This is the time of year when companies of all sorts, American-owned or otherwise, like to drape themselves in the red, white and blue. How many times leading up to the Fourth of July will American consumers hear or see that shopping at some store or car dealership will liberate them from the tyranny of high prices? With that as a backdrop, Brand Keys, the branding research firm, has released its list of the 25 most "patriotic" brands.
Brand Keys surveyed 4,500 consumers for its research. A total of 197 brands were evaluated for consumer's emotional engagement to determine their patriotic value, the strength of which is indicated by the percentages.
1. Jeep (98%)
2. Hershey's (tie, 97%)
3. Coca-Cola (tie, 97%)
4. Levi Strauss (tie, 95%)
5. Walt Disney (tie, 95%)
6. Colgate (94%)
7. Zippo (93%)
8. Wrigley's (92%)
9. Ralph Lauren (91%)
10. Kodak (tie, 90%)
11. Gillette (tie, 90%)
12. New Balance (tie, 89%)
13. Harley-Davidson (tie, 89%)
14. Budweiser (tie, 88%)
15. Marlboro (88%)
16. Ford (86%)
17. Louisville Slugger (tie, 85%)
18. Smith & Wesson (tie, 85%)
19. General Electric (84%)
20. John Deere (tie, 82%)
21. L.L. Bean (tie, 82%)
22. Walmart (81%)
23. Craftsman Tools (tie, 80%)
24. Wilson Sporting Goods (tie, 80%)
25. Wrangler apparel (tie, 80%)
Brand Keys' founder and president Robert Passikoff wrote on The Keyhole, the company's blog, "Whether patriotism can be credibly and profitably leveraged to the brand's benefit is always more a question of whether that value is part of the brand's equity. ... Slapping an American flag on something is different and the consumer knows it. More importantly, they act upon that knowledge."