Petronas and Perodua, two most trusted brands by Malaysians

ORGANISATIONS that take actions which are authentic, credible, and effective are the most likely to see reputation gains, while at the same time have the greatest impact on the community.

Speaking out carries risks and can be divisive, but if it genuinely reflects the social purpose and values of the organisation – and is backed up with evidence of action – the reward can be a powerful and positive impact on company reputation and consumer relationships.

Meanwhile, consumers are more likely to believe advertising and try products from companies that are trusted. Trust is the outcome when stakeholders compare the elements such as identity and image with the reality of a company’s behaviour and capabilities. Where the promise matches or exceeds the reality, higher trust is usually the result.

Despite the difficult year 2020 has been, it has not impacted trust in corporations and institutions in Malaysia. Based on the Ipsos Trust Track, the Trust Index has increased from 46% in 2019 to 50% in 2020 with the top five most trusted Malaysian corporations/institution in 2020 are Petronas (74%), Perodua (74%), EPF (72%), Maybank (69%) and Pos Malaysia (68%).

“General public and consumers are clearly expecting corporations and institutions to contribute to the pandemic recovery. Many entities have indeed taken the right steps,” Ipsos Malaysia’s managing director Arun Menon pointed out.

According to Ipsos – one of the largest market research company in the world – trust varies by industry and sectors.

Malaysia’s success in containing the spread of the first wave of COVID-19 is seen as the key reason why trust in government regulators (47% in 2019 and 57% in 2020) and government-linked companies (GLC) have increased to 60% in 2020 from 50% in 2019.

Meanwhile, trust in telecom companies declined to 48% in 2020 from 55% in 2019. Trust in financial (2019: 45%, 2020:43%) and media (2019:44%, 2020:43%) companies are fairly stable.

The findings of this report are derived from 4,000 face to face interviews, measuring perception towards more than 100 companies/brands in Malaysia. The interview was conducted between June and November 2020 with nationwide representative coverage.

Across most categories, the most trusted companies are local/home-grown with the exception being Colgate Palmolive as the most trusted fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).

On the other hand, Astro (55%) is most trusted among the media companies, while Maxis (57%) takes the top spot among telecom companies. The pandemic shows an increase in trust level for local and familiar companies and institutions.

Key elements of corporate reputation include most trusted company, putting customers’ first, communication first, leader in corporate social responsibility (CSR), crisis management, strongest heritage and supporting local communities. – Jan 8, 2020

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