OpenAI and Smith & Wesson join ‘most patriotic brands’ list from Brand Keys

Ongoing political polarization across the U.S. continues to give rise to intense culture wars, including the recent surge in hostility toward members of the LGBTQ+ community. This stark ideological split has bled into the marketing landscape, too—and this trend is evident in this year’s edition of Brand Keys’ annual Most Patriotic Brands in America survey. Jeep held onto the top spot on the list, maintaining the position it has held for the entirety of the 22 years Brand Keys has conducted the survey—in spite of the fact that Jeep is not American owned; its parent company is Amsterdam-based Stellantis. Disney and Coca-Cola, too, retained their rankings from the previous year, sitting at second and fourth place, respectively. The remainder of the brand loyalty and engagement research firm’s findings were far more turbulent than in years past. Ten new companies, including some from “startlingly different brand categories,” per the report, joined the ranks of the most patriotic brands, while others moved considerably higher or lower on the list. Cannes Lions coverage Follow our live blog here Sign up here for email updates See all of the Grand Prix winners here Two notable additions this year are OpenAI—the research company behind ChatGPT and DALL-E—and firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, which both stand out among the automakers, news organizations and food and beverage brands that have traditionally dominated the list. Out of the 1,260 brands that a group of 6,150 U.S. adults assessed in a survey, OpenAI joined the “most patriotic” list in 10th place, while Smith & Wesson ranked 26th. Smith & Wesson’s inclusion on the list highlights the bitter gun control debate wracking U.S. politics in response to numerous mass shootings across the country. According to the report, a key factor behind this “amplified U.S. political partisanship” demonstrated by Smith & Wesson’s high ranking on the list is former president Donald Trump’s recent indictment on federal charges for mishandling classified documents. Brand Keys conducted this year’s Most Patriotic Brands survey on the heels of Trump’s indictment, said Robert Passikoff, the firm’s president, in the report. “The public now view[s] everything through hyper-political lenses,” he said. “The brandscape is now more challenging and partisan. Viewing brands through the lens of patriotism has gotten more complicated and more exacting. Today it takes a lot more than just wrapping yourself in the flag.” Another example of the current political climate’s influence on which brands consumers view as “patriotic” is the fact that Fox News and MSNBC tied in 18th place, despite representing opposite ends of the political spectrum. Additionally, less overtly-partisan news organizations, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, didn’t make the cut on the 2023 rankings despite being on the list several times in the past. Other first-time entries on the Brand Keys list include Detroit-based lifestyle and accessory brand Shinola and grill manufacturer Weber Inc., while past entrants such as Pfizer, Netflix, Home Depot, Chick-fil-A and Google were left out. Additionally, the U.S. Armed Forces once again technically ranked in first place as the most patriotic “brand,” but was not included on the list of for-profit companies. Despite the polarizing views shaping this year’s most patriotic brand rankings, nine out of 10 consumers agreed that patriotism among brands is at least “somewhat” important, with 36% stating it is “extremely” important for brands to embrace patriotism while another 35% reported it is “very” important. According to data from Brand Keys, “there are tangible economic advantages to being patriotic,” with brands that “engage [consumers] via emotional values” such as patriotism seeing up to six times higher consumer engagement. “As a brand value, ‘patriotism’ is more far-reaching than any single political outcome or event,” Passikoff said. “Despite increases in political tribalism, patriotism is bigger than any leader, and outlives any leader—as do most great brands.” Brands on the rise A look at up-and-coming brands disrupting their categories Read more here

OpenAI and Smith & Wesson join ‘most patriotic brands’ list from Brand Keys

Featured Stories