Public votes SAA 'Most Trusted' company in South Africa

SAA was rated first in the Ask Afrika Public Trust Barometer, with a 76.1% trust rating. Old Mutual followed with 66.8% and Vodacom (66.1%).

The research was carried out through a telephonic survey with a model and methodology that can be generally accepted as representing economically active South Africans. In addition, the findings reflect the sentiments of both metropolitan and rural dwellers.

South Africa's national carrier is award rich this year, having secured nine international, continental and internal awards so far - the latest being the Best Airline to Southern and Central Africa announced during the Selling Long Haul Travel Awards 2004 earlier this month.

The Public Trust Barometer, undertaken and funded by the independent Pretoria-based strategic research and consultancy company Ask Afrika, measured public trust in 75 top companies from 11 sectors that are immediately recognisable to the public.

Andrea Rademeyer, Managing Director of Ask Afrika, said that the findings were interesting given the random nature of its sampling of people in the telephone book, as it could be safely concluded that not all the people sampled were regular air travellers. The remaining four of the top five were in sectors providing products or services in regular use by the majority of the people that participated.

"It amply illustrates the power of trust as a hidden influence on peoples' decision making. It highlights the need to get to the subconscious area of decision making, which we believe is ignored by many companies when they assess their strategies to retain loyalty and to influence new customers," she explained.
Interestingly, says Rademeyer, three of the top five in the public survey - SAA, Vodacom and Old Mutual - also achieved top five placing in the authoritative Ask Afrika Business Trust Barometer announced recently.

Although the companies surveyed were the same, the interviewee sample included journalists, company executives and opinion shapers to determine the business barometer. Heading the Business Trust Barometer list was Woolworths with a 66.3% trustworthiness rating, but it got 55.3% on the Public Trust Barometer list, despite its core business being retail with major interaction with the public in general as opposed to an airline which many do not use and yet it retains an impression in the mind of the general public.

This, says Rademeyer, reflects a deep seated public pride in its national carrier as the international flag flyer of the nation or appreciation for other social responsibility contributions to the nation and its communities - either way it indicates significant SAA success in its communication with the nation as a whole.

Ask Afrika undertakes a number of Trust Barometers each year to measure business and public trust levels in the country's most visible JSE-listed companies as well as in companies where businesses/ public spend most of their income and a separate barometer to measure trust in government.

The winners in the different categories in the Public Trust Barometer were ranked as follows according to the overall winners of the study:

AIRLINES:
Overall winner, South African Airways, was followed by British Airways and Nation Wide Airlines took third place.

LONG TERM INSURANCE:
Old Mutual headed off strong challenges by Sanlam and third-placed Metropolitan Life.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
The participants in the local cell phone revolution Vodacom, MTN and Cell C were first, second and third.

BANKING:
In this category Absa took the first place, second was Standard Bank and third came First National Bank.

GROCERY STORES:
The winner in this category is Pick n Pay, followed by Shoprite and Woolworths third.

AUTOMOTIVE:
Toyota was tops, followed by BMW in second place and Mercedes Benz.

CLOTHING:
Woolworths, followed by Edgars and then Truworths.

PETROL BRANDS:
BP headed this category followed by Engen and then Sasol.

PARASTATALS:
SABC, followed by Eskom and the Post Office.

FAST FOOD:
KFC headed off Wimpy in second place and then Nando's.

SHORT TERM INSURANCE:
Outsurance was followed by Hollard and then Santam.

The Public Trust Barometer methodology and its ratings provide companies with a tool for building trusting relationships with clients by enabling them to: