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Htfan

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Source: https://www.brandersmagazine.com/post/2021-s-most-patriotic-brands-in-america

2021’s Most Patriotic Brands in America

Political Polarization and Pandemic Modifies View of Patriotism and Brands

Brand Keys annual survey of iconic American brands has identified those brands that 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.

CNN made its debut among the top-50 patriotic brands, and were re-joined by Harley Davidson, John Deere, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, National Football League and Tesla, which was cited in previous years did not appear in 2020.

The Challenge of Brand Patriotism
“Between the pandemic and politics, there’s no shortage of challenges facing brands,” said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, the New York-based brand engagement and customer loyalty research consultancy (www.brandkeys.com). “Brands always have to compete in their categories but now they must battle in a pandemically limited marketplace and within shifting socio-political contexts, factors that have changed consumers’ lives dramatically along with their definitions ‘patriotism’ as it relates to brands.”

The 50 Most Patriotic Brands
A national sample of 5,804 consumers, 16 to 65 years of age, balanced for gender and political affiliation, were drawn from the nine U.S. Census Regions. Consumers assessed 1,172 brands in 131 B2C and B2B categories as to their resonance for the single value – “patriotism.”

The following brands were identified as best meeting the challenge that patriotism plays in today’s marketplace. Numbers in parentheses indicate brand status YOY.

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

Modest Changes to Patriotic Perceptions
“The state of the world and the marketplace have changed basic tenets of consumer loyalty and perceptions of patriotism, generally and within the context of brands,” noted Passikoff. “Movement of brands up and down the annual list have been comparatively modest.” The 2021 list is most noticeable for those brands that did not re-appear from 2020.

The Absence Of Pandemic “Pop”
“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.” Insurance, disinfectants, telecom, and social networking brands, however, did not get the same lift they received last year. Clorox and Purell appeared, but ranked -10 and -8 places, respectively. Twitter was +3, but AT&T was -8. Zoom was -17. No other telecom brands appeared this year. Only USAA, a patriotic perennial, represented the insurance sector, down 3 ranks.

New and Returning Patriotic Prizewinners
Only one new brand appears on the 2021 list, CNN (#24). Six brands returned from brief hiatuses: Harley Davidson (#14), John Deere (#28), Major League Baseball (#27), the National Basketball Association (#27), the National Football League (#29), and Tesla (#30).

U.S. Armed Services – Always #1
The Brand Keys annual survey focuses on for-profit brands, but assessments for the armed services – Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy – are included. “This year consumers rated the armed services #1, as they have since the survey was initiated in 2003,” said Passikoff. “We recognize that again this year and thank them for their service.”

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 than. With Independence Day coming up,” noted Passikoff, “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!”

Patriotism Pays – Six Times More
Where a brand can establish a lasting emotional connection, consumers behave more positively. Brand that differentiate and engage via an emotional value as strong as patriotism find increased engagement results in better consumer behavior toward that brand, which results in greater profits,” said Passikoff. “In most cases six times better.”

“These brand rankings do not mean to suggest other brands are not patriotic or don’t possess patriotic resonance or intent. Rational values, like being an American company and ‘Made in the USA,’ play a part in the perception of any brand,” said Passikoff. “But the brandscape gets more complicated and partisan every day. Particularly when it comes to viewing brands through the lens of patriotism.”

Brands that make meaningful emotional connections always have a strategic advantage. Those brands win hearts, minds, and loyalty. “If you can do that,” observed Passikoff, “Consumers will not only stand up and salute, they stand up and buy!”
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Htfan

Htfan

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Yeah, well.

We already knew that. ;)
You're right - We definitely know that! Also the point of the article is that other people in the general population (non-Jeep owners) also believe its true.
 

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Amen. Amen.

Amazon? Really what has he done for America? He’s too busy with his billionaire space race? He was one of the last companies to provide assistance during the pandemic too I think my father was telling me.
 

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Amazon? Really what has he done for America?
Amazon employs 1,300,000 people, most of whom are American. They hired 475,000 of them during a pandemic, when other companies were pursuing layoffs and taking stimulus loans for management bonuses. They delivered food and household staples to millions of Americans stuck at home during a pandemic, and spent billions per quarter on protecting employees and distribution chains from COVID. And they reached $2 trillion in market cap, with the bulk of that wealth benefitting individual investors. For his next act, Bezos may save NASA and the Pentagon a few hundred billion. I'd say Amazon and Bezos did their part.

EDIT: I forgot to mention Bezos did all this without taking a salary or bonus from the company. His only corporate compensation is a personal security detail.
 
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Gladius Nova

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Amen. Amen.

Amazon? Really what has he done for America? He’s too busy with his billionaire space race? He was one of the last companies to provide assistance during the pandemic too I think my father was telling me.
Does it really matter who was last or first? Just like the poster above, Amazon has done their part and then some. BTW, good job Jeep!
 

aldo98229

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Not sure being “patriotic” has any marketing value. It is like giving out an award to the most “religious” company. It resonates with those already sold on the brand, but we won’t see Toyota or Ford owners ditch their vehicles to buy a Jeep because of this.

A key flaw in this criteria is that Amazon is a company, Jeep is a brand. FCA is the company. Is FCA a “patriotic” company? Perhaps. But patriotic to whom? To Wall Street? To Italy? To the Agnelli heirs?

It would be more appropriate to simply say Jeep is the most distinctively American brand, just like Fiat is distinctively Italian, and Citroen distinctively French.

National identity can be used as brand differentiation with consumers who like to buy products of certain origin. German auto companies have used this very successfully. But nationality can be a double edge sword: it will get you differentiation, but it will also put you into a corner. It is for this reason that global brands normally prefer to be seen as borderless.

I believe that Jeep’s strongest asset is its brand heritage: a combination of ruggedness, fun, freedom and adventure, with a military past that helped to win a war. This association with open spaces, ruggedness and a military past, is what define Jeep as American.
 
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Kyle

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This is fun to see but I honestly don't understand how some of these brands are on this list. Some of them seem quintessentially American because of their heritage (Jeep, Coors, Harley, Coke) but some them seem...odd (the news orgs, Netflix, zoom). Either way, fun to see, especially with Jeep on top of the list.
 
 



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