Executive Summary
The Authenticity Gap
Managing expectations and experience
The Authenticity Gap:
Managing expectations and experience
What people say about you is as important as what you say about yourself.
But what happens when what an organization does and says is out of sync
with the expectations and experiences of its stakeholders? It creates a gap
that is an expensive barrier to success and growth – and in some cases,
a destructive force.
Instant information and heightened social interaction is creating an environment
that every business needs to actively manage. Organizations need a new set of measures
that offer a single view of stakeholder expectations and experiences that encompasses
both brand and reputation.
Fleishman-Hillard and Lepere Analytics have partnered to create a new research
methodology to help companies understand and pro-actively manage the
‘Authenticity Gap’ – the gap between consumers’ expectations and their actual
experience of a company or brand. The research identifies nine drivers that shape
perceptions of a company. The drivers can be tracked over time to monitor the
organization’s current authenticity and momentum against key competitors.
All findings are country, category and brand specific.
The data shows managers what they can do, specifically, to close the gaps between
expectations and experience, allowing them create true relationships with consumer
audiences – real Authentic Engagement – that drives progress and opportunity.
Authentic Engagement
Drives organizational purpose,
as well as products and profits
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Authenticity Gap
The gap between people’s
expectations and experiences
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
1
Executive summary
Mind the Gap: Companies face global gap between
consumer experience and expectation
A new global research project by Fleishman-Hillard and
Lepere Analytics found that for every brand studied there is an
Authenticity Gap – a gap between peoples’ expectations of the
category and their actual experience of the company or brand.
In a world where companies and management are under
increasing scrutiny, understanding and addressing the
expectations and experiences of those we are trying to have
a relationship with is fundamental. Companies can no longer
succeed if they fail to align their behaviors and their messages
with the expectations of their stakeholders.
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
2
Executive summary
cont’d
The Power of Nine: The drivers of authenticity
The DNA of Authentic Engagement is made up of three essential strands: Management
behavior, Customer benefits and Society outcomes.
Authenticity drivers
(full statements)
Management Behaviors
–More committed to doing the
right thing
–Having more consistent and
stable financial and
operational performance
–Communicating more
frequently and credibly
Each strand is made up of three individual drivers. Management behaviors are driven
by ‘doing right,’ more ‘consistent performance,’ and ‘credible communications.’
Customer benefits are a combination of ‘better value,’ ‘customer care,’ and ‘innovation.’
And finally, Society outcomes are driven by ‘employee care,’ wider ‘community impact,’
and ‘care of the environment.’
Together these nine authenticity drivers provide the code of conduct to understanding
and managing authentic engagement. They map to the agendas of today’s stakeholders
and how they engage with a company.
Ma
nag
em
en
tb
Customer Benefits
–Taking better care of
employees
–Contributing to society in a
way that has a better impact
on my community
–Taking better care of the
environment
Society ou
tcom
es
Society Outcomes
Doing right
Care of
environment
Consistent
performance
Community
impact
s
ior
av
eh
–Offering products and services
that are better value
–Taking better care of
customers
–Innovating new and better
products and services
Credible
communications
Employee
care
Better value
Innovation
Customer
care
Cu
rb
st o m e
ene
fit s
For example the ‘consistent performance’ driver maps to the investor agenda while
‘better value’ clearly maps to the consumer agenda. But where in the past these different
stakeholder groups might be addressed in isolation, in today’s interconnected world this
can no longer be the case.
By first understanding the authenticity gap through the eyes of the ‘expert consumer’
companies have a key piece of insight to help them engage more authentically. These
insights can be combined with other data to understand the full spectrum of various
stakeholder expectations and experiences, creating a roadmap for companies to better
align their brand and reputation.
The drivers were identified and validated in separate studies in the US, Germany and China
through a combination of primary and secondary research. Additional information on the
methodology is available in the full reports.
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
3
Executive summary
cont’d
There is no such thing as “Global”: Consumer expectations vary widely by market
Consumer expectations in virtually every one of the 20 categories studied differ from
country to country. For example one would think expectations of the automobile
category, for something as universal as cars, would be consistent from country
to country. But expectations vary widely.
