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Nearly half of all corporate reputations declined again in 2025 as consumers take out frustrations over high prices.
Good afternoon from Miami.
Your pricing strategy is your corporate reputation, American consumers say. On Tuesday, we released our annual Axios-Harris Poll 100 rankings. And Trader Joe’s ranked first, followed by Toyota, Costco, Arizona Beverage Company (99c iced teas), and many other value-prioritizing companies. I joined Axois’ Eleanor Hawkins in a closed session communicators webinar where we discussed the value theme underscoring this year’s rankings.
The full rankings are here.
Consumers swipe left on rising prices: Nearly half (46%) of all corporate reputations declined again this year, as consumers faulted businesses for a list of inflationary misdemeanors:
- 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 to raise prices more than needed to boost profits..
- Themes of value, quality, and allyship emerged across the best-ranked companies.
Inflation fighters win: Consumer-champions like Trader Joe’s had the sixth most significant increase in score (+3.5) to take our top spot. And newcomer Arizona Beverage Co., with its 99-cent price policy, emerged at #7 and posted this:
Perceived quality is falling: Consumers are twice as likely to say the quality of goods and services is falling behind the price, than exceeding it (48% v. 22%), especially as two-thirds (69%) report a noticeable decline in the quality of their everyday items.
So, build a culture of values for value: American consumers consider quality the most important consideration when evaluating company reputations, followed by customer service, employee treatment, and prices. Over three-quarters (79%) say brands with the best reputation prioritize consumers’ wallets.
Other findings…
Excellence comes with a high bar: Only 10 companies this year were deemed to have an “Excellent” reputation.
Airline trust outweighs the FAA: Airline incidents didn’t send reputations into freefall, as Delta had the same score as 2024 (74.4), and American Airlines only experienced a 0.7-point drop.
Let’s go a bit deeper into the findings in our reporting with Axios:
Rising Costs Rip Into Business Reputation
According to this year’s Axios Harris Poll 100, business reputation is eroding due to consumer concerns about rising costs.
- State of play: Trader Joe’s, the low-cost grocer known for being values-focused, ranks No. 1 on the list and has seen its reputation score increase by 3.5 points since last year.
- Costco ranks in the top five, and Arizona Beverage Co., known for its 99-cent iced tea, joined the list for the first time, coming in at No. 7.
- By the numbers: Over three-quarters of Americans (78%) have noticed the increasing costs of groceries.
- Stop making cents: Speaking of inflation, it costs nearly four cents to produce a single penny today.
Takeaway: The top companies on the list deliver value through their values. Americans have shifted their attention almost singularly toward inflation and high prices. And so now, corporate reputation is make or break on allyship: Are they looking out for my bottom line or theirs? The companies thriving this year are intentional, empathic, and most of all, dependable.
CEO Transitions & Corporate Reputation
A record number of CEOs exited in 2024, with most executive transitions taking place when corporate reputation is in free fall.
- The big picture: 58 CEOs departed the S&P 500 last year, according to Russell Reynolds’ Global CEO Turnover Index, and about half were forced out by activist investors.
- By the numbers: Boeing’s reputation score dropped 11 points ahead of its latest CEO switch, while Starbucks saw a six-point drop and CVS saw a three-point drop.
- Following the appointment of a new CEO, most companies saw improvement in their reputations, except for Boeing, CVS, and Walgreens.
- State of play: Roughly six in 10 say a CEO affects their opinion of a company, but only 27% say the CEO’s stances on social or political issues are a consideration.
- Yes, but CEOs have low name recognition, with only three in 10 knowing the name of their favorite brand’s CEO.
Takeaway: While the everyday CEO is a key messenger for employees, shareholders, and policymakers, the general public doesn’t pay them much mind.
Retail Pharmacy Reputations Drop
With thousands of brick-and-mortar stores closing and online vendors proliferating, big pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens are seeing their reputations slide, according to the annual Axios Harris Poll 100.
- Details: Retail pharmacy giant CVS ranked 57th in reputation score among the 100 brands survey respondents identified as most visible in the country today, down from 36th last year. Walgreens ranked 65th, down from 51st last year.
- CVS and Walgreens saw their steepest declines in consumer perceptions of their growth and vision.
- The big picture: Three-quarters (75%) of Americans are concerned about health care today, and over a third (38%) believe care is getting worse, not better (31%).
- Yes, but: The decline wasn’t seen uniformly across health care. Brands like drugmakers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson both saw improvements in their reputational scores.
Takeaway: Consumers are seeking quality for their stretched dollars, and drugstore retail has developed a lot of friction and frustration.
