Marketing to Americans: Are Brands Patriotic?

Can a brand be patriotic?  Of course it can.  And evidently Jeep meets consumer expectations for patriotism.  It’s the brand associated with winning World War II. And in today’s world, it has come to symbolize American ruggedness and a sense of adventure.

The Jeep brand is named in a survey as the most patriotic brand from 197 famous brand names in 35 categories.  The brand lives its heritage and its brand associations with those things that make us American.  Take a look at this Super Bowl spot for Jeep and the USO that has been viewed more than 7.6 million times.  The emotional resonance of a brand is what takes it from everyday to icon.

A new survey from Brand Keys asked 4,500 consumers  to evaluate 197 brands across 35 category-specific emotional engagement values, with one of those values being how much patriotism they emotionally credited to the brand.  Brand Keys recognizes that being patriotic is more than waving a flag, but actually having an authentic foundation for being able to wave the flag.  Many of these brands would fall into the “American Icon” designation.