-1.9%
Doing right
Automobiles authenticity gap %
50
40
30
-4.4%
2012 | Qtr 4
Care of
environment
Authenticity Gap:
Category expectation minus
Category experience equals
5
Credible
communications
-3.2%
-2.8%
Employee care
Better value
-6.6%
+2.5%
Innovation
-0.3%
Doing right
50
40
30
+3.5%
50
40
30
+0.3%
Consistent
performance
20
Care of
environment
Consistent
performance
10
5
-2.2 %
Community
impact
Credible
communications
+1.0%
+2.8%
Employee care
Better value
-3.3%
+0.4%
20
10
Innovation
Customer care
+1.7%
Doing right
+2.6%
+3.2 %
Community
impact
In the US the category is falling short of expectations
on care of the environment. The same is true in Germany
but to a much lesser extent. In China however the category
is credited with broadly meeting expectations of care
of environment. Peoples’ actual experience of brands also
differs markedly from country to country.
Care of
environment
Consistent
performance
10
±% gap
+1.8%
-2.2%
+3.6%
20
-0.4%
Customer care
5
-1.7%
+6.0 %
Community
impact
Credible
communications
-0.9%
-3.9%
Employee care
Better value
-2.5%
Innovation
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 -0.5%
Customer care
© Fleishman-Hillard Inc
4
Executive summary
cont’d
Corporate behavior matters as much as customer care
The drivers that make up consumer benefits may be the most important but
consumers are putting more weight on the combination of management behavior
and a company’s impact on society than things closer to home such as customer care
or innovation. This finding is consistent across all 20 categories in all three countries.
In many categories consumers now have a personal relationship with brands that
goes deeper than transactions. Such deep, personal relationships are raising consumer
expectations and putting greater emphasis on corporate behavior.
Customer benefits
– better value
– customer care
– innovation
45%
Management behaviors
– doing right
– consistent performance
– credible communications
30%
Society outcomes
– employee care
– community impact
– care of environment
25%
Category leaders meet or exceed competitors on all 9 authenticity drivers
In an overwhelming number of cases, across 20 different business categories in US,
China and Germany the market leader met or exceeded expectations for all nine drivers.
They also exceeded by a wide margin the expectations that consumers held for the one
or two differentiating drivers in the category.
el
rav care
T
& r
nes n
pho tio
a
art nov
Smiver: In
ri
yd
Ke
r
.8
yd
Ke
7
18
.
18
.6
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.4
22
.
8
26
.8
29
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-lin r: Bet
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O ve
on me
ati Custo
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V iver:
r
Ca
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g
ra
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ya
r
de
ea
yl
or
g
te
de
r
go
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ea
yl
or
g
te
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 Ca
or
g
te
Ca
ge
ra
ve
ya
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de
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go
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Ca
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Ca
Ca
Regulation, competitive activity
or simply consumers
transferring experience and
expectations from one category
to another are amongst the
many forces continuously
shaping and shifting
stakeholder expectations.
Category leaders understand
that maintaining momentum
requires meeting expectations
and engaging authentically
on a consistent basis.
g
pin ue
p
o
l
h va
© Fleishman-Hillard Inc
5
Executive summary
cont’d
Only four industries are meeting expectations
The categories that appear to have the greatest momentum in meeting consumer
expectations in all three countries are: On-line shopping, Major Appliances,
Tablets & E-Readers and Pharmaceuticals.
Those with the weakest momentum are the Vacation & Travel, Internet Service Providers
and Wireless Carriers categories. These seven categories appear consistently in the top/
bottom 10 across all three countries.
On-line Shopping
Major Appliances
Tablets & E-Readers
Pharmaceuticals
Vacation & Travel
Internet Service
Providers
Wireless Carriers
China most optimistic followed by US and Germany
All 20 categories in the China study recorded positive momentum, unlike in the US and
Germany. Momentum is an indicator of the authenticity gap – how successfully peoples’
expectations of the category are being met (or not) by their actual experiences of the
companies and brands.
The US is reasonably positive but with lower overall momentum scores across all
categories; the Wireless Carrier category is the only category to have a negative score.
By comparison, Germany is the least optimistic with four categories recording negative
competitive momentum; Life, Property, Health Insurance, Banking & Investing, Shipping &
Logistics and Energy. Overall the German scores are in a similar range to the US.
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
6
Study outline
The study was conducted in the US, China and Germany across
20 different categories of products and services and studied more
than 150 brands.
The methodology ‘flips’ the traditional recruitment process and identifies a subset
of consumers who self-select categories in which they have a higher level of interest,
knowledge, engagement and influence.
