三星急需打造企业形象

    即使你是三星Galaxy手机的用户，你对这家公司的了解到底有多少？你知道三星公司（Samsung）的首席执行官是谁吗？或者你能说出三星哪位高管的名字吗？你是否清楚在三星工作是什么情况？你知不知道三星的营收是多少，或者这家公司是否对慈善机构进行过捐助？独立市场调查公司哈里斯互动（Harris Interactive）的最新调查显示，三星的用户恐怕对上述问题并不清楚。

    关于消费者对智能手机之王三星电子的认知，上周二公布的哈里斯民意调查年度声誉指数（Harris Poll Reputation Quotient）有一些新发现。韩国公司三星电子的智能手机销量和在消费者中的品牌认知度双双飙升。在2011年的调查中，当被要求列举最“醒目”的公司时，受访者根本没有提到三星。而在最近这项调查中，三星不仅榜上有名，而且在“产品物超所值”等类别中甚至排在苹果（Apple）前面。但这项调查也发现，尽管三星声名鹊起，但消费者们除了越来越多地购买和使用它的智能手机、平板手机和平板电脑，对于这家公司本身却知之甚少。虽然三星近来发展迅猛，但这个信息缺口可能会带来问题。

    哈里斯互动执行副总裁罗伯特•弗朗克称：“从默默无闻到一飞冲天，着实罕见。但三星目前的地位还不稳固，随时可能一落千丈。”

    弗朗克建议，三星应着力于弥补自身“短板”—— 同媒体和消费者分享公司和领导层的信息，而不只是专注于产品。作为一家位于韩国的全球性企业集团，三星在美国处于劣势，但它可以克服这个挑战 【它不妨借鉴丰田（Toyota）和本田（Honda）的经验，两者同为亚洲公司，但都已成为北美消费者的大爱】。不过，要成为不仅有实体产品，而且还有广义企业形象而闻名于世的品牌，三星的路还很漫长。

    弗朗克称：“苹果声誉的建立是日积月累的结果。最终，人们从钟情自己的iPod升华到喜爱和尊重苹果公司。”

    当然，苹果有自营的零售商店网络，客户可以与苹果员工互动，亲身感受苹果的风格——注重细节的工作方式和极简主义的设计。三星也开了几家“Galaxy工作室”，消费者在这里可以体验它的设备。可惜在最终要购买时，他们都被指引到附近的运营商门店。此外，三星还在努力在科技企业云集的硅谷打造自己的影响力。

    三星为什么应该更多地展露 “企业形象”？因为每家公司都有马失前蹄的时候（这事问问苹果就知道了）。一旦三星犯错，记得三星形象的消费者或许会宽容些。

    调查结果如下：（财富中文网）

    Even if you use a Galaxy phone, how much do you really know about the company that made it? Can you name Samsung's chief executive officer? Or, for that matter, any of the conglomerate's top leaders? Do you have any sense for what it's like working for Samsung? Do you know how much money it makes or whether it gives any of that money away to charities? Probably not, finds a new survey from Harris Interactive.

    The annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient, published Tuesday, sheds some new light on consumers' perceptions of smartphone king Samsung Electronics. The Korean company has seen a meteoric rise in smartphone sales and in consumer awareness of its brand. In 2011, respondents didn't even mention Samsung when asked to name the most "visible" companies. In this most recent survey, Samsung not only made the list, it also topped Apple (AAPL) in categories like "products providing great value." But the survey also found that, while Samsung's reputation has significantly improved, there is a lot consumers don't know about Samsung -- beyond the smartphones, phablets and tablets they are increasingly purchasing and using. And that information gap, despite the company's recent growth, could turn out to be a problem.

    "It's uncommon, going from completely unmentioned to one of the strongest," says Robert Fronk, executive vice president at Harris Interactive. "But it's a tenuous hold. When you are one-dimensional you tend to fall off quickly."

    Fronk suggests Samsung should work on developing its "softer side" -- sharing its corporate and leadership story, not just focusing on products in its outreach to media and consumers. As a Korea-based, global conglomerate, it is at a disadvantage in the U.S., but it can overcome this challenge (just look to Toyota (TM) and Honda for examples of Asia-based companies that have become beloved brands in North America). And becoming a brand that's known not just for specific products but for a broader corporate identity takes time.

    "Apple built its reputation over time," says Fronk. "Eventually people made the jump from loving their iPods to loving and respecting Apple."

    Of course, Apple has a network of its own retail stores where customers can interact with Apple employees and get first-person look at the company's style -- down to its detail-oriented approach and minimalistic design. Samsung has opened up a handful of "Galaxy Studios," where consumers can play around with its devices, though they are ultimately directed to nearby carrier stores to actually make purchases. The company has also made efforts to build its presence in the Silicon Valley, where many members of the tech media reside.

    Why should Samsung care about showing more of its "corporate face?" Every company fumbles sometimes (just ask Apple). And when Samsung does, customers who can connect a face to the name may be just a tad more forgiving.

    From the survey: