NEW YORK: Jeep has been named the most patriotic brand in the US, ahead of Hershey's and Coca-Cola, a new survey has said.

Research consultancy Brand Keys polled 4,500 consumers with a list of 197 brands in 35 categories, releasing the results for Independence Day.

Jeep topped the list with a score of 98 out of 100 on a scale representing consumers' emotional engagement expectations, according to Brand Keys. Hershey's and Coca-Cola tied on 97.

"As marketers traditionally operate on the Independence Day theory that a patriotic, flag-waving call-to-emotion will motivate consumers to behave more positively toward their brands, we wanted to see which brands actually led when it came to that particular value," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, in a statement.

But he added that brands needed to step beyond a flag-waving mentality if they were to become truly patriotic. It was, he said, "more a question of whether that value is seen to be part of the brand's equity, whether it's truly acknowledged on a deeply emotional and engaging basis".

Jeep was one of three vehicle brands in the top 25, the others being Harley Davidson in 13th and Ford in 16th. USA Today noted that no General Motors brands featured, despite Chevrolet frequently using patriotic themes in its ads.

Coca-Cola and Hershey's were joined in the food and beverage category by Wrigley's in 8th place and Budweiser in 14th.

Levi Strauss was the leading apparel brand in 4th spot, where it tied with Walt Disney. Other apparel brands were Ralph Lauren in 9th place and Wrangler in 25th.

Sports products also featured strongly, with New Balance at 12th, the Louisville Slugger baseball bat at 17th, where it tied with gunmaker Smith & Wesson, and Wilson Sporting Goods at 24th.

Data sourced from USA Today; additional content by Warc staff