Does patriotism still sell? What consumers think about Americana in advertising — and how to get it right

The US recently celebrated a big milestone — 250 years as a nation — but political tensions remain high. Patriotic symbols once united Americans and made them feel proud, but in this political climate, do those symbols still land? 

Or have stars and stripes and bald eagles become a brand-safety risk that invites more trouble than it’s worth?

We asked 2,000 American consumers what American identity and patriotism actually mean to them in 2026, and what that implies for how brands should show up. 

Then we put that lens against real American ads — looking at how a range of brands have tapped into American identity to give concrete examples of what approaches resonate with consumers.

Patriotism runs high in America, with 60% feeling a fairly or very strong sense of pride in being American, and only 16% feeling little or none. July 4 sits right at the heart of it — cited by 51% as a source of national pride.

More importantly, people have nothing against patriotic marketing if done right. Only 3% of consumers say brands shouldn’t celebrate America at all.

Every generation we surveyed views patriotic branding favorably on balance — the net reaction is positive across the board, though older consumers are more open to it (it climbs from +17 among 18–25s to +55 among the over-55s).

Pride also runs deeper with age, with very strong pride nearly doubling — from 29% of the youngest adults to 56% of the oldest. 

The same patriotic ad that delights an older audience might not resonate as deeply with a younger one — but even the group that’s least into it still leans positive overall.

So the question is how to tap into patriotism in a way that lands.

Our data shows consumers want more than just advertising, they want brands to really demonstrate love for the country.

63% told us they trust a company more when it invests in jobs at home than when it runs patriotic advertising, and 60% said brands celebrating real people and communities feel more genuine than those leaning on national symbols. 

In other words, patriotism is something consumers expect a brand to earn through action. The credibility comes from the whole brand’s involvement in American life: its jobs, its communities, its contribution. The ad is just where that shows up.

That’s also why human, everyday imagery consistently beats official iconography. When we netted positive reactions against negative ones, small towns and Main Street (+25), national parks (+25) and manufacturing workers (+21) all outscored the American flag and the bald eagle. The symbols can still work but they no longer carry the message on their own.

As for which version of America to celebrate, there’s no single formula. History and heritage (20%), people and communities (19%) and diversity and values (16%) all cluster near the top, with no clear winner — but what unites them is that the country’s people and story land better than its products or output. 

So the brands getting it right root their patriotism in real people, places and heritage. 

Here’s how some of them did it, and what you can learn from them.

1. Truly Hard Seltzer - “Drink Like a Believer: Drop”

Truly’s ad goes all in on overt patriotism. A bald eagle swoops in and drops a Truly Berry pack in front of a man in a US Soccer jacket, closing on the can and the US Soccer logo.  

It’s the kind of symbolism that our data shows can backfire when it feels bolted on. But Truly’s ad resonates very well: it stands out in a crowded category (Ad Distinctiveness: 4.1 vs. 3.7 norm) and achieved a purchase uplift of 34% (vs. 22% norm)!

So what makes the difference? It’s the fact that the brand has been the Official Hard Seltzer of US Soccer since 2022, and “Drop” is part of its “Drink Like a Believer” World Cup activation — the brand has spent the tournament showing up for fans, even renaming a real American town “Believe, USA”. 

It also helps that patriotism in the ad is channeled through the soccer team — and sport is one of the few things that unites people, stirring national pride consistently across age, gender and region.

Meanwhile, the eagle is pulling its weight in more than one way. As a patriotic symbol tied to US Soccer, it connects Truly to the wave of national pride around the tournament. But it’s also the thing carrying the seltzer into frame, so it cues the brand at the same time.

The patriotism is far from opportunistic, which is the distinction our survey says consumers care about most. 

💡Bold patriotic symbols can work in your favor as long as they’re key to the story and your brand has an authentic connection to them.

2. Budweiser — “Great Delivery”

Timed to America’s 250th, Budweiser’s summer 2026 spot is a wholehearted celebration of the nation —  we’ve got flags, cowboys, route 66, veterans, “This Bud’s For U.S.” and a celebration of the hardworking people who get Budweiser to every corner of the country. 

It’s the latest in the brand’s “Made of America” campaign, this time spotlighting the people and communities behind the brand alongside the symbols. And at the heart of it are the Budweiser Clydesdales — a symbol of the brand since 1933 and about as American as the flag itself. They’re so recognizable that 37% of viewers knew this was a Budweiser ad from the horses alone, and they landed the highest resonance score in the whole spot (Character Appeal: 4.6 vs. 3.9 norm). 

Overall, the ad landed very well, but most importantly, the patriotism came through as credible. The key message that Budweiser recognizes the people, traditions and communities that define America is both believable and clear (Key message Clarity: 4.4 vs. 4.2 norm; Key message Believability: 4.4 vs. 4.1 norm).

