Porsche 2006 Annual Report Download - page 74

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First-class premium products form the basis of Porsche’s profitable growth, but
another very important factor in corporate success is the excellent reputation the
company enjoys. Public relations promote Porsche’s high standing by increasing
social acceptance of the product, company and brand. Every year, surveys con-
firm that this communication strategy is highly successful. Porsche was selected
as the Company with the Best Image four times in a row by ‘manager magazin’,
a coveted title awarded every two years and most recently in January 2006. The
ranking is compiled by Emnid, a market research institute. Porsche also ranks top
in international studies. In April 2007, the renowned Luxury Institute in New York
named Porsche as the premium brand with the highest reputation for the third time
in a row.
A company’s image is not only vitally important for selling its products, but
also for attracting employees. In July 2007, the consulting company Universum
Communications carried out a survey among almost 16,500 students from
100 universities in 16 European countries, with impressive results. Engineering
and sciences students consider Porsche the most attractive industrial employer
in Europe. The automobile manufacturer came top of the employer wish list for
12.4 % of respondents. Only Google received more votes from young people
with a technology focus. The results of this survey cannot be rated too highly,
given the emerging shortage of engineers in Europe. Porsche remained in
eighth position for business students – 9.9 % of respondents named the auto-
mobile manufacturer as their favorite employer.
Promoting New Talent is a Priority
The international success of German industry and Porsche in recent decades
was only possible thanks to a wealth of highly-trained specialists, engineers and
scientists. Porsche is committed to promoting young talent in a number of ways
to ensure that this success continues in the future. In the 2006/07 fiscal year,
the Ferry Porsche Prize was once again awarded to the top high school graduates
from Baden-Württemberg with physics/technology and mathematics as main
subjects. 244 young people received the awards in March 2007. Further six
scholarships for a four-week placement at an international Porsche subsidiary
were also awarded during the prize-giving ceremony, which was held at the
Weissach Research and Development Center.
Communication
Communication promotes Porsche’s good reputation.
The success of communication activities is illustrated,
for example, by the findings of surveys conducted
among university students to assess the attractiveness
of companies: for many respondents Porsche is the
dream employer.