ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- General Motors Corp. enjoys
the auto industry's most positive presence on the internet, according
to a new study of corporate online image and reputation released
Thursday by Hass Associates.
Largely because of its well-publicized launch of an internet-oriented
business unit, GM received the highest level of positive attention
during August on more than 80 web sites and newsgroups that are
frequented by investors and others interested in news and information
about the auto industry.
Toyota also fared well in the study, while Ford saw its positive score
significantly lowered because of its controversial battle with an
enthusiast web site accused of publishing proprietary information.
The online presence of automakers across the globe was evaluated using
an innovative system that tracks internet news coverage and discussion,
and assesses the impact of that coverage on reputation and image. Just
as an individual's IQ score is determined by performance on a test, a
corporation's or a product's MQ score is the result of performance on a
rating scale. The system was developed by Hass Associates, Inc., an
Ann Arbor-based public relations firm that specializes in using the
Internet for corporate and institutional communication.
"A strong MQ is valuable because it is a measure of visibility among
the growing group of investors, consumers, journalists, government
officials and other opinion-makers who rely on the Internet to gather
information and keep abreast of business developments," said Mark Hass,
president of Hass Associates. "A weak or negative number is a sign of
trouble."
The auto industry MQ scores are generated monthly, based on news
coverage on the web and discussion on various newsgroups. Each
relevant web site story and newsgroup dialogue is analyzed and given a
numeric score based on several criteria, including tone (positive,
negative or neutral) and substance. At the end of the month, negative
scores are subtracted from positive ones, with the difference being a
company's overall MediaQuotient.
The same tracking approach can be used to compare companies in other
industries, specific products and even specific public issues.
Web sites and newsgroups included in the auto industry review fell into
three categories: general interest, auto industry-specific and
investor-oriented. Among the sites studied were major general news
sites such as MSNBC and CNN; industry-specific sites, such as auto.com;
and investor-oriented sites, such as the Motley Fool. Hass Associates
editors, using automated tools and traditional content-analysis
techniques, reviewed thousands of current web site headlines, feature
stories, top news stories and industry news highlights, as well as
newsgroup discussions.
Fourteen auto companies were covered in the study released today. Here
is a snapshot of how they fared, with their MQ scores shown in
parenthesis:
BMW (+57): Overall, the company received only a modest amount of
coverage, with an emphasis on production, a stock split and a recall of
30,000 cars in the United States because of emission problems.
DaimlerChrysler (+22): A wave of negative reports related to earnings,
lawsuits and minivan woes eroded a positive presence established by
product reports about the PT Cruiser and other vehicles.
Fiat (-39): The company earned the lowest MQ in August largely because
of GM's rejection of a business relationship.
Ford (+180): A late-month torrent of stories about the company's
efforts to shut down an enthusiast site critical of Ford resulted in
negative attention. A steady flow of small but positive news
throughout the month about the company's global expansion, its efforts
to recruit minority suppliers and other stories paid off in the form of
a dominant presence among the sites and newsgroups specifically focused
on the auto industry.
General Motors (+272): A strong overall presence in each of the
internet categories studied and a positive response to the creation of
the e-GM business unit combined to give GM the industry's best score.
Honda (+161): Environmentally friendly technology and its stubborn
determination to go it alone in the increasingly merged global auto
industry gave Honda a positive run of online reports.
Isuzu (0), Suzuki (+3): Invisible or worse.
Mazda (+45), Mitsubishi (+70), and Peugeot (+59): A low volume of
stories, most of which were positive, however.
Nissan (+161): Vehicle development strategy and strong sales in Canada
provided positive fodder.
Toyota (+258): Its promise to deliver custom-ordered cars registered
very positively within the auto-industry and general news categories.
Volkswagen (-6): Generally a weak presence in Internet media and
discussion groups, with an Audi recall damaging the company's overall
score.
More details about the report can be found online at
www.ha-i.com/dev/mq/ . The material posted on the web is a summary of
the complete MQ report which is offered to Hass Associates, Inc.
clients by subscription.
SOURCE Hass Associates, Inc.
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