Tech survey blames CEOs for hurting brands

SAN FRANCISCO: Marketers blame Hewlett-Packard Co chief executive Carly Fiorina and other technology leaders known for controversy for bruising the brand value of the companies they lead, a survey published on Monday showed.

The poll of about 800 marketing professionals, chiefly at small and mid-sized technology companies, showed falling respect for chief executives and their brands most closely followed drooping financial performance and stock price, the survey by marketers Liquid Agency, The Sausalito Group and Neale-May & Partners concluded.

"Perhaps had the industry done more to temper the rampant, often unrealistic, enthusiasm of a bull market, the current downturn in brand confidence and value would have been less severe," the survey report said.

It also said high-technology chief executives were closely identified with their products, often for the worse.

Microsoft's Bill Gates and Oracle Corp. chief Larry Ellison, two outspoken technology leaders, were first and second among those seen personally representing their brands and they followed HP's Fiorina as No. 3 and No. 2, respectively, among CEOs who most had damaged their brands, according to the survey.

Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer Corp., which are planning a much-criticized merger pushed by Fiorina, and former stock market titan Cisco Systems Inc., were seen worst at maintaining brand value in 2001, the survey said.

Microsoft Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Dell Computer Corp. were the best technology firms at maintaining brand value, the survey said.

(C) Reuters Limited.