Companies adopt different brand images to market their products to consumers. Some adopt the health-conscious idea; some label themselves as wholesome, family-oriented; while others take the cool and hip approach. As Independence Day nears, we are reminded of another strategy — a brand’s connection with America.
Brands try to do this by demonstrating how long the product has been in existence as well as where it is made in America. Many of these brands use imagery that resonates with national pride.
Brand consultant Brand Keys recently published its 16th annual 50 Most Patriotic Brands in America based on a survey of more than 5,000 consumers. Iconic brands such as Jeep, Disney, and Coca-Cola top the list..
Some of the brands considered to be among the most patriotic are of products most closely associated with America — cars, soft drinks, fast-food restaurants, and beer. All of these brands are among the biggest advertisers at that most American of events, the Super Bowl.
Many brands embrace a connection with the United States, whether it’s the freedom to travel the nation’s highways on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, or imbibe a Sam Adams Summer Ale (named after the rabble rouser from the American Revolution).
Click here to see the most patriotic brands.
Click here to read our detailed findings and methodology.
Source: DMP1 / iStock
50. Wilson Sporting Goods
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Wilson Sporting Goods
> Company headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
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Source: Katy Winn / Getty Images for Distinctive Assets
49. Wrangler
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: VF Corporation
> Company headquarters: Greensboro, North Carolina
Source: DhscommtechTyler Dziarmaga / Wikimedia Commons
48. Under Armour
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: Under Armour, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland
Source: Affiliate / Wikimedia Commons
47. NY Yankees
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Yankee Global Enterprises
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: Amin Eshaiker / Wikimedia Commons
46. MLB
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Major League Baseball
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
Source: Paul Keleher / Wikimedia Commons
45. Patriots
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: The Kraft Group
> Company headquarters: Foxborough, Massachusetts
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Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vernieman/
44. Nike
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Nike Inc.
> Company headquarters: Beaverton, Oregon
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Source: LeventKonuk / iStock
43. New Balance
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: New Balance Inc.
> Company headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Source: Andy Lyons / Getty Images
42. Louisville Slugger
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Wilson Sporting Goods
> Company headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
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Source: Astros / Flickr
41. Cowboys
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: The Dallas Cowboys
> Company headquarters: Frisco, Texas
Source: Brooke Fishwick / Wikimedia Commons
40. Converse
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: Nike Inc.
> Company headquarters: Beaverton, Oregon
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Source: keithallison / Flickr
39. 49ers
> 2018 Rank: tied — 39th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 33rd
> Parent company: San Francisco Forty Niners
> Company headquarters: Santa Clara, California
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Source: Autodesigner / Wikimedia Commons
38. Marlboro
> 2018 Rank: 38th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 27th
> Parent company: Philip Morris International Inc.
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
Source: Nitot / Wikimedia Commons
37. Harley-Davidson
> 2018 Rank: 37th
> 2017 Rank: 13th
> Parent company: Harley-Davidson, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
36. Gatorade
> 2018 Rank: 36th
> 2017 Rank: 23rd
> Parent company: Pepsico, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Purchase, New York
Source: mjtmail / Flickr
35. Colgate
> 2018 Rank: 35th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 18th
> Parent company: Colgate-Palmolive Company
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: John Anderson / Wikimedia Commons
34. Starbucks
> 2018 Rank: 34th
> 2017 Rank: 12th
> Parent company: Starbucks Corporation
> Company headquarters: Seattle, Washington
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Source: achinthamb / Shutterstock.com
33. Google
> 2018 Rank: tied — 32nd
> 2017 Rank: tied — 45th
> Parent company: Alphabet Inc.
> Company headquarters: Mountain View, California
Source: tesla.com
32. Tesla
> 2018 Rank: tied — 32nd
> 2017 Rank: 26th
> Parent company: Tesla, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Palo Alto, California
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Source: Navot Miller / Wikimedia Commons
31. GAP
> 2018 Rank: tied — 29th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: The Gap Inc.
> Company headquarters: San Francisco, California
Source: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine / Wikimedia Commons
30. J.Crew
> 2018 Rank: tied — 29th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: J.Crew Group, Inc.
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: Anthony22 / Wikimedia Commons
29. L.L. Bean
> 2018 Rank: tied — 29th
> 2017 Rank: 29th
> Parent company: L.L. Bean
> Company headquarters: Freeport, Maine
Source: J.C. Fields (Talk) (Uploads) / Wikimedia Commons
28. Craftsman Tools
> 2018 Rank: tied — 27th
> 2017 Rank: 20th
> Parent company: Stanley Black & Decker
> Company headquarters: New Britain, Connecticut
Source: Ildar Sagdejev (Specious) / Wikimedia Commons
27. John Deere
> 2018 Rank: tied — 27th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 18th
> Parent company: Deere & Company
> Company headquarters: Moline, Illinois
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Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
26. Old Navy
> 2018 Rank: 26th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: The Gap Inc.
> Company headquarters: San Francisco, California
Source: larry-ziffle / Flickr
25. Gibson
> 2018 Rank: tied — 24th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: Gibson Brands Inc.
> Company headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee
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Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
24. Kellogg’s
> 2018 Rank: tied — 24th
> 2017 Rank: 31st
> Parent company: Kellogg Company
> Company headquarters: Battle Creek, Michigan
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Source: bigtunaonline / iStock
23. Instagram
> 2018 Rank: 23rd
> 2017 Rank: 32nd
> Parent company: Facebook, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Menlo Park, California
Source: daquellamanera / Flickr
22. Sam Adams
> 2018 Rank: 22nd
> 2017 Rank: 10th
> Parent company: Boston Beer Company, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
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Source: MobiusDaXter / Wikimedia Commons
21. Coors
> 2018 Rank: 21st
> 2017 Rank: 30th
> Parent company: Molson Coors Brewing Co.
> Company headquarters: Denver, Colorado
Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
20. Pepsi
> 2018 Rank: tied — 19th
> 2017 Rank:
> Parent company: Pepsico, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Purchase, New York
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Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
19. KFC
> 2018 Rank: tied — 19th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 27th
> Parent company: Yum Brands Inc.
> Company headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
18. McDonald’s
> 2018 Rank: 18th
> 2017 Rank: 17th
> Parent company: McDonald’s Corporation
> Company headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Source: Steve Bott from Los Angeles, USA / Wikimedia Commons
17. Fox News
> 2018 Rank: tied — 16th
> 2017 Rank: 16th
> Parent company: News Corporation
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: Mikeblog / Wikimedia Commons
16. MSNBC
> 2018 Rank: tied — 16th
> 2017 Rank: 11th
> Parent company: Comcast Corporation
> Company headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source: ymgerman / Shutterstock.com
15. Apple
> 2018 Rank: 15th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 45th
> Parent company: Apple Inc.
> Company headquarters: Cupertino, California
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Source: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com
14. Amazon
> 2018 Rank: 14th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 45th
> Parent company: Amazon.com, Inc.
> Company headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Source: WestportWiki / Wikimedia Commons
13. Coach
> 2018 Rank: tied — 12th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 21st
> Parent company: Coach Inc.
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
Source: User:TonyTheTiger / Wikimedia Commons
12. Ralph Lauren
> 2018 Rank: tied — 12th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 7th
> Parent company: Ralph Lauren Corporation
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: maxxp / Flickr
11. Levi Strauss
> 2018 Rank: 11th
> 2017 Rank: 2nd
> Parent company: Levi Strauss & Co.
> Company headquarters: San Francisco, California
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/walmartcorporate/
10. Walmart
> 2018 Rank: 10th
> 2017 Rank: 24th
> Parent company: Walmart Inc.
> Company headquarters: Bentonville, Arkansas
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Source: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com
9. AT&T
> 2018 Rank: 9th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 21st
> Parent company: AT&T Corporation
> Company headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Source: thadz / Flickr
8. Jack Daniels
> 2018 Rank: 8th
> 2017 Rank: 9th
> Parent company: Brown-Forman Corporation
> Company headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Source: Thinkstock
7. Twitter
> 2018 Rank: tied — 6th
> 2017 Rank: tied — 7th
> Parent company: Twitter Inc.
> Company headquarters: San Francisco, California
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Source: mrkathika / Flickr
6. Hershey’s
> 2018 Rank: tied — 6th
> 2017 Rank: 6th
> Parent company: The Hershey Company
> Company headquarters: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Source: Thinkstock
5. American Express
> 2018 Rank: 5th
> 2017 Rank: 25th
> Parent company: American Express Company
> Company headquarters: New York City, New York
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Source: Courtesy of Ford
4. Ford
> 2018 Rank: 4th
> 2017 Rank: 5th
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
> Company headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan
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Source: 8363028@N08 / Flickr
3. Coca-Cola
> 2018 Rank: 3rd
> 2017 Rank: 4th
> Parent company: Coca-Cola Company
> Company headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Source: YouTube
2. Disney
> 2018 Rank: 2nd
> 2017 Rank: 3rd
> Parent company: The Walt Disney Company
> Company headquarters: Burbank, California
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Source: Courtesy of Jeep
1. Jeep
> 2018 Rank: 1st
> 2017 Rank: 1st
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
> Company headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Detailed Findings & Methodology
Even so, companies still have to walk a fine line between respectful association with America and shameless patriotic boosterism. Budweiser, the quintessential American beer, generally received kudos for its commercial showing its iconic Clydesdale horses paying tribute to the fallen of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The ad aired only once during the Super Bowl in 2002. On the other hand, the company’s decision to rebrand itself “America” two summers ago was met with scorn, especially since Bud’s parent, Anheuser-Busch InBev is headquartered in Belgium.
Many of the brands on this list are among the most venerable in American business, including Disney, Hershey’s, and Kellogg’s. Among the more recent brands landing on the list are Amazon, Apple, and Twitter. The latter brand gets a daily boost from the tweeter-in-chief, President Donald Trump.
The nation’s hyper-partisan mood was reflected in the survey as both right-leaning Fox News, and progressive-tilting MSNBC made the survey.
Facebook and the National Football League both appeared in last year’s survey of the most patriotic brand list. Both, however, failed to make the cut this year. Facebook fell off likely because of data-sharing and privacy concerns. The NFL tumbled out of favor over the lingering controversy tied to players protesting racial inequality during the playing of the national anthem before games.
Speaking of the NFL, three of its teams made the patriotic brand list: the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New England Patriots. The New York Yankees were the only other sports team to earn a spot on the most patriotic brand list.
Fashion labels are well represented on the Brand Keys survey as Americans made a patriotic connection with brands such as Levi Strauss, Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Old Navy.
Brand Keys sampled opinions from 5,001 consumers from nine U.S. regions. Those surveyed were asked to rate their patriotism on a 1-to-5 scale. One meant “not at all patriotic,” and five “extremely patriotic.” They were also asked to evaluate 297 brands and determine which ones resonated the most when it came to patriotism.
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