The BBC, Google, Apple and Amazon are among media and Internet brands whose reputation in Britain was dragged down by negative buzz this year, according to annual brand ranking data from YouGov’s BrandIndex.
While the BBC iPlayer topped the U.K. list of brands with the biggest positive buzz in 2012, according to the Guardian, the UK public network suffered from the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal this fall. Plus the false report by its flagship TV news magazine which implicated a former politician in another abuse case, did not help its score either.
“While the BBC umbrella brand is definitely being hit and is at the lowest levels ever seen, there has been no knock-on effect for products like the iPlayer and its .co.uk web site,” which ranks 8th on the list, said BrandIndex director Sarah Murphy.
Google, which ranked fourth last year with a score of 26.7, dropped out of the top 10 as its score fell by 15 points, while Amazon fell from the top spot in 2011 to the third rank this year, according to the list.
Apple’s reputation also took a hit mainly due to its new mapping software, mixed reviews for the iPhone 5 and legal battles with rival Samsung.
The research firm asked 2,000 people every day if they had heard anything positive or negative about a slew of brands.
