• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechWorld's Most Admired Companies

Apple Ranked Behind Google on This Corporate Reputation Study

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 1, 2017, 10:58 AM ET

Apple has a reputation problem.

In the first quarter of 2017, Apple (AAPL) landed in 20th place in the Reputation Institute’s Global RepTrak 100, a ranking that measures public perception towards major companies around the world. During the same period last year, Apple ranked 10th in the study. In 2011, Apple was a close second in the Reputation Institute’s ranking behind search giant Google (GOOGL).

Apple ranked atop Fortune‘s 2017 list of Most Admired Companies, topping Google and all other competitors.

The Reputation Institute, an organization that provides consulting services to corporate communications and marketing executives, conducts its study by surveying consumers and other stakeholders about their opinions on major companies. The 2017 study includes 170,000 responses from people who were asked to judge companies on their products or services, innovation, workplace, corporate governance, citizenship, leadership, and performance. All of the companies in the list are judged on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of 80 or higher is considered an “excellent” reputation. Those companies that fall in the 70s have a “strong” reputation, and anything in the 60s represents an “average” reputation.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

In 2017, Apple scored 74.94 in the study, down 1.7 points compared to the prior year. While the Reputation Institute didn’t dig into Apple’s rating, it did tell CNET in a statement this week that Apple is viewed favorably for its “products and corporate performance,” but the company’s rating was hurt by poor performance in its “citizenship” category, which asks respondents whether a company “has a positive influence on society.”

Apple, which did not respond to a Fortune request for comment on the study, found itself far behind some of its chief competitors in the technology market. Google, for instance, landed in the fifth spot with a score of 78.22. Sony (SNE) was in seventh place with 77.74 points. Microsoft (MSFT) is in 11th place with a score of 77.12.

While Apple’s decline was notable, it paled in comparison to Samsung’s (SSNLF) drop. The Korean conglomerate suffered a four-point drop year-over-year to 70.98 and is in 70th place in the survey. Samsung last year was in 17th place.

For more about Apple’s iPhone, watch:

While the Reputation Institute didn’t say why Samsung’s score fell so steeply this year, it’s likely due at least in part to the company’s Galaxy Note 7, which last year was discontinued after users reported overheating and explosion troubles. Samsung has since apologized and said that the problem was caused by battery flaws, but the Reputation Institute’s findings suggest the damage to Samsung’s reputation has been done.

Reputation Institute’s study looks at companies across industries. This year’s most reputable company is Rolex with a score of 80.38. Lego and The Walt Disney Company (DIS) round out the top three with scores of 79.46 and 79.19, respectively.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

Latest in Tech

Lovable CEO
AICoding
Lovable hits $6.6 billion valuation as its CEO says it wants to be ‘the last piece of software’ companies ever buy
By Beatrice NolanDecember 18, 2025
20 minutes ago
unemployed
CommentaryLayoffs
The AI efficiency illusion: why cutting 1.1 million jobs will stifle, not scale, your strategy
By Katica RoyDecember 18, 2025
2 hours ago
AIFintech
How Salient, an AI loan processing startup valued at $500 million, grew ARR to $25 million in two years
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 18, 2025
3 hours ago
Sam Altman
AIEye on AI
OpenAI is a house still under construction — but no one agrees what it’s made of
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 18, 2025
3 hours ago
Truth Social
InnovationM&A
Devin Nunes and Trump Media get in bed with Google-backed nuclear fusion company in surprise $6 billion merger
By The Associated PressDecember 18, 2025
5 hours ago
Alex Chriss looks off camera on stage at a conference.
CryptoPayPal Holdings
PayPal CEO Alex Chriss says stablecoins will be key as his company navigates the ‘classic innovator’s dilemma’
By Ben WeissDecember 18, 2025
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
The $38 trillion national debt is to blame for over $1 trillion in annual interest payments from here on out, CRFB says
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 17, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, McDonald's CEO dishes out some tough love career advice for navigating the market: ‘You've got to make things happen for yourself’
By Preston ForeDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
'Robots are going to be amongst us': Qualcomm exec says buckle up for the next 5 years. Your car is going to be the first shoe to drop
By Nino PaoliDecember 17, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun says the key to being a better leader is being a better person: ‘Leadership is self-improvement’
By Sydney LakeDecember 17, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
America's $38 trillion national debt 'exacerbates generational imbalances' with Gen Z and millennials paying the price, warns think tank
By Eleanor PringleDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt Roomba maker iRobot says Elon Musk's vision of humanoid robot assistants is 'pure fantasy thinking'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 16, 2025
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.