Corporate Image
Corporate image is under attack. After recent reports of accounting fraud, executive misconduct, and other questionable activities in corporate America the consumers have lost faith. To manage this loss of faith companies must rebuild consumer sentiment. To accomplish this, reputation management needs to be reassessed. The Harris-Fombrun Reputation Quotient assists in corporate image management by providing companies with an established approach to measure reputation and corporate image. Reputation is measured through: emotional appeal, products and services, financial performance, social responsibility, workplace environment, and vision and leadership. According to Harris Interactive, “your stakeholders’ reputation is your corporate reputation.”
Emotional Appeal
“Emotional appeal isn’t easy to define, but you know it when you see it.” (Alsop) Emotional appeal is a powerful driver of corporate reputation. A positive emotional appeal allows customers to harbor good feelings like admiration, respect, and trust. A company’s reputation can be linked to the consumers’ emotional appeal. To appeal to the consumer you must focus on their wants and then their needs. According to Binnie Perper, emotion is stronger than intellect. Most people would rather indulge themselves with a desire than to fulfill a need. Many of the most important decisions in life are decided emotionally rather than logically. With this in mind it is important to aim the organizations message at the emotional side of the consumer's thought process. In general consumers do business with companies that they like so it is essential to forge a loyal bond and build growing relationships. When gen ...