The most reputable company in Australia isn’t Australian at all but an airline from New Zealand, according to a new report.
Air New Zealand jumped five places to head a list of the 60 top companies operating in Australia and compiled in an annual corporate reputation index published by research consultancy AMR. The airline, which was AirlineRatings 2017 airline of the year, also topped the list in its home country in New Zealand.
The news is a blow to the sunburnt country and will raise a cheer amongst New Zealanders, who view Australia in much the same way Canada views the US.
The indexes are part of a global study conducted each year by AMR and the Reputation Institute which also measures how consumers feel about performance in areas such as products and services, innovation, citizenship, leadership and financial performance.
AMR Managing director Oliver Freedman said AirNZ’s scores had been trending upwards since 2013, particularly in terms of product and services.
“This is an incredibly strong result for a company clearly based overseas, and shows Air New Zealand’s ability to engage and create an emotional attachment with the Australian public,” Oliver said in AMR’s announcement.
“Australians view the company to be authentic and focussed on the community, rating highly across the individual measurements of workplace, citizenship, governance, and leadership. In addition, our research showed a clear relationship between its reputation and advertising recall.”
The airline beat vehicle manufacturer Mazda, electronics and entertainment retailer JB Hi-fi and Japan’s Toyota to take the top reputational spot. Archrival Qantas came in at fifth place, down a rung from last year.
Air NZ alliance partner Virgin Australia fell five spots to 16th.
Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon said the results were a testament to the hard work of AirNZ staff in building an enviable global reputation over the past decade.
“Despite being a relatively small airline in global terms, Air New Zealand continues to punch above its weight by taking great ideas and turning these into world leading product and service offerings that enhance the customer experience,’’ Luxon said.
“In Australia this includes the likes of our ‘Better Way to Fly’ campaign featuring well-known Australian actor Bryan Brown as the voice of Dave the Goose encouraging Australians to choose Air New Zealand for travel to North and South America and our 2015 safety video ‘Surfing Safari’ which starred the Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning.”
