Jeep Leads the Patriotic Brand Parade Yet Again

Brand Keys' annual survey of iconic American brands has identified the companiest consumers believe best embody the value of patriotism. Jeep ranked #1 for the 19th straight year! Walmart, Disney, Ford, and Amazon also led the 19th annual 2021 list.

"Between the pandemic and politics, there's no shortage of challenges facing brands," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys. "Brands always have to compete in their categories, but now they must battle in a pandemically limited marketplace and within shifting sociopolitical contexts, factors that have changed consumers' lives dramatically along with their definitions of patriotism as it relates to brands."

Brand Keys drew from a national sample of 5,804 consumers, who rated 1,172 brands in 131 B2C and B2B categories for the single value of patriotism.

The following brands were identified as best meeting the challenge that patriotism plays in today's marketplace.

1. Jeep
2. Walmart
3. Disney
4. Amazon, Ford>
5. The New York Times
6. American Express, Netflix
7. Coors, Levi Strauss
8. FOX News
9. Coca-Cola, Hershey's, MSNBC
10. The Washington Post
11. Domino's
12. Apple, Twitter
13. Jack Daniels, Ralph Lauren
14. Harley Davidson, USAA
15. Dunkin', Clorox
16. Sam Adams, Wrangler
17. Home Depot, Purell
18. Pepsi
19. Colgate, Google
20. Nike, Old Navy
21. AT&T
22. Gatorade
23. Kellogg's
24. CNN
25. Chick-fil-A, KFC, McDonald's
26. New Balance, Starbucks
27. MLB, NBA
28. L.L. Bean, John Deere
29. Campbell's, NFL
30. Tesla, Zoom

"Last year the pandemic affected how consumers viewed patriotism and brands," said Passikoff. "Some sectors got a pandemic pop because they were there when consumers needed them most."

Some Patriotic Advice

"Independence Day traditionally gives marketers an opportunity to champion values," said Passikoff. But a good deal of what used to be forthright marketing has become politicized. "Some brands wrap themselves more-tightly in the flag then. With Independence Day coming up, here's a little brand advice: When it comes to engaging consumers, waving the American flag and having an authentic and believable foundation for being able to wave the flag are honestly entirely different things. Consumers know the difference!"

"Where companies can establish a lasting emotional connection, consumers behave more positively. Companies that differentiate and engage via an emotional value as strong as patriotism find increased engagement results in better consumer behavior toward their brands, which results in greater profits," said Passikoff. "In most cases, six times better."