Brand Reputations That Took a Hit in 2019

Facebook certainly had a tough year and it shows in the recent Axios and Harris Poll report: The 100 Most Visible Companies. The company had the largest dip in the report’s ranking, plummeting 43 places between 2018 and 2019. Barely in the top 100 brands, the social network fell to the bottom of the pack. Facebook has had to answer to legislators around the world this year about how it shares users’ data with third parties, the role it plays in spreading disinformation, and the vulnerabilities it has to hacks.

Tesla had the second biggest fall from grace, dropping 39 places from the 3rd highest rated brand in 2018 down to the 42nd place in 2019. The electric car company has dealt with operational and managerial setbacks after CEO Elon Musk derided the SEC, missed a Wall Street delivery goal, tweeted he would take the company private, and smoked marijuana on live TV.

Notably, Nike also had a tumultuous year after taking a polarizing stance by using Colin Kaepernick as a celebrity in one of their ad campaigns. The company recently suffered another minor setback for their brand when a rising college basketball star hurt his knee after his Nike shoe broke in a primetime game against a school rival. To make matters worse for the company, former president Barack Obama was present at the game and can be seen mouthing “His shoe broke” on the sidelines, thereby cementing the viral circulation of Nike’s setback.