Disney, Ralph Lauren among most 'patriotic' brands

Disney and Ralph Lauren are among the iconic American brands consumers consider the most "patriotic," according to a new survey.

A new Brand Keys survey of U.S. brands reveals that themore engaged a consumer is with a particular emotional value and the associated brand, the more likely they’ll trust that emotion and act positively on that belief.To determine which brands will lead the parade when it came to patriotism, Brand Keys did a statistical "drill-down" to identify which of 230 brands are more associated with the value of "patriotism."

“We know that effectual brand engagement is more emotional than rational,” said Passikoff. “And while many emotional and category-specific values drive brand engagement, we had 5,427 consumers ages 16 to 65, drawn from the nine U.S. Census Regions, evaluate a collection of 35 cross-category values, including ‘patriotism.’”

The following are the Brand Keys 2015 top 50 most patriotic brands. Percentages indicate emotional engagement strength for the individual value – "patriotism."



1 Jeep (98%)

2 Coca-Cola (97%)

3 Disney (96%)

4 Ralph Lauren (95%)

5 Levi Strauss (94%)

6 Ford/Jack Daniels (93%)

7 Harley Davidson/Gillette (92%)

8 Apple/Coors (91%)

9 American Express/Wrigley’s (90%)

10 Gatorade/Zippo (89%)

11 Amazon (88%)

12 Hershey’s/Walmart (87%)

13 Colgate (86%)

14 Coach/New Balance (85%)

15 AT&T/Google (84%)

16 Marlboro/Sam Adams (83%)

17 John Deere/Louisville Slugger/Smith & Wesson (82%)

18 L.L. Bean/Facebook (81%)

19 Craftsman Tools/GE/Wells Fargo (80%)

20 49ers/Cowboys/NFL/Patriots/ (79%)

21 MLB/NY Yankees/Wrangler (78%)

22 Campbell’s/Gibson/KFC (77%)

23 Goodyear/Wilson Sporting Goods (76%)

24 J&J/Kellogg’s/Tide (75%)

25 Converse/Heinz (74%)

26 McDonald’s (72%)

“It is important to note that the assessments in this survey do not mean that other brands are not patriotic, or that they don’t possess patriotic resonance. Rational aspects, like being an American company, or being ‘Made in the USA,’ or having nationally directed CSR activities and sponsorships, all play a part in the make-up of any brand. But if you want to differentiate via brand values, especially one this emotional, if there is believability, good marketing just gets better,” said Passikoff. “In some cases six times better.”

“Last year we received comments about how some of the top 50 most patriotic brands didn’t belong because their products aren’t actually manufactured in the United States,” said Passikoff. “That reflects a reality of the global economy and only the rational side of the decision-making process. One thing marketers should have learned about 21st century brands is those that make an emotional connection with the consumer always have a strategic advantage over competitors when it come to the marketplace battle for the hearts, minds, and loyalty of consumers. Make that connection and consumers will not only stand up and salute, but more importantly they’ll buy,” observed Passikoff.