But the clearest signal is in how viewers see the brand as a whole after watching the ad, with “celebrates American pride” the single strongest association at 53%. 

💡The strongest patriotic ads have a reason to celebrate and real substance beneath the symbols. For Budweiser — a 150th anniversary landing on America’s 250th, plus the people who’ve carried the brand across the country for generations — it comes across as sincere rather than opportunistic.

3. Jack Daniel’s — “What Makes Old No. 7”

If Truly and Budweiser show that bold symbols can work when they’re earned, Jack Daniel’s shows the flip side — that you often don’t need symbols at all.

In “What Makes Old No. 7” Jack Daniel’s takes us to Lynchburg, Tennessee — the same town making whiskey the same way for 160 years — and to the people who make it and drink it. It’s American identity told through provenance and craftsmanship — where the whiskey comes from, and the care that goes into making it.

In our survey, consumers consistently told us they connect more with the people and history behind a brand than with flags or national images — and that’s exactly what this ad does so well. 

It has no patriotic symbols at all, yet feels unmistakably American through its heritage and craft. And consumers responded with real warmth.

The ad scored exceptionally well for both short-term sales potential and long-term brand equity.

It also generated a Love reaction of 41% (vs. 27% norm) — with the highest emotional spikes landing precisely on the lines about tradition, the town of Lynchburg and the people behind the product.

Patriotism even surfaced in consumers’ own words: "I liked all of the aspects of the ad. Going through the history gives Jack Daniels a huge value of not just taste, but the fact the process takes time to produce. And produced in the US."

💡This is the kind of Americana our data says resonates most: it’s human, full of substance and centered on shared values.

4. Lay’s — “Last Harvest”

Similar to Jack Daniel’s, Lay’s Super Bowl ad this year tells an American story without a single patriotic symbol. “Last Harvest” follows a father and daughter through one final season on the family potato farm. He’s ready to retire and she surprises him with a party in the barn. Then, in a quiet moment together, he hands her the keys and says “It’s your time now” — a moment that signals the family farm passing to the next generation.

This time we see American identity told through family and legacy — and it clearly landed, driving strong sales impact. 

Notably, the detail that resonated most was learning that Lay’s potatoes come from local, American farms. As one viewer put it: “I liked the sentimental showing of how the farm is operated by family and passed down to the generation. I liked that it showed how Lay’s gets their potatoes.”

💡 You don’t need flags to evoke pride — everyday people, family and a real sense of place can do it just as powerfully.

5. Tide — “Stains Happen to the Best of Us”

Tide tapped the Paris 2024 Olympics by pairing US track stars Noah Lyles and Carl Lewis with an everyday, universal truth: even Olympians spill pasta sauce. 

Overall the ad doesn’t shy away from patriotic cues — US athletes, the flag, the Olympic rings, “America’s #1 detergent” — but it’s handled with a light touch via a relatable everyday story.

It worked because the brand and the message came through clearly. The ad scored very well in both short-term sales and long-term brand equity.

It also did very well with landing an inclusive message that the brand is “for everyone” (59% agree).

As one viewer put it, they liked how the ad “made it about everyone as human as we are” — and our data clearly showed for 68% of US consumers, patriotism means including everyone.

💡Pairing national pride with an everyday, human truth makes patriotism feel inclusive — something everyone can see themselves in.

6. Jeep - “Owner’s Manual”

Jeep’s two-minute Super Bowl ad from 2025 stars Harrison Ford, who reflects on freedom and the choices that make us happy, before grabbing his keys and heading out to his Jeep. It closes on the winning line “This Jeep makes me happy, even though my name is Ford.”

What makes this one especially relevant is its inclusive take on national pride. The ad frames freedom as something that unites people across their differences — “we won’t always agree on which way to go, but our differences can be our strength.”

Viewers were drawn in by the storytelling and the patriotic scenes throughout — we see the flag, the American landscapes and archival shots of Jeeps from World War II. 

It scored high on Sales Impact and drove warm emotion (Love: 34% vs. 27% norm) — helped by the affection viewers have for Ford himself, and the joke about his surname.

One viewer summed it up: “Harrison Ford as a Jeep spokesperson is good, but Harrison saying that he loves the Jeep even though his last name is Ford is brilliant.”

💡 When advertising leans on patriotism in a divided climate, the spots that land are the ones built around what brings people together — and it doesn’t hurt to rely on humor that everyone can enjoy.

So does patriotism still sell? Our data says yes — as long as it feels authentic. This can be done by relying on a brand’s own history and role in American culture, and/or grounding in real people, communities and heritage, rather than national symbols alone.