Qualifying respondents are polled on three key measures:
1. Expectations of the category
2. Actual experience of brands
3. Perceptions of brand momentum
1
ns
atio
ect
Exp f the
o ory
eg
cat
2
ual
A c t e n ce
i
r
e
ex p ra n d s
of b
3
s
tion
ce p
Pe r b ra n d
of ntum
me
mo
Each respondent ranks their expectations of the category and their experience
of the brand on nine drivers. These drivers map to today’s stakeholder agendas and
shape perceptions of a company. The drivers fall into three groups: management
behaviors, customer benefits and society outcomes, with customer benefits being
the most significant.
The authenticity drivers were identified and validated in separate studies in the US,
Germany and China.
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
7
Available on request
Authenticity Guides
Authenticity Guides help clients understand and pro-actively manage
the authenticity gap and monitor the organization’s competitive
momentum against key competitors. All findings are country, category
and brand specific. Available on-request.
Custom Guides
Custom Guides apply the same methodology in a deep-dive into
a particular company or brand and the particular issues and opportunities
they face. They can be commissioned in all major markets worldwide
and are available on-request.
Authentic Engagement
Drives organizational purpose,
as well as products and profits
Bra
nd
W
say hat y
an ou
you d how
beh
ave
ers
oth ou
t
a
y
Wh bout ared
a sh
y
a
s d on
e
s
bas ption
e
c
r
pe
ion
tat
u
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Re
Authenticity Gap
The gap between people’s
expectations and experiences
Marjorie Benzkofer
Global Leader, Reputation Management Practice
Senior Vice President & Senior Partner
Marjorie.Benzkofer@fleishman.com
Fleishman-Hillard Inc.
200 E. Randolph Street, 37th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601-6513
United States
Phone: +1-312-729-3700
www.fleishmanhillard.com
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
8
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AT&T Inc
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Microsoft Corp (Office, Windows)
The Gap Inc (Piperlime)
United Parcel Service Inc
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Schneider National, Inc.
Statoil
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J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
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Acer (Iconia Tab)
Hallmark Cards Inc
The Coca-Cola Co (Coke, Diet Coke)
Bank of America Corporation
Amazon.com Inc (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble
PepsiCo Inc (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Gatorade)
Barclays Plc
Apple Inc (iPad)
Michael’s Stores
Nestlé SA (Perrier)
JP Morgan Chase & Co (Chase)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc
Danone (Evian)
Citigroup Inc
Rakuten Inc (Kobo)
Best Buy Co Inc
Red Bull
Fidelity Investments
Research in Motion (PlayBook)
AutoZone Inc
Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc
Samsung Electronics (Galaxy)
HHGregg Inc
State Street Global Advisors (State Street)
Huawei (MediaPad)
Sun Life Financial
Wireless Carriers
Vacation & Travel
Family & Fast/Casual Restaurants
Life, Property, Health Insurance
AT&T Inc (AT&T Mobility)
Unique Vacations Inc. (Sandals)
Biglari Holdings Inc (Steak ‘n Shake)
Aetna Inc
Qwest Communications (Qwest Wireless)
The Walt Disney Co (Disney World)
Carlson (TGI Fridays)
Allstate Corporation
Sprint Nextel Corp
Carnival Corp (Carnival Cruises)
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc
Berkshire Hathaway Inc (Geico)
Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile)
American Cruise Lines
Nationwide Insurance
America Movil (Tracfone)
Starwood Hotels & Resorts (Starwood,
W Hotels, Sheraton)
Darden Restaurants Inc (Olive Garden, Red
Lobster)
Buffalo Wild Wings
Sun Life Financial
United States Cellular Corp (U.S. Cellular)
Verizon Communications Inc (Verizon)
Vodafone Group PLC (Vodaphone)
Marriott International Inc (Marriott)
Sun Capital Partners (Boston Market)
Panera Bread Co
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 Progressive Corp
The Travelers Companies Inc
United States Automobile Association (USAA)
© Fleishman-Hillard Inc
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Fast Food Restaurants
China Telecom Corp. Ltd.
(Tianyi Broadband)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc (Wal-Mart)
Abbott Laboratories
McDonald’s Corp
China Mobile Ltd. (China Tietong)
Carrefour S.A. (Carrefour)
AstraZeneca PLC
Papa John’s International Inc
Chia Tai Group (Lotus)
GlaxoSmithKline PLC
Yum! Brands Inc (KFC, Pizza Hut)
Beijing Jingkelong Co Ltd (Jingkelong)
Johnson & Johnson
Jollibee Foods Corp. (Yonghe King)
China Resources Enterprise Ltd (Vanguard)
Novartis AG
Beijing Hualian Group (Hualian)
Pfizer Inc
Beijing Hehegu Restaurant Management Ltd (
北京和合谷餐饮管理有限公司)
(Hehegu) (Jiaheyipin)
China Unicom Ltd.
