Just in time for the Fourth of July, Brand Keys, Inc. has released the results of its 20th annual survey of America’s most patriotic brands. The survey identifies the top 50 brands that consumers believe “best embody the value of ‘patriotism'” each year. This year, Brand Keys surveyed 5,804 consumers aged 16-65 who evaluated 1,172 brands. The sample of consumers was balanced for gender and political affiliation.
Brand Keys’ founder and president Robert Passikoff pointed out that consumers’ views have largely changed along with the times, saying in a press release announcing the list that “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.”
Several brands have consistently been ranked on the list since it began 20 years ago. Some brands have now lost their spot on the list altogether, while others have earned their spot on the list for the first time this year. Why is that? Let’s take a look at 2022’s most patriotic brands in America and explore what makes a brand “patriotic.”
Related: The Freedom Mindset
America’s most patriotic brands in 2022
According to Brand Keys, “The assessments evaluate brand resonance for the single value, ‘patriotism,’ with the following brands identified as best meeting today’s patriotism challenges.” The numbers in parentheses signify the brands’ position in the rankings (higher, lower or the same) compared to last year’s list. See the top 50 most patriotic brands in America for 2022 below:
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. 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)
Brand Keys emphasizes that the U.S. Armed Forces is always No. 1 on the list. The survey focuses on for-profit brands each year, but the company also includes assessments for the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy. The company reported that consumers have rated the armed services No. 1 every year since the survey began in 2002.
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Analyzing the results
This year’s survey yielded several interesting results. First, Jeep has now claimed the No. 1 spot for the 20th year in a row. Apple moved up six spots on the list, Coca-Cola moved up five spots, and L.L. Bean, Nike and Pepsi each climbed four spots up the list. Pfizer, CVS and Costco were ranked for the first time this year, but Tesla, Zoom, Twitter, Campbell’s and Purell — all of which had earned spots in the top 50 of past years’ lists — fell off entirely this year.
Passikoff explains that the brands making their debut on the list were able to do so because of the emotional engagement they established with consumers this year. For example, Pfizer and CVS made emotional connections to consumers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, while Dollar General and Costco have done the same in light of the recent economic downturn.
Furthermore, Passikoff points out that consumers can decipher what’s genuine or not when it comes to patriotism. He explained that consumers can see through marketing ploys and the commercialization of July 4th, saying “Independence Day provides marketers an opportunity to champion brand and patriotic values. But what used to be forthright patriotic marketing has mutated into 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!”
Related: 5 Ways to Get to the Heart of Emotional Marketing
So, what exactly does it mean to be a patriotic brand? Brand Keys indicates that these 50 brands were able to make meaningful and emotional connections to consumers when it comes to the value of patriotism. These are the brands that go deeper than surface-level red, white and blue marketing. People believe these brands truly care about their consumers, and as a result, their marketing efforts feel more authentic. Brands like these will likely always make the list and have loyal customers because they’re able to connect with consumers on an emotional level.
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