I’ve noticed a number of things have changed in the corporate world over the last couple of years, many of which are bound to have a lasting impact on popular culture. Of these, many will have a lasting impact on public perception as well.

For instance, Ford has suddenly taken a turn as America’s favorite car company. Toyota had a number of problems with technology issues which led to a small number of accidents, a couple fatalities, and the largest recall in the history of the automobile, Chevy entered bankruptcy and took a dive in the public opinion column on it’s way down, while Chrysler has just continued to maintain their lackluster image. Read just about any article on the web, and they will tell you the same thing, public sentiment for the Auto Industry is pretty bad. Ford, on the other hand, has become one of the recessions few bright spots: retaining an early bank loan, leveraging pre-existing technologies to improve their products, and by keeping their brand relevant and positive.

Now, at the tail end of the worst recession in history, they are beginning to look like a real deal again, a little bit immature in their pitch maybe, but the buzz is good and the company is doing well.

You look at other companies and you see the exact opposite is true.

I look at companies such as Walmart or Home Depot and wonder why no one is complaining any more. Walmart used to be known for its non-union stance and their ability to drive their competition out of business in nearly any market they entered, yet read any number of news sources these days, and you won’t see a single argument about either of one of these things. I just keep wondering, are people just not paying attention any more? Maybe the question is just irrelevant because Walmart owns everything now. Likewise, the same goes for Home Depot, which used to be known as something of a bad guy in the world of retail home improvement.

A change in our perception of these companies seems less about any amount of spin that may be occurring, but in the way these companies have integrated themselves within the community.

Other companies have capitalized as well:

Subway, for instance, with their Five Dollar Foot Long campaign allowed recession wary consumers to rest easy in the belief that they were getting a good deal for their money. The cost of a Five Dollar Foot Long is about a dollar less, on average, than Subways pre-campaign prices. Likewise, the campaign has helped Subways bottom line as well, the increase in sales potentially putting them on track to beat out McDonalds for the number one fast food chain in the United States for sure, within a few years time.

Expedia and Orbitz have both capitalized on peoples growing love affair with travel. With travel being seen by many as a reasonably inexpensive form of entertainment and a good way to let off steam in a stress filled recession. More people are traveling than ever before, but for less. The cruise industry especially has been especially popular in recent years, and travel companies have been quick to capitalize.

Google has always been one of those companies that always seemed bigger than it was. I mean it might be the number one search leader on the web and the number one company in online advertising, but what does that actually translate into in the real world. A lot of zeros, but not much tangibility. That said, in recent years they have made in-roads in this direction with the release of Android and Chrome as well as Google TV; all of which have the potential to bridge the gap between online and brick and mortar communities. That said, while they didn’t start the smart phone revolution, they certainly capitalized on it, and will most likely continue to do so.

As companies continue to find new ways to prosper and new consumer needs arise, our culture is guaranteed to change in ways that we don’t always anticipate. In the time of the Egyptians we had clay pots with images painted on them; now we have cell phones with video of Michael Jackson. It’s literally an impossible task to hold back something so fundamental to our human nature as consumerism. Just ask China.

As they say in Clue, communism is a red herring.