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Big Tech Companies Dominate 2021 Brand Pressure Index: Racial Equality #1, Climate Change #2 Among Corporate Reputation Issues.

NEW YORK, N.Y., January 27, 2021 -- For the first time, all five of the top companies on the third annual Brand Pressure Index released today by strategic consulting firm High Lantern Group are tech brands.

The HLG Brand Pressure Index constitutes a comprehensive measure of social issues at the forefront of public discourse with the greatest impact on corporate brands, as weighted by a universe of 3,500 leading activists, influencers, and political figures. The analysis factored in 6 million tweets in 2020 as related to 350 top social issues and their intersection with 1,000 corporate brands.

Key insights include:

• Big Tech is the #1 industry facing pressure on social issues. Exposure continues to rise year over year, with tech brands targeted on a host of issues, including antitrust, disinformation, consumer privacy and racial equality.
• Racial equality is the #1 issue impacting corporate reputation, with a 175% increase in corporate mentions by leading public actors in 2020 over 2019. Climate change dropped from the #1 issue to the #2 issue.
• COVID drives surge in labor issues. Workplace safety jumped 134% in 2020. Labor issues account for 8 of the top 15 issues associated with the pandemic.
• Brand pressure continues to rise. Overall issue-related brand exposure against businesses increased 4% in 2019 and 3% again in 2020, cementing public expectations for corporations to lead on social – and increasingly, political – issues in 2021

"2021 will be Big Tech's high-water mark in terms of the industry's exposure to society's priorities," said Rob Gluck, Managing Partner of High Lantern Group. "Our research shows how brand strength correlates directly to higher societal expectations. The best companies use this relevance to deepen their engagement, establish leadership and build competitive advantage."

High Lantern Group's complete analysis can be read here.