Brand Keys: Jeep Once Again Number One Most Patriotic Brand

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Already an award winner this week for ‘Most American-made vehicle’, the Jeep brand scored yet another accolade just in time for Fourth of July Weekend – this one from New York-based research firm Brand Keys as the ‘Most Patriotic Brand’ in America.

While certainly nice, the annual award wasn’t entirely unexpected as Jeep has dominated the top slot throughout the ranking’s 15-year history.

"[Brands like Jeep] that make an emotional connection with the consumer always have a strategic advantage over competitors when it comes to the marketplace battle for the hearts, minds and loyalty of consumers," said Brand Keys founder Robert Passikoff.

Brand Keys surveyed almost 5,000 consumers across the country, balanced for political party affiliation, and asked them to evaluate 280 ‘for profit’ brands and rank them in 100 categories as to patriotism.

What they found this year, unlike previous years Passikoff noted, was Jeep and a few other bellwethers remained at the top of the list, while several new names – like Fox News, Tesla, MSNBC, and Twitter all made their way into the lineup.

“Holidays like Independence Day give marketers an opportunity to champion emotional values, some political, but until now, mostly category-based. Typically 4th of July brand advertising and social outreach would feature patriotic flag-waving and red-white-and-blue motifs,” said Passikoff. “But a good deal of what used to be forthright marketing has become politicized, with some brands wrapping themselves more tightly in the flag.”

Levi Strauss, Disney, Coca-Cola, and Ford rounded out the survey’s top-5 spots.

For Jeep, its continued appearance on the top of this survey is a direct result of the brand’s history becoming seriously intertwined with American history. The earliest Jeep models were born as a direct result of a severe need during World War II, and many soldiers fell in love with the highly capable vehicle, passing along this love to others as Jeep ventured, more and more, into the civilian market over the years.

Although Jeep is no longer a standard issue military vehicle, its vast penetration into the civilian market has also led to nearly everyone equating the brand’s rugged four-wheel drive capability, and open air cabin availability, with pure freedom and patriotism.

“There have been shifts in 60 percent of the top 10 brands that consumers view as most patriotic since Brand Keys first conducted the study 15 years ago,” Passikoff said. “Many brands have disappeared and new brands have emerged. There have been changes in both the technology and the timbre of the times, but some brands (like Jeep) have remained true to what they are and what consumers expect them to be.”

“It is important to note that these brand rankings do not mean that other brands are not patriotic, or that they don’t possess patriotic resonance or intention,” said Passikoff. “Rational aspects, like being an American company, or ‘Made in the USA,’ ... all play a part in the personality of any brand.”

Brand Key’s Top Most Patriotic Brands