What is the X-factor for corporate reputation? Is it simply how a company’s brand is perceived by the public? Is it the company culture? What about charitable activities, community engagement, corporate leadership and work/life balance? For us, the answer to all of these is yes. But we also believe corporate reputation starts closer to home, with employee brand ambassadors who best represent the company beyond the office—whether offline or on, and whether via social or traditional media. You’ll find some unsung heroes—and one guaranteed surprise—in this refreshing collection of small and large companies who see brand ambassadorship the same way. They all recognize that reputation is more than how a company manages its image. It’s also about the principles and people behind corporate actions. We believe we found some stand up – and stand out – winners with stellar employee ambassadors. See what you think …

1. reputation starts here
10 Companies
with Stellar
Employee Brand
Ambassadors

2. Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar
Employee Brand Ambassadors
What is the X-factor for corporate reputation? Is it simply how a company’s brand is
perceived by the public? Is it the company culture? What about charitable activities,
community engagement, corporate leadership and work/life balance?
For us, the answer to all of these is yes. But we also believe corporate reputation
starts closer to home, with employee brand ambassadors who best represent the
company beyond the office—whether offline or on, and whether via social or
traditional media.
You’ll find some unsung heroes—and one guaranteed surprise—in this refreshing
collection of small and large companies who see brand ambassadorship the same
way. They all recognize that reputation is more than how a company manages its
image. It’s also about the principles and people behind corporate actions. We
believe we found some stand up – and stand out – winners with stellar employee
ambassadors. See what you think …

3. 1. Intel
A Worldwide Winner
Intel is a big reputation winner overall. It is #42
on the Reputation Institute’s Global Pulse
Study. It is #32 on Fortune Magazine’s overall
Top 50 World’s Most Admired Companies list
(and #1 most admired in its industry). It is #3
on Forbes’ World’s Best for Leadership list,
and is also on WorkingMother.com’s 2011 list
of 100 Best Companies.
The common denominators in all of these
listings are innovation, leadership, and
commitment to long-term investment. Brand
ambassadors appreciate that, which is why
the company has almost 4M likes on
Facebook and over 32 separate Facebook
pages, as well as 68K Twitter followers. Intel
has a reputation for taking on the world with
big ideas (its IdeaJam program is a great
example). And it all starts with Intel’s
employees. Bravo!
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

4. 2. TOMS Shoes
Shoes Equal Education
TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, has made
children around the world part of the fashion
conversation. His “One for One” program is
simple – buy a pair of TOMS shoes and the
company gives a pair to a child in need. That
is why it’s listed here as an unsung hero.
Mycoskie frequently claims that shoes equal
education. In Haiti, for instance, a child is not
allowed to go to school unless the child has
shoes (due in part to health concerns).
Admittedly, we didn’t find TOMS on many “Top
Business” lists, but those lists aren’t
everything. TOMS leads with compassion and
we admire that. Its employees do, too—which
is why they comment and tell their personal
stories regularly on its Facebook page (no
wonder it enjoys nearly 1.2M likes)!
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

5. 3. Publix Super Markets
“Not Just a Supermarket”
Publix is one of 13 lucky companies to have
landed a spot on the CNN Money 100 Best
Companies to Work For list every single year.
The supermarket chain is the largest employee-
owned company in the U.S. and the largest
employer in Florida.
Publix focuses its philanthropic efforts on youth,
education (literacy, in particular), and the plight
of the homeless and hungry. It finances projects
through a charitable trust. In 2001, it created a
“Get into a Green Routine” program for
encouraging energy conservation. It also
supports community initiatives such as the
Special Olympics and the Children’s Miracle
Network. Saying Publix is not just a
supermarket is an understatement. Just visit the
“I Heart Publix” Facebook page to see why!
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

6. 4. Patagonia
The Other 1% Group
Patagonia was green before it was cool! It’s
also the founder of the 1% For the Planet
program and one of the unsung heroes of this
list. The program, founded in 2002, has given
over $100 million dollars away. It is a 45-
nation strong co-op of businesses that give
1% of their gross revenues to improving the
environment.
Patagonia employees are rabid advocates
who also walk the walk. Its outspoken
employee ambassadors include official
greeter Chipper Bro, who spreads the good
word when answering the phone there, when
surfing and when winning Frisbee freestyle
world championships (he’s won 12). Visit
Patagonia’s Facebook page for peek into the
super-frequent, passionate conversation
going on around this brand.
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

7. 5. American Express
Working-Mom Friendly
American Express rates high overall (#49 on
CNN Money’s 100 Best Companies to Work
For), but is especially strong for working
moms. A full 64% of its employee base is
female. Over 30% of the top 500 company
jobs are held by women, a high percentage
for the financial industry. This secured Amex
a spot on the WorkingMother.com Top 100
Companies list this year.
Working moms returning from maternity
leave are allowed to phase back in with
reduced hours. The company offers back-up
childcare services and support groups. And
management describes employee wellness
as a core business value. The same spirit is
evident in its cause-driven “Member’s
Project” on Facebook. Over 2.2M fans on
the Amex Facebook page can’t be wrong.
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

