Influx

US consumers don’t appear to hold positive views of many industries, according to the findings from a Harris Poll conducted in July 2007.

Looking at the period 1997-2007 the only categories to show positive growth were- hospitals, banks and car manufacturers. Those with some work to do on their image included the obvious candidates; health insurers, and tobacco companies.

Oil companies, always the category the public loves to hate, are still hurting despite the efforts of PR and advertising to turn things around.

Most surprising was the performance of airlines, who’ve experienced a 40 point decline since 1997.

The category was the subject of last week’s Business Week cover story that suggested things are unlikely to get better anytime soon.

And if you think the Summer from Hell is over, fasten your seat belt. The FAA predicts 1 billion passengers a year will take to the skies by 2015, a 36% increase from the current level. FAA officials say this year’s Labor Day crunch could become an everyday flying fiasco within eight years, costing America’s economy $22 billion annually.
 

Posted by Ed Cotton