news release
Lundquist Wikipedia research on the Fortune Global 500 published by the FT: Apple does it best
17 February, 2010 - New research finds Apple’s Wikipedia page is the most complete and easily consultable among the world’s largest 500 listed companies. The research conducted by Lundquist also shows that to improve their online presence companies must engage with Wikipedia, not back away as is often assumed.
Apple has the most complete and easily consultable Wikipedia page among companies in the Fortune Global 500, according to research released today by Italian consultancy Lundquist. The Apple entry came out on top in the survey that considered information that ran the gamut from number of employees and location of headquarters to corporate governance, branding and financial data.
Apple, with 22 points out of a possible 25, was followed by BT, which was half a point back. Nokia and Royal Dutch Shell tied for third. The Global 500 groups the world’s largest companies by revenue. The results of the research were published today by the Financial Times.
Wikipedia, the sixth most visited site on the web, has become a fundamental part a company’s online profile and in many cases is the first stop for people searching for corporate information. This presents a challenge for companies that must understand the website better and find a way to engage it effectively. Standing by aloof and hoping for the best is no longer an option for companies.
News of companies changing their Wikipedia pages to make them more favourable to the corporate image has resulted in negative publicity and scared many from any attempt to improve their entry. Yet this is potentially dangerous with Wikipedia consistently appearing second or third in search engine rankings right behind a company’s official site.
While 489 of the 500 companies surveyed have a Wikipedia page, the amount of information contained was generally scarce with the average score 11 out of 25.
Among the findings of the research: of countries with more than ten companies in the ranking, Britain had the highest average with 14.6 points; most company pages do not say what geographic area they serve nor do they supply an up-to-date number of employees, organizational charts, list of board members or historical financial data; only a third of the pages surveyed provide the name of the chief executive and chairman with a link to their personal Wikipedia page.
The research was carried out in January 2010 following a rigorous four-part protocol.
Top Wikipedia Pages
(maximum = 25 points)
1. Apple (USA) - 22 points
2. BT (UK) - 21.5
3. Nokia (FIN) - 21
3. Royal Dutch Shell (NTL) - 21
5. Ford Motor (USA) - 20.5
5. Toyota Motor (JAP) - 20.5
7. BAE Systems (UK) - 20
7. Bank of America (USA) - 20
7. BP (UK) - 20
7. Dell (USA) - 20
7. General Electric (USA) - 20
7. Intel (USA) - 20
7. Microsoft (USA) - 20
7. Tesco (UK) - 20
7. Vodafone (UK) - 20
To read more:
Lundquist Wikipedia Fortune Global 500 Research Executive Summary (PDF 99 Kb)
FT article (PDF 171 Kb)
ReadWriteWeb article (PDF 245 Kb)
Finanza&Mercati article (Italian only) (PDF 140 Kb)
PR Week article (PDF 213 Kb)
Lundquist Wikipedia Switzerland Research page
Please contact us for more details: Eric Sylvers (+39 02 4547 7682)