Six of the ten best reputations in the media belong to large tech, according to an annual review of corporate coverage in opinion-leading US media. IBM, which earned superlative, highly visible coverage, led all companies in the study. Intel, Dell and Apple completed the sweep for the top four companies. The Walt Disney Company finished the year in the fifth position, ranking highest among non-tech companies. Oracle and Microsoft rounded-out the top six tech companies, landing in the seventh and tenth positions respectively. In an additional sign of strength, tone of coverage among nine of the top ten companies in 2011 improved over the prior year, including IBM whose 2010 performance ranked among the top five. The most improved company was EADS/Airbus which evolved from critical coverage in 2010 to the sixth spot overall. “While media coverage is only one element in corporate reputation, journalistic content uniquely reflects both current public opinion while helping to shape future perceptions,” commented Mark Weiner, CEO-Americas. “ “America’s Top Companies Reputation Benchmark” is a corporate image content analysis of top US opinion-leading media across print, broadcast and on-line news sources. PRIME aggregates content, isolates major reputation-building topics -- Products, Strategy and Vision, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Positioning, Financial Performance and Management -- and, through a more granular analysis of supporting themes, derives a detailed, actionable assessment of America's corporate reputation environment.  PRIME Research is a global communications research firm which seeks to inform public relations decision-making through expert content analysis of new and traditional media, real-time monitoring and analytics, and research-based consultation.  Coupled with the firm's custom research offerings, PRIME clients apply intelligence gained through the America’s Top Companies Reputation Benchmark to improve performance in the media and to communicate the value of media-based public relations activity.   The firm is based in New York, Chicago and Ann Arbor with service hubs in South America, Europe and Asia.  To learn more about PRIME, visit their website at www.prime-research.com

1. PRIME Research
Top 30 Companies Benchmark Study
USA
Year End: 2011

2. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 2
PRIME Research Top Companies
Introduction
Content
 PRIME’s Top Companies database tracks the media’s treatment of America’s largest publicly-traded
corporations and the CEOs that lead them
 Content is drawn from a power sample of opinion-leading media across all platforms: traditional
print and TV; on-line and social media
 Analyses are updated daily, accessible on-line using PRIME’s Navigator portal
 Reports feature interpretive analysis and strategic guidance along with charts, graphs and
supporting data. Alternatively, data is accessible for real-time do-it-yourself reporting
 Historical data is available from 2004
 Clients apply PRIME’s Top Companies report to assess their business landscape, set more
meaningful objectives, develop better strategies, create more impactful tactics and evaluate
performance over time, versus competitors and in light of what constitutes “best-in-class”

3. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 3
Share of Voice and Tone | 2010 vs. 2011 YTD
Top 30 Companies
Top Companies Share of Coverage | Q3 Negative Critical less pos. positive very pos. superl.
Compuware
Cardinal Health
IBM
Honeywell
McKesson
Caterpillar
Motorola (in general)
United Techn.
Petrobras
Marathon Oil
Intel
Valero Energy
Random House
American Express
United Parcel Service
DHL
Tyco International >15%
Apple
Home Depot
Dow Chemical
UnitedHealth Group
Cigna
Kroger
Novartis
Wellpoint
EADS/Airbus
Delphi
Nike
Lufthansa Airlines
0% 5% 10% 15% -2 -1.6 -1.2 -0.8 -0.4 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4
Countries: USA Measurement: Share of Coverage Legend: 2011 YTD
PRIME Tone Index [7-point scale -3 to +3] 2010

4. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 4
Share of Voice and Tone | | 2010 vs. 2011 YTD
Top 30 CEOs
Top Companies | CEOs Share of Coverage | Q3 Negative critical less pos. positive very pos. superl.
Delta Airlines/Richard Anderson
Merck / Kenneth C Frazier
Wellpoint/Angela Braly
CVS (Future CEO) / Larry J Merlo
Delphi/Rodney ONeal
Commerzbank / Martin Blessing
Travelers Comp./ Jay Fishman
BASF (Future CEO) / Kurt Bock
Cardinal Health / George Barrett
Home Depot/Frank Blake
Caterpillar / Doug Oberhelman
Honeywell/David M. Cote
McDonalds/Jim Skinner
Pfizer / Ian Read (CEO)
FedEx/Frederick W. Smith
UPS/Scott Davis
DuPont / Ellen Kullman
Compuware/Peter Karmanos Jr.
Costco / Jim Sinegal (until 2011)
Dow Chemical/Andrew N. Liveris
IBM/Samuel Palmisano
Intel/Paul S. Otellini
Novartis / Joe Jimenez
Target / Gregg W. Steinhafel
Eads Airbus/Louis Gallois
Alcoa/Klaus Kleinfeld
Exxon Mobil/Rex Tillerson
Apple / Tim Cook
0% 2% 4% 6% -2 -1.6 -1.2 -0.8 -0.4 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4
Countries: USA Measurement: Share of Coverage Legend: 2011 YTD
PRIME Tone Index [7-point scale -3 to +3] 2010

5. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 5
Share of Voice and Tone | 2010 vs. 2011 YTD
Top 30 CEOs
Top Companies | CEOs Share of Coverage | Q3 negative critical less pos. positive very pos. superl.
Dell/Michael S. Dell
Continental United / Jeff Smisek
Motorola Mobility /Sanjay Jha
Walmart / Michael Duke
Time Warner/Jeffrey L Bewkes
Walt Disney/Robert Iger
Verizon/ Lowell McAdam
JP Morgan Chase/James Dimon
Morgan Stanley/John J. Mack
American Express/Kenneth I.
Chenault
3M/George Buckley
AIG / Robert Benmosche
Sears/Lou DAmbrosio CEO
UTC/ Louis Chenevert
Sprint Nextel/Dan Hesse
Berkshire Hathaway/Warren Buffett
Google/Eric A. Schmidt
Citigroup/Vikram S. Pandit
General Electrics/Jeffrey R. Immelt
HP / Meg Whitman (CEO)
American Airlines/Gerard Arpey
Lowes/Robert Niblock
Sunoco / Lynn Laverty Elsenhans
ConocoPhillips/James Mulva
Postmaster General USPS/ Patrick R.
Donahoe
Deutsche Bank / Josef Ackermann
Tyco International/Edward D. Breen
Wells Fargo/John Stumpf
0% 5% 10% 15% -2 -1.6 -1.2 -0.8 -0.4 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4
Countries: USA Measurement: Share of Coverage Legend: 2011 YTD Aug - Oct
PRIME Tone Index [7-point scale -3 to +3] 2010

6. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 6
Appendix
Top Companies Standard Topics and Supporting Themes*
Strategy/Vision Product Reputation
 Product strategy  Quality
 Investment strategy  Safety
 Strategic partnerships & alliances  Effectiveness/usefulness
 Globalization strategy  Innovation
 Marketing/brand strategy  Market Success
 Pricing strategy  Product attributes
 Social/Ecological Acceptance
Structure/Positioning Management Reputation
 Relationships with key stakeholders  Leadership skills
 Relationships between holding & affiliated companies or  Competence
units  Credibility
 Restructuring  Responsibility
 Production & distribution  Popularity
 Business expertise
 Market share
Business Performance Corporate Social Responsibility
 Sales volume  Jobs
 Stock performance  Corporate culture
 Profits/losses  Environmental responsibility
 Liquidity  Social/cultural activities & responsibility
 Costs  Company ethics
 Investments  Legal issues
 Performance

7. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 7
Appendix
Top Companies Standard Media Set
GENERAL INTEREST
National Newspapers  USA Today  New York Times  Financial Times
 Wall Street Journal  Washington Post

Business Magazines  Time  Forbes  Fortune
& Weekly Press  Newsweek  Business Week  Economist
TV
National FTA & Cable  ABC  CNN  MSNBC
Networks  CBS  Fox News Channel  NBC
 CNBC
Newscasts and  ABC - Good Morning America  CNBC - WSJ Report w/ Maria Bart  FNC - Special Report w/ Brit Hume
News Magazines  ABC - World News  CNN - American Morning  FNC - Studio B
 CBS - Evening News  CNN - Newsroom  FNC - Your World w/ Neil Cavuto
 CBS - Morning News  CNN - The Situation Room  MSNBC - News Live
 CBS - The Early Show  CNN - Headline News  NBC - Early Today
 CNBC - Closing Bell  FNC - America's Newsroom  NBC - Nightly News
 CNBC - Power Lunch  FNC - Fox & Friends  NBC - Today
 CNBC - Squawk on the Street  FNC - Fox News  PBS - NewsHour w/ Jim Lehrer
 CNBC - Street Signs  FNC - Fox Report  PBS - Nightly Business Report
 CNBC - The Call  FNC - Live Desk
ONLINE
 cnn.com  msnbc.com  news.google.com
 money.cnn.com  news.aol.com  news.yahoo.com
 msn.com
REGIONAL PRINT
 Los Angeles Times  Dallas Morning News  Philadelphia Inquirer
 Chicago Tribune  San Francisco Chronicle  Minneapolis Star Tribune
 Houston Chronicle  Boston Globe  Miami Herald
 Detroit Free Press  Atlanta Journal - Constitution  Seattle Times
 Arizona Republic

8. PRIME Research Top Companies Study page 8
PRIME Research
About us
Who We Are
 PRIME Research is a global leader in strategic communications research and analysis. With ten locations worldwide, PRIME employs 500
consultants, analysts and support staff who gather, filter, translate and report on media trends across 45 countries. We provide meaningful and
actionable insights based on media trends across all forms: print, broadcast and digital; traditional and social; trade and consumer.
What We Offer
 News and Social Media Analysis to set objectives; develop strategy and evaluate performance
> Quantity: volume, reach, share-of-voice
> Quality: tone, key messages, spokespeople, issues, endorsement, analyst/ influencer citations and other criteria with flexibility to add content
codes to capture changes in requirements
> Context: performance over time, versus objectives, against competitors and top companies benchmarks
> Impact: proprietary approach to link coverage with awareness, recall, perceptions and behavior
 Consultation to facilitate PR decision-making
> Experienced and expert senior counselors provide interpretive analysis and strategic guidance
> Proprietary Strategic Cube analysis to prioritize many messaging, media and communications options for PR optimization and competitive
advantage
 Executive News Summaries and Streaming News to engage and inform
> Drawing from print, broadcast and digital, incorporating trade, consumer, business and social media
> Timely news digests when you need them capitalizing on PRIME’s global footprint
> News digest distribution list management for email, portal and smartphone distribution
> Dynamic translations to English or other designated language from key outlets; links to full text where copyright allows
> Real and near-real time updates throughout the day around the globe
 Statistical Modeling to enhance PR return-on-investment
> Link results with awareness, attitudes and behavior working independently or with your research partners
> Feed PR data to consumer insights for marketing/communications optimization
The Organizations We Serve
 PRIME client experience spans all of the Fortune categories plus government, agencies, NGOs and non-profits.