OREANDA-NEWS. June 11, 2010. Based on the annual study of fame and reputation of large companies carried out by TNS Emor, Swedbank has the best reputation among all large companies in Estonia for the third consecutive year, reported the press-centre of Swedbank.

It appears from the TNS Emor annual study of fame and reputation of Estonian large companies that AS Swedbank is still holding the leading position in the reputation ranking of large companies and is followed by AS Rakvere Lihakombinaat, AS EMT, AS A. Le Coq and AS Saku Olletehas. The ranking of large companies is based on the aggregate result of two indicators, general attitude and solidity image.

Priit Perens, CEO of Swedbank Estonia, noted that holding the leading position for the third consecutive year is a very gratifying result. "Even now there are signs that the former image of large banks and people's trust in the financial sector are recovering. A company's reputation consists of so many impressions that we leave on our clients and partners in our everyday work. I would like to thank all our clients for trusting us," Perens said.

Perens thinks that there are several good reasons for this result. "Firstly, we have clearly moved towards a more client-based approach during the last year. We hope that our progress is increasingly noticed through clients' personal experience – this is evidenced for example by the weekly feedback from clients that we gather. Secondly, we have learnt from the crisis and are making well-balanced decisions in the current economic cycle. It is also important that as a responsible member of society, we are able to help educate people on money matters, either in relation to the need for a family budget or the provision of information about the euro," Perens said. "I am also pleased that the bank's brand has not gained in strength only through fame or brand campaigns, but more through everyday work and substantive changes."

While in the beginning of last year, in the most pessimistic period of the economic crisis, people became more critical about almost all companies, now, in the beginning of a more optimistic period, people's attitude to the activities of companies has again improved. An exception is retail trade, where the average reputation index has fallen since last year. No sector has reached the end-of-boom highs yet.

AS Swedbank has been in the top of the reputation leaders for the third consecutive year (in 2008 under the name of Hansabank), whereas EMT, Rakvere Lihakombinaat and Saku Olletehas have been among the top five already for more than five years. A. Le Coq has gradually become closer to the top and achieved the fourth position among large companies this year for the first time.

About the methods of the study of fame and reputation of large companies. The aim of the study of fame and reputation of large companies in Estonia is to rank the large companies of different sectors on the basis of overall reputation; it is not a ranking of brands. The opinions of Estonian people about companies are measured on the basis of two parameters: general attitude and solidity image. These factors along with general trust are the most important dimensions in the reputation image of companies. A company's solidity image serves as a foundation of overall trust, it creates preconditions for extending the client base and it motivates clients to keep a longer-term cooperation relation with the company, especially in the current economically unstable period.

1006 Estonian people aged 15 to 74 years participated in the study in April 2010. The study included popular companies among the top one hundred companies from Sales TOP 500 based on the last year's (2009) study by the newspaper Aripaev, in total 65 large companies.

Further information about the TNS Emor study of fame and reputation of companies: http://www.emor.ee/index.html?id=1147