Meaning & use
company image
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
The general impression that the public has of a company and its products or behavior.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or 'the' when referring to a particular impression, or without an article when talking about the concept in general.
Patterns
- a positive/negative company image
- improve/protect the company image
- the company image of something
The scandal badly damaged the company's image.
They spend millions on advertising to maintain a positive company image.
A strong company image helps attract both customers and employees.
Word forms
| plural | company images |
|---|
Common combinations
- positive company image
- A positive company image can lead to more sales.
- damage the company image
- Poor customer service can damage the company image.
- improve the company image
- They hired a PR firm to improve the company image.
- tarnish the company image
- The CEO's remarks tarnished the company image.
Synonyms and how they differ
- corporate image
- Often used interchangeably, but 'corporate image' can refer to the image of a large corporation or the business world generally, while 'company image' is more neutral and common for any business.
- public image
- Broader; it can refer to the impression of a person, organization, or product, not just a company.
- reputation
- Focuses more on what people believe about a company's character or quality based on past actions, while 'company image' is about the overall impression, which can be shaped by marketing.
Word family
Commonly confused: company image or brand image?
company image vs brand image
Similar but refers specifically to the impression of a particular brand or product line, not the whole company.
Practice
The company spent a lot of money to improve its ______ after the product recall.
Choose one answer.
'Company image' is the general impression the public has of a company, which can be improved after bad news. The other options are unrelated: 'company intranet' is an internal computer network, 'company stationery' refers to office supplies, and 'comparative of good' is a grammar term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “company image”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.