8. 6. Whole Foods Market
Walking the Walk
Whole Foods’ sweet spot is its commitment to
health. That makes sense for an organic-
focused food market, but its #24 position on
Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to
Work For seals the deal. Employees are given
discounts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The
company website has a values page that lists
all of its initiatives, including organic produce,
health for kids, ethical seafood harvesting, and
environmental protection.
Whole Food’s motto—Whole Foods, Whole
People, Whole Planet—emphasizes that its
vision reaches far beyond just being a food
retailer. Combine this approach with the ideas
presented in its Declaration of
Interdependence and the comments on its
Facebook page and you can see that Whole
Foods’ reputation for caring is real.
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

9. 7. SAS
The Best Company to Work for (Again)
SAS is #1 on the CNN Money 100 Best
Companies to Work For list and has been for
the last 14 years. Why? One reason is its
attention to its employees’ needs. Says one
manager: “People stay at SAS in large part
because they are happy. But to dig a little
deeper, I would argue that people don’t leave
SAS because they feel regarded—seen,
attended to and cared for.”
SAS features on-site healthcare, affordable
childcare, a kids’ summer camp, car cleaning,
a beauty salon, and a state-of-the-art 66,000-
square-foot gym. With that same attention paid
to its customers on Twitter, it’s easy to see why
the company enjoys such a great reputation
among its employees.
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

10. 8. Boston Consulting Group
Well-Paying Corporate Philanthropist
Boston Consulting Group comes in at #2 on
the CNN Money 100 Best Companies to
Work For list, sitting among the top dozen for
six straight years. BCG has avoided layoffs,
and has even added employees during 2010.
Its Social Impact Practice Network (SIPN)
offers a chance to work with the U.N. World
Food Program and Save the Children. And
its employees participated in an active,
hands-on Haiti relief effort.
BCG also has a reputation for paying well.
Service and philanthropy certainly are very
important, but having a reputation as a
company that financially rewards its
hardworking employees is bankable, too.
BCG gets our seal of approval for keeping it
real in the “why we do this work” category.
With over 612 Facebook recommends, it
looks like others feel the same way!
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

11. 9. Virgin
A Good Knight
Sir Richard Branson understands reputation.
Both he and his company have a strong style
and verve. That, coupled with a four-star
employee satisfaction rating on Glassdoor
and billing as the most eco-friendly airline
according to Smarter Travel Editor’s Choice,
gives Virgin a reputation that extends well
beyond flashy notoriety.
Add Branson’s Virgin Unite Foundation into
the mix for good measure and you also have
a solid reputation for doing well by doing
good. The company’s employees also keep
up a running dialog on both Twitter and
Facebook, with frequent daily deals,
brainteasers and fun contests. The company
may be a mega-empire, but it hasn’t forgotten
that it takes more than one highly visible
ambassador to spread the good word!
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

12. 10. Goldman Sachs
Surprise! Rehabbing a Reputation
We know this one comes as a surprise. Though
humbled, Goldman Sachs was among the first to
seek to pay back federal assistance in 2009.
Through it all, its employees have helped rehab
its reputation: The company came in as a
Working Mothers favorite, with a higher-than-
average proportion of women in management.
Employees give it a four-star Glassdoor rating.
And it was named a 2011 Top 20 pick on Forbes’
Best Leadership Companies list.
Companies on the list “give everyone at every
level the chance to develop and practice
leadership,” as opposed to 69.2% of other
companies, and also “encourage local leaders to
participate in HQ decisions, compared to 71.8%
of peer firms.” Nurturing both women and leaders
contributes to a good reputation and Goldman
Sachs seems to be on the way to rebuilding its
image the right way.
Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar Employee Brand Ambassadors

13. Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar
Employee Brand Ambassadors
Reputation Is a Valuable Asset...
Most in the C-suite agree that corporate reputation is important. They speak
about reputational ROI—and most have it pegged to metrics correlated against
sales and even stock valuation. At minimum, they track competitive mentions,
share of discussion and even tone in traditional and social media to stay on top
of it.
But the best also invest in building reputational capital where it starts: with
employees, their greatest assets. These brand ambassadors—and the
communities and customers they touch—are the ones driving the conversation
and shaping your reputation these days, both online and off. Learn from the
corporate reputation winners listed here, and you’ll be well on your way to
building (or rebuilding) a stellar corporate reputation of your own—from the inside
out!

14. Reputation Starts Here
10 Companies with Stellar
Employee Brand Ambassadors
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