Significant news that Microsoft has overtaken Johnson & Johnson and topped the Reputation Quotient survey. Johnson & Johnson has been at the top for seven years so it's no small feat.

Even more remarkable in light of the Vista launch being such a fizzer and getting bad reviews, like here , here and here.

Mind you, the Reputation Quotient, conducted by HarrisInteractive Inc, was compiled before the Vista launch.

And besides, it wouldn't have made any difference. The crunch factor was the work of Bill Gates in the area of philanthropy. As retired professor Enriqueta lopez Ramos told The Wall Street Journal, which we have here via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"The involvement of Bill Gates and his wife in their charitable foundation has had a definite impact on Microsoft's reputation. It's hard to separate Bill Gates's image from that of Microsoft; to me, they're one and the same."

An image that seems to go beyond the question of whether the products the company is flogging are any good. If nothing else, it's another reason why we'll see more companies crowding into the CSR space.