CITIC Networks Co., Ltd. and
Chengdu Dr Peng Technology Company Ltd.
(Great Wall Broadband Network)
Tongrentang
Baiyunshan
Zhenkongfu Restaurant Management Ltd
(真功夫餐饮管理有限公司) (Zhenkungfu)
Smartphones
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Google Inc (Android)
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Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
Kraft Foods Inc
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Phillips
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Amoy Food Ltd
Lenovo Group Limited (LePhone)
Siemens AG
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (Samsung)
Honda Motor Co Ltd (Honda)
Kellogg Co
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (Huawei)
Yulong Computer and Telecommunications
(China Wireless Technologies Ltd.) (Coolpad)
TCL Corporation (TCL)
NOKIA OYJ
Midea Group (Midea)
ZTE Corporation
Haier Group (Haier)
Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz)
Nissan Motor Co Ltd (Nissan)
Toyota Motor Corp (Toyota)
Calbee
Meiji
Bright Food
COFCO
Sichuan Changhong Electric Co (Changhong)
Volkswagen AG (Audi, VW)
Nestlé SA
Software
On-Line Shopping
Shipping & Logistics
Energy
Microsoft Corp (Office, Windows)
Amazon.com Inc (Amazon.cn)
COSCO Group
CNOOC
Global Tech Limited (Kingsoft)
eBay Inc (eBay, PayPal)
Evergreen Marine Corporation (Evergreen)
Sinopec
BeiJing Rising Technology Limited (Rising)
alibaba Group (Alipay, Taobao & Tmall)
Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC)
CNPC
Souhu.com, Inc (Sogou (search engine
& pinyin method))
360buy Jingdong Mall (360buy.com)
CMA CGM Group (CMA)
ChinaCoal
Fan Ke Cheng Pin (Beijing) Technology Ltd (凡
客诚品（北京）科技有限公司) (VANCL)
Orient Overseas (International) Limited (Orient
Overseas Container Line)
PetrolChina
58.com (58同城网)
The A.P. Moller – Maersk Group (Maersk)
Apple Inc (iPhone)
Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd
(360 (Safe Guard & Anti-Virus))
Tencent Holdings Ltd (QQ)
Kuehne & Nagel Inc.
China Mobile Ltd
(Fetion (instant messaging))
Deutsche Post AG (DHL)
Tablets & E-Readers
Specialty Retail
Beverages
Banking & Investing
Apple Inc (iPad)
Cie Financiere Richemont SA (Cartier)
The Coca-Cola Co (Coke, Minute Maid)
Agricultural Bank of China
Lenovo Group Ltd (LePad)
Tiffany & Co
PepsiCo Inc (Pepsi, Gatorade)
Bank of China
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (Galaxy)
Li Ning Company Ltd (Li Ning)
Nestlé SA (Perrier)
Bank of Communications
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (MediaPad)
Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings Ltd
(Gome)
Danone (Evian)
China Construction Bank
Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co Ltd (Wahaha)
Suning Appliance Company Ltd (Suning)
DBS Bank Ltd (DBS)
Asus Tek Computer Inc (asus Transformer
Pad)
Tingyu (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp
(Master Kang)
HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC)
Newsmy Ideal Digital Technology Co Ltd
(Newpad)
Inter IKEA Systems B.V. (IKEA)
Google Inc (Google Nexus)
Best Buy Co Inc
China Merchants Bank
A.S. Watson Group (Hong Kong) Ltd (Watsons)
Yuandaocn Corporation (Yuandao)
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
Wireless Carriers
Vacation & Travel
Family & Fast/Casual Restaurants
Life, Property, Health Insurance
China Mobile Ltd (China Mobile)
Blackstone Group (Hilton)
Bloomin’ Brands Inc (Outback Steakhouse)
China Motion Telecom International Ltd. (China
Netcom)
Marriott International Inc (Marriott)
Ruby Tuesday Inc (Ruby Tuesday)
American International Assurance
Company (Bermuda) Limited (AIA)
China Unicom Limited (China Unicom)
Hyatt Hotel Group (Hyatt)
UCC UESHIMA COFFEE CO.,LTD (UCC Café)
Ctrip.com International Ltd (Ctrip.com)
Breadtalk Group Ltd. (Din Tai Fung, Toastbox)
Qunar.com Inc (Qunar.com)
Yoshinoya Co., Ltd. (Yoshinoya)
7 Days Group Holding Ltd (7 Days Inn)
Sichuan Haidilao Restaurant Holdings Ltd (四
川海底捞餐饮股份有限公司) (Haidilao)
Vodafone Group PLC (Vodaphone)
Homeinns Co Ltd (Home Inns)
China Lodging Group, Ltd (Hanting Inns &
Hotels)
Ping An Insurance (Group) Company
(Ping An Insurance)
