Brand Keys Names America's Most Patriotic Brands

Jeep again earned the top spot in Brand Keys' 24th annual Most Patriotic Brands survey, which identified the top 50 companies that consumers feel best embody the value patriotism. Ford, Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss, and Apple rounded out the top five.

"With consumers viewing everything through a political lens, the value of patriotism is more important than ever," noted Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, the New York-based brand loyalty research firm. "A brand that truly resonates the value patriotism taps into a deep well of shared identity, cultural pride, and collective values that significantly strengthen consumer loyalty and positive brand behavior."

To determine national brand rankings, a sample of 7,460 consumers, 18 to 65 years of age, balanced for gender and political affiliation, assessed 1,350 brands in 140 categories. Psychological and higher-order statistical analyses were used to isolate and quantify the single value of patriotism. These metrics that have been independently validated to correlate highly with sales and profits.

The following brands were identified by consumers as best meeting today's patriotism challenge (the numbers in parentheses represent year-over-year changes in rank):

1. Jeep (--)
2. Ford (--)
3. Coca-Cola (+1
4. Levi Strauss (-1)
5. Apple (+3)
6. Walmart (--)
7. Disney (-2)
8. Harley Davidson (-1)
9. Amazon (+1)
10. Ralph Lauren (+2)
11. Jack Daniels (-2)
12. Nike (+10)
13. Hershey's (-2)
14. Dunkin' (--)
15. McDonald's (+10)
16. Wrangler (-3)
17. American Express (-2)>
18. Colgate (-2)
19. Pepsi Cola (+3)
20. NFL (+9)
21. NBA (+9)
22. Home Depot (+27)
23. John Deere (+15)
24. Weather Tech (+2)
25. AT&T (+12)
26. FOX News (-3)
27. Kellogg's (-6)
28. Gillette (+4)
29. Wilson's Sporting Goods (+7)
30. L.L. Bean (+3)
31. MSNBC (-13)
32. Gatorade (+3)
33. Kraft Heinz (+7)
34. KFC (+5)
35. Macy's (+6)
36. USAA (+10)
37. Target (-3)
38. Jersey Mike's Subs (NEW)
39. MLB (-9)
40. New Balance (-13)
41. Ball Park Franks (Tyson, NEW)
42. Converse (+3)
43. Costco (--)
44. Trader Joe's (NEW)
45. Revlon (+4)
46. Weber Grills (+2)
47. Campbell's (NEW)
48. GM (NEW)
49. Whirlpool (NEW)
50. Dick's Sporting Goods (NEW)

This year consumers launched seven new brands into the most-patriotic top 50, including the following:

• Jersey Mike's Subs,
• Trader Joe's,
• Ball Park Franks,
• Campbell's,
• GM,
• Dick's Sporting Goods and
• Whirlpool.

The research also found that consumers care more about patriotism this year, with 85 percent (+5) rating patriotism as extremely (45 percent) or very (40 percent) important. Ten percent thought it somewhat important, and only 5 percent said it was not very/not at all important.

Consumers ranked the brands on this year's Top 50 list higher for patriotism than politicians, including the presidency, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and both political parties. The average patriotism score for the top 50 brands in this year's Most Patriotic list was 76 on a 100-point scale.

"Consumers did not rate our government as highly," Passikoff said. "Respondents rated brands as more patriotic than political entities because brands often market themselves as serving everyone, whereas Congress and political parties are today associated with division, partisanship, and gridlock, which can seem unpatriotic or self-serving."

In addition, trust levels for brands are higher than political institutions, which more and more are seen as inefficient or corrupt. Brands craft patriotic messages, like supporting veterans, funding education, or promoting "Made in the USA" that are believable, while politicians are seen as using patriotism as a partisan weapon often focusing on fear, blame, and controversy, the survey found.

"Not a good strategy if you want to be seen as truly patriotic," Passikoff said. "But brands that can authentically engage consumers via patriotism always see better behavior, better [return on marketing investment-, and better bottom lines, even in a more economically challenged and politically charged brandscape.

"These assessments do not mean to suggest other brands are not patriotic or don't possess patriotic resonance or intent," Passikoff added, noting that how brands are ultimately seen on all value by all consumers is more complicated, more exacting, and more partisan today and that takes more than fireworks, wrapping your brand in the flag, or blowout 4th of July sales to meaningfully connect brands and patriotism.

"If you do that, consumers won't just stand up and salute, they'll stand up and buy," he said.