The truth is always the right answer.
-- Schindler’s List

The foundry, not the commodity; the manufacturer, not the product.

Some goods might sell like hot cakes, but such market acceptance has become  a function of the company behind its production.  

This means an increasingly sophisticated consumerism is defining market preference for products churned out by companies with impeccable reputations.  

A new global study commissioned by global public relations firm Weber Shandwick found the company behind the brand to be critical to consumer purchasing decisions. 

Seventy percent of consumers  surveyed admitted avoiding  buying products if they did not like the parent company.

And executives agreed. In fact, 87 percent globally (and 96 percent in China) said  “a strong corporate brand is just as important as strong product brands”. Got that, Tourism Secretary Ramon  Jimenez Jr?

Titled The Company behind the Brand: In Reputation We Trust, the study painted a challenging consumer landscape facing today’s marketing and communications executives. The research identified six key insights revealing a world where consumers no longer just buy based on products’ own merits but also company reputation.

“Our research demonstrates that, for consumers, corporate and brand reputations are becoming increasingly inseparable. Consumers are now actively placing stock in the companies they trust, as they seek out products that are ethical, safe, and high-quality,” said WS executive vice president of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, Alistair Nicholas.

The importance of a company’s reputation matters more than ever, and when combined with the reputation of its product brands, this creates one powerful “enterprise” brand.         Nicholas added: “A strong corporate reputation is absolutely critical to tapping into the full value of any enterprise.”

To many, a high corporate reputation engenders good feelings about a company’s products and, importantly, provides assurance that the brands will be of high quality, ethically sourced, and made responsibly. 

Nearly six in 10 executives say they would rather see their companies in the news for a most admired standing than a positive share price forecast.  

In short, the premium is on good corporate citizenship, not capital gains.

The online research was conducted with KRC Research in October/November 2011 among 1,375 consumers and 575 senior executives in companies with annual revenues of $500 million or more. 

Respondents were located in four key markets: two developed markets (US and UK) and two emerging markets (China and Brazil).

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Has the Integrated Bar of the Philippines pines been “infiltrated by dubious personalities” who have a common agenda to rally public support for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona?

How true are  perceptions that the IBP national leadership led by Roan Libarios is biased in favor of Corona, whose impeachment trial the IBP has questioned in newspaper advertisements and press statements?

Lawyer Argee Guevarra wants to know even as he cited the case of one of IBP’s spokespersons, Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, whom Libarios earlier appointed as head of the IBP Impeachment Watch Group

Angeles is among the people whom the IBP has tapped supposedly to inform the public objectively  on developments in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona.

Is she up to the job?

“First off, the IWG’s pronouncements, including its insistence not to admit the prosecution’s evidence on mere technicalities, have been utterly pro-Corona. Secondly, Attorney  Angeles’ appointment as IWG head only bolsters suspicion that the IBP’s real intention is to wage a propaganda war in Corona’s favor,” Guevarra said.

He said Angeles’ involvement in “what is a clear propaganda campaign being waged by some officials of the IBP to save the neck of Corona only affirms the saying that ‘birds of a feather flock together’”:

In its most recent statement, the IBP named another IBP spokesperson, Dennis Habawel as “supervisor” of the IWG, raising questions about Angeles’ ability to get the job done.

Many IBP lawyers have questioned the “bias” being shown by the IBP national leadership in favor of Corona, saying the IBP was not established to weigh in on political exercises like the impeachment.

The IBP Cebu City Chapter even issued a resolution in support of the impeachment trial of Corona, urging the SC chief to take a leave of absence during the pendency of his trial.