Prudential Financial, Inc (Prudential)
The China Life Insurance Company Limited
People’s Insurance Company of China
Holdings Company (PICC)
China Taiping Insurance Holding Company Ltd
(China Taiping)
China Pacific Insurance Group (CPIC)
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
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Fast Food Restaurants
Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Online, T-Com,
Congstar)
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG (Aldi)
Bayer Vital GmbH
McDonald’s Corp
Arcor AG (Vodafone)
Schwarz Gruppe (Lidl)
Merial GmbH
Yum! Brands Inc (KFC, Pizza Hut)
REWE Group (Penny)
Pfizer GmbH
Burger King
NORMA WARENHANDELS-GmbH (Norma)
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH
(Vetmedica)
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Lilly Deutschland GmbH (Elanco)
coa Holding GmbH (Coa)
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Electrolux (AEG)
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
Lorenz Snack World
Google Inc (Android)
Whirlpool Corp (Bauknecht, KitchenAid)
Toyota Motor Corp
Funny-frisch
HTC Corporation (HTC)
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
(Bosch, Gaggenau, NEFF)
Fiat
Nestlé
Miele & Cie. KG (Miele)
Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz)
Dr. Oetker
General Motors (Opel)
Kraft Foods Inc
Ford Motor Co
Bahlsen GmbH & Co. KG
Volkswagen AG (Audi, VW)
Leibniz
LG Electronics Inc
Motorola Inc
NOKIA OYJ
Phillips
Research in Motion (Blackberry)
Samsung Electronics (Samsung Galaxy)
Kellogg Co
Software
On-Line Shopping
Shipping & Logistics
Energy
Adobe Systems Inc (Adobe)
Amazon.com Inc
Deutsche Post AG (Deutsche Post DHL)
BP
Autodesk Inc (AutoCAD)
Apple Inc (iTunes)
FedEx Corporation
Exxon Mobil
Google Inc (Google Docs)
eBay Inc (eBay, PayPal)
United Parcel Service Inc
Shell
McAfee Inc
DPD
RWE Dea
Microsoft Corp (Office, Windows)
TNT
Wintershall
Salesforce.com Inc
Hermes
OMV
Symantec Corp (Norton)
Primagas
Gazprom Germania
Tablets & E-Readers
Specialty Retail
Beverages
Banking & Investing
Acer (Iconia Tab)
Douglas Holding AG (Christ)
The Coca-Cola Co (Coke, Diet Coke)
Deutsche Bank AG
Amazon.com Inc (Kindle)
beeline GmbH (beeline)
PepsiCo Inc (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Gatorade)
Commerzbank AG
Apple Inc (iPad)
Amor GmbH (Amor)
Nestlé SA (Perrier)
KFW (KFW Bankengruppe)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
PANDORA A/S (Pandora)
Danone (Evian)
Regional Savings Banks*
Rakuten Inc (Kobo)
Esprit Holdings Limited (Esprit)
Red Bull
DZ Bank AG
Research in Motion (PlayBook)
Bijou Brigitte modische Accessoires AG
Samsung Electronics (Galaxy)
Gerhard D. Wempe KG (Wempe)
Huawei (MediaPad)
Juwelier Rüschenbeck KG (Rüschenbeck)
Wireless Carriers
Vacation & Travel
Family & Fast/Casual Restaurants
Life, Property, Health Insurance
AT&T Inc (AT&T Mobility)
Carnival Corp (Costa Crociere)
VAPIANO SE (Vapiano)
Allianz SE (Allianz Versicherungen)
Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile)
NH Hoteles
Vodafone Group PLC (Vodaphone)
Accor S.A. (Ibis, Sofitel, Novotel)
MAREDO Restaurants Holding GmbH
(Maredo)
Telefonica (O2)
Steigenberger Hotel Group
Zurich Gruppe Deutschland
(Zurich Deutscher Herold
Lebensversicherung AG)
ePlus
Kempinski Hotels & Resorts
debitel
Carlson Companies (Radisson)
HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC Trinkaus &
Burkhardt)
ING Groep NV (ING-Diba)
UBS AG
Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller (Nordsee)
Block Gruppe (Eugen Block Holding
GmbH&Co.KG) (Block House)
INGKA Holding B.V. (Ikea Food Services)
Dinea Gastronomie GmbH (Dinea)
Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH (Le Buffet)
R+V Versicherung AG (R+V)
Generali Holding Deutschland AG
(Generali, AachenMünchener)
Munich Re (Münchener RückversicherungsGesellschaft AG) (Ergo Leben)
Debeka
Sparkassen Finanzgruppe
(Versicherungskammer Bayern)
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
11
Study details
The ability to identify ‘Expert Consumers’ from the general population was
developed by Lepere Analytics. The methodology is US Patent Pending.
