Brand Keys Report: 20 Years Surveying the Most Patriotic Brands in America

Brand Keys 20th annual survey of American brands has identified the top 50 brands consumers feel best embody the value of “patriotism” in 2022. Jeep ranked #1 for the 20th straight year with Walmart, Disney, Ford, Amazon, and Coca-Cola continuing to lead the year’s patriotism parade.

The Challenge of Brand Patriotism

“Since 9/11, and in the aftermath of grassroots movements like Black Lives Matter, the COVID pandemic, the January 6th Capital attacks, and increasing levels of gun violence, there’s no shortage of challenges facing brands,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, the New York-based brand loyalty consultancy (www.brandkeys.com). “Brands now battle in a marketplace impeded by the pandemic, political tribalism, and intensified social activism, all of which coalesced to change lives and notions of patriotism.”

2022 Versus 2002

“Since the Brand Keys study was first conducted 20 years ago, changes in technology and the timbre of the times have resulted in shifts for 60% of the top 10 brands that consumers view as most patriotic. Some brands have vanished and new brands have emerged. But some endured. True to what consumers expect when it comes to the value patriotism.”

 

2022                2002

1. Jeep            1. Jeep

2. Disney         2. Hershey’s

3. Amazon       3. Coca-Cola

4. Walmart       4. Kodak

5. Coca-Cola    5. Levi Strauss

6. American Express 6. Colgate

7. Ford              7. Zippo

8. Apple            8. Marlboro

9. Coors            9. Walmart

10. Levi Strauss 10. Gillette

 

The 2022 50 Most Patriotic Brands

To determine the 2022 rankings Brand Keys had 5,804 consumers, 16 to 65 years of age, balanced for gender and political affiliation, assess 1,172 brands in 131 B2C and B2B categories, using Brand Keys emotional engagement measures. The assessments evaluate brand resonance for the single value, “patriotism,” with the following brands identified as best meeting today’s patriotism challenges. Numbers in parentheses indicate brand status Y-O-Y.

 

1. Jeep (–)

2. Disney (+1)

3. Amazon, Walmart (+1, -1)

4. Coca-Cola (+5)

5. American Express, Ford (+1, -1)

6. Apple, Coors (+6, +1)

7. Levi Strauss (–)

8. Hershey’s (-1)

9. Pfizer (new)

10. Domino’s, Netflix, (+1, +2)

11. The New York Times (-5)

12. Ralph Lauren (+1)

13. Jack Daniels (–)

14. Pepsi (+4)

15. Dunkin’ (–)

16. Colgate (+3)

17. Sam Adams, Wrangler, (-1, -1)

18. USAA (-4)

19. FOX News (-11)

20. Harley-Davidson (-6)

21. Washington Post (-11)

22. CVS, Kellogg’s (new, +1)

23. Gatorade, Home Depot (-1, -6)

24. L.L. Bean, Nike (+4, -4)

25. AT&T, MSNBC (-4, -13)

26. Dollar General, Old Navy (new, -6)

27. McDonald’s (+2)

28. Chick-fil-A (-3)

29. John Deere (-1)

30. NBA (-5)

31. MLB (-6)

32. Google (-13)

33. Costco (new)

34. Gillette (new)

35. NFL (-6)

36. KFC (-11)

37. Clorox (-22)

38. Starbucks (-10)

39. New Balance (-13)

40. Dick’s Sporting Goods (new)

 

U.S. Armed Services – Always #1

While the Brand Keys annual survey focuses on for-profit brands, assessments for the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy are included. “Consumers again rated the armed services #1, as they have since the survey was initiated in 2002,” said Passikoff. “We recognize that once again and thank them for their service.”

The Victors and the Vanquished

“One expects positional shifts up and down a list of this nature,” noted Passikoff. “But over the years consumers have been making finer distinctions with a greater dispersion in the rankings.” In 2002 the top 50 brands, according to their degree of patriotism (and accounting for ties), ended up being ranked from 1 to 23. This year’s list necessitated rankings from 1 to 40 to account for how subtly consumers now assess brands and the nuances of patriotism.

Brands making the largest movements up the 2022 rankings for patriotic attribution include: Apple (+6), Coca-Cola (+5), and L.L. Bean, Nike, and Pepsi (+4 each).

Brands dropping in rank include: Clorox (-22), Google, MSNBC, and New Balance (-13 each), Fox News, KFC, and The Washington Post (-11 each), and CNN and Starbucks (-10 each). “Increased erosion of media-patriotism is, I think, reflective of increased political divisiveness – on both the left and the right of the political spectrum,” reflected Passikoff.

Brands that fell out this year’s top 50 included Campbell’s, Purell, Tesla, Twitter, and Zoom.

“Brands new to the 2022 list are there due to the emotional engagement they’ve been able to create when it comes to specific issues like the pandemic (Pfizer and CVS), the economy (Dollar General and Costco) and the impact of gun violence and gun control advocacy (Dick’s Sporting Goods),” noted Passikoff.

Consumers Know Real Patriotism When They See It

“Independence Day provides marketers an opportunity to champion brand and patriotic values,” said Passikoff. “But what used to be forthright patriotic marketing has mutated to camouflaged promotional ploys. Unfortunately, red, white, and blue bunting can’t cover up the faults in that strategy. When it comes to engaging consumers, waving an American flag, and having an authentic and believable foundation for being able to wave that flag, are entirely different things. Consumers know it. More importantly, they act on it!”

Patriotism Pays Six Times More

Brands that engage via emotional values, especially one as strong as ‘patriotism’ always see increased consumer engagement, which always results in better behavior toward the brand and better behavior,  yields better profits,” said Passikoff. “In most cases six times better.”

“The brandscape gets more complicated by the day, particularly when viewed through the lens of patriotism.” noted Passikoff. “Brands that can make meaningful, emotional connections always have a strategic advantage and always win consumers’ hearts, minds, and loyalty.”

“When you can do that,” observed Passikoff, “Consumers don’t only stand up and salute, they stand up and buy!”

For more information regarding where other brands ranked when it comes to “patriotism” – or other values that guarantee consumer engagement, loyalty, and increased profitability – contact Leigh Benatar at [email protected]

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