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Patriotism comes in many forms — even fried and freshly brewed

June 29, 2016

As we rumble up on another Independence Day, it seems many in our country associate strong patriotic sentiment with something edible or sippable. In fact, a Brand Keys survey, which polled nearly 5,000 consumers, found that Americans revered a few food service brands as among the most patriotic businesses in the nation. In fact, Starbucks, McDonald's and KFC were among the Top 50 most patriotic business names in the U.S. 

"Election years, and holidays like Independence Day, give marketers opportunities to help citizens celebrate, and brands leverage particular emotional values," said Brand Keys founder and President Robert Passikoff. "In this instance, brand advertising and social outreach typically features patriotic flag-waving and red-white-and-blue motifs. Marketers cue the Sousa marches and Uncle Sam look-alikes in attempts to leverage patriotic emotions, and, as this competition doesn't end at the voting booth but includes the marketplace, all is done in the cause of increased sales."

1. Jeep/Disney (98%) 
2. Levi Strauss (96%)
3. Ralph Lauren (95%)
4. Ford (94%)
5. Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels (93%)
6. Harley Davidson and Gillette (92%)
7. Apple, Coors and Sam Adams (91%)
8. Gatorade and Amazon (90%)
9. Zippo, Hershey's and Kellogg's (89%)
10. American Express and Wrigley's (87%) 
11.Starbucks and Colgate (88%) 
12. Coach and New Balance (86%)
13. AT&T and Google (85%)
14. Marlboro and Converse (84%) 
15. L.L. Bean, Facebook and J. Crew (83%)
16. McDonald's, Kraft and KFC (82%)
17. John Deere, Louisville Slugger, Walmart, ABC TV and Nike / (81%) 
18. Craftsman Tools, GE and Wells Fargo (80%) 
19. 49ers,Cowboys, NFL, Patriots, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, Wrangler, Wilson Sporting Goods and Old Navy (79%)

Are you for real? 
"When it comes to engaging consumers, waving an American flag and having an authentic foundation for being able to wave the flag are entirely different things, and the consumer knows it," said Passikoff. "More importantly, believability and authenticity are key to emotional engagement. … Where a brand can establish real emotional connections, consumers are six times more likely to believe and behave positively toward the brand." 

Brands that moved up the list substantially this year provided examples of those which have tapped into the power of our patriotic sentiments to give them an edge. For instance, Starbucks  moved into the Top 20 for the first time all the way up to No. 11, indicating it's increasingly connecting with customers on that community-based level.

"It's important that brands accurately measure these values," Passikoff said. "Values are how consumers define what they expect from a brand. Meet or exceed those expectations and you have a differentiated brand, an engaged customer and, pretty much always, increased sales." 

Big advancers this year in patriotism include two food icons
An increase or decrease of five percentage points or more for brands in this poll is a significant indicator of a substantial new connection or even disconnect with a brand. Two quick-service chains were among the Top 5 winners in this area of growth. They included McDonald's, which rose 10 percent in patriotic perception this year, and KFC, which grew 5 percent. 

"It is important to note that these brand rankings and "patriot" nominations do not mean that other brands or people are not patriotic, or that they don't possess patriotic resonance or intention," said Passikoff. "But if you’re a brand that wants to differentiate via emotional values, if there is believability, good marketing just gets better — in most cases, six times better."