Polling is conducted online for Lepere Analytics by Ipsos – the world’s third largest
research company with operations in 84 countries. Online panels are in compliance with
International quality standards ESOMAR and AIMRI and certified on key ISO standards.
The following metrics and
definitions were used in the
analysis of the data:
Authenticity momentum
A net score based on the %
of people who say a company
is gaining ground minus the %
who say it is losing ground.
Authenticity gap
The gap between peoples’
expectations of the category and
their experience of the company
(or brand).
Expectations and experience
Expectations are specific to
the category and experience is
specific to an individual company
(or brand). Each is based on a
separate ranking of the
authenticity drivers from 1 to 9.
Country
US
Germany
China
Fieldwork dates
15th - 22nd October 2012
23rd - 29th October 2012
24th - 30th October 2012
Total sample
1,025
1,003
1,014
Category
Sample
%
Sample
%
Sample
%
Automobiles
101
10%
89
9%
116
11%
Banking & Investing
97
9%
136
14%
114
11%
Beverages
100
10%
87
9%
73
7%
Discount Retail
130
13%
92
9%
67
7%
Energy
166
16%
164
16%
115
11%
Family & Fast/Casual Restaurants
132
13%
74
7%
111
11%
Fast Food Restaurants
94
9%
51
5%
32
3%
Internet Service Providers
98
10%
95
9%
116
11%
Life, Property, Health Insurance
153
15%
95
9%
177
17%
Major Appliances
82
8%
138
14%
143
14%
On-line Shopping
150
15%
131
13%
151
15%
Packaged Foods
96
9%
97
10%
51
5%
Pharmaceuticals
88
9%
83
8%
60
6%
Shipping & Logistics
38
4%
50
5%
53
5%
Smartphones
114
11%
104
10%
138
14%
Software
130
13%
131
13%
141
14%
Specialty Retail
97
9%
74
7%
37
4%
Tablets & E-Readers
97
9%
87
9%
119
12%
Vacation & Travel
132
13%
113
11%
132
13%
Wireless Carriers
117
11%
95
9%
66
7%
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
12
Fleishman Authenticity Guides are published bi-annually based on on-going online polling
in 8 sectors and 40 categories. The methodology is proprietary to Fleishman-Hillard and
Lepere Analytics.
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., one of the world’s leading strategic communications firms, has built
its reputation on creating integrated solutions that deliver what its clients value most: meaningful,
positive and measurable impact on the performance of their organizations. The firm is widely
recognized for excellent client service and a strong company culture founded on teamwork,
integrity and personal commitment. Based in St. Louis, the firm operates throughout
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America through its 80 owned
offices. For more information, visit the Fleishman-Hillard website at www.fleishmanhillard.com.
Fleishman-Hillard is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com).
Omnicom is a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company.
Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media
planning and buying, interactive, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other
specialty communications services to more than 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.
Lepere Analytics is an independent research firm whose data forecasts company reputation
and revenue. The methodology is US Patent Pending, is independently validated and is used
by Wall Street investment analysts and portfolio managers.
Lepere Analytics was founded in 2007. It is a privately held company, registered in the UK
with partners based in London and New York.
Polling is conducted for Lepere Analytics by Ipsos – the world’s third largest research company
with operations in 84 countries. Online panels are in compliance with International quality
standards ESOMAR and AIMRI and certified on key ISO standards.
Fleishman-Hillard | The Authenticity Gap – Global Executive Summary | 2012 | Qtr 4 © Fleishman-Hillard Inc
13