Uncomplicated Americana Wins with Audiences

Where rapper Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show bitingly satirised Americana with Samuel L Jackson’s Uncle Sam, a crop of brands won with audiences (see Key Stats for all rankings) by eschewing edge and offering traditional visions of rural and small-town America and patriotic clips of military personnel.

Made in USA Push Plays to Tariff Era

Several brands promoted made-in-America credentials – an age-old but timely claim amidst new tariffs on imports and a wider drive to play up patriotism – Budweiser and Bud Light producer Anheuser-Busch will now describe its US-made beers as ‘American’ rather than ‘domestic’.

Standing Up for Women’s Sports & Societal Equality

Several brands including Dove and the NFL itself tapped into the swelling energy around professional women’s sports (see Women’s Sports Boom). Nike went further with a mantra-like charge tapping into societal shifts.

Hypermasculinity: Parodies & Subversions

Amidst manosphere culture, some brands are bidding to portray masculinity in ways that resonate. Several landed on a gentle upending of masculine stereotypes – most notably Ram Trucks (US) and beer brand Bud Light, which scored second and third, respectively, in Adweek’s metrics-based ranking.

AI’s Approachability Pursuit

Artificial intelligence was a new presence this year.  Some brands (including domain registry site GoDaddy and Meta) used humour to diffuse its perceived threat, while OpenAI positioned its ChatGPT tool as one in a series of historic technological advancements (without mentioning AI at all) and Google’s sentimental film tucked an AI-era scenario into a traditional trope.