesla soars

A few of the tech giants have experienced a startling shift in public perception over the past year. According to Reuters, "Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google corporate brands dropped in an annual survey while... electric carmaker Tesla Inc rocketed higher after sending a red Roadster into space."

Above: A few of the brand attributes associated with Tesla (Behance: Laurie Kimball)

It's reported that, "Apple dropped to 29th from its previous position of No. 5, and Google dropped from 8th to No. 28. Apple had ranked No. 2 as recently as 2016, according to the annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll released on Tuesday. The poll, conducted since 1999, surveyed 25,800 U.S. adults from Dec. 11 to Jan. 12 on the reputations the 'most visible' corporate brands."

Harris Poll's CEO John Gerzema explained that, "Google and Apple, at this moment, are sort of in valleys. We’re not quite to self-driving cars yet. We’re not yet seeing all the things in artificial intelligence they’re going to do.” Others in the tech space suffered too — Facebook didn't even crack the top 50 this year.

Above: Tesla's Model S (Instagram: teslarentuk)

Meanwhile, "Elon Musk’s Tesla climbed from No. 9 to No. 3 on the strength of sending Tesla Roadster into space aboard a SpaceX rocket." Gerzema noted, "It’s incredible... this ‘The Right Stuff’ attitude is able to capture the public’s imagination when every news headline is incredibly negative. They’re filling a void of optimism.”

Here's a look at the top 50 rankings for this year's Harris Poll Reputation Quotient Poll:

Above: Harris Poll Reputation Quotient Poll top 50 rankings (Source: Harris Poll)

Even though Tesla has pulled ahead of Apple, Google, and Facebook, it's still lagging behind "Amazon.com [which] held on to the No. 1 spot, which it has held for five years with the exception of 2015, when it slipped to No. 2. Gerzema attributed Amazon’s ranking to its expanding footprint in consumers’ lives into areas like groceries via its Whole Foods acquisition." Guess it's worth giving kudos to Jeff Bezos as he chalks up a much-needed victory in the tech maverick's ongoing contest with Elon Musk.

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Source: Reuters via Harris Poll