In an attention economy dominated by algorithmic reach and transactional engagement, MarketCast’s 2025 Brand Fandom 50 study cuts through the noise with a powerful insight: love still leads.

After surveying more than 20,000 U.S. adults and analyzing nearly 300 brands across three years, the leading marketing research firm has identified the brands that go beyond awareness to embed themselves in consumers’ daily routines, emotional lives, and cultural conversations.

At the top of the list? Amazon, Google, YouTube, Apple, and Walmart—companies that aren’t just used but felt.

“The strongest brands today aren’t just seen or heard—they’re experienced,” said Ed Trujillo, SVP of Brand Solutions at MarketCast. “When brands become part of life’s rhythm, fandom follows.”

From Utility to Identity: What Builds Brand Fandom?

The Fandom 50 report isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a deep dive into how emotional connection translates to business resilience—especially in today’s climate of economic uncertainty and shifting consumer priorities.

Key insights from the report include:

• Daily Touchpoints Drive Devotion: Top brands like Amazon (#1) and Apple (#4) excel not just for product quality but omnipresence—from shopping and delivery to content and communication, they’re embedded in how we live.

• Fandom = Business Health: Brands with high Fandom scores outperform competitors on purchase intent and brand resilience. According to MarketCast, two-thirds of tracked brands saw revenue movements align with Fandom scores.

• Affection Isn’t Always Trust: Tech brands tend to earn high emotional scores, but trust can lag. Amazon bucks the trend, boasting 82% Overall Love and 74% Overall Trust—a rare dual win.

• Cross-Generational Appeal Matters: Brands like Chick-fil-A and Levi’s score consistently high across all age and income brackets, proving that strong narratives and experiences transcend demographics.

• Income Shapes Brand Perception: While Walmart ranks #5 overall, Costco and The Home Depot gain ground among higher-income groups—highlighting how notions of “value” evolve with purchasing power.

• Joy, Nostalgia, and Style Win: Brands like Oreo, Nintendo, and Levi’s continue to perform by tapping into timeless emotional drivers. Oreo scores 83% Love among 35–49-year-olds. Nintendo wins big with Gen Z, and Levi’s thrives among both Gen Z and Millennials.

The 2025 Top 10 Brands by Fandom

1. Amazon

2. Google

3. YouTube

4. Apple

5. Walmart

6. Netflix

7. Coca-Cola

8. Visa

9. Levi’s

10. Samsung

This list reflects not just market dominance, but emotional depth—a signal that fandom is increasingly synonymous with staying power.

Why Fandom Is the New Brand Equity

The business case for brand fandom has never been clearer. While many metrics look backward—sales, impressions, clicks—fandom looks forward. It predicts not only who will buy, but who will stick with you through a pricing shift, product delay, or PR crisis.

“Brands that build fandom aren’t just loved—they’re resilient,” said Trujillo. “They outperform competitors in good times and bad because their fans give them room to grow, fail, and recover.”

With the advent of generative AI, changing search behaviors, and digital fatigue, emotional loyalty is emerging as the most defensible brand asset.

MarketCast’s Approach: Measuring What Matters

Powered by its proprietary Brand Tracking Plus framework, MarketCast’s study is one of the first to quantify fandom as a business metric. The model doesn’t just track brand awareness or sentiment—it digs into emotional intensity, brand utility, cultural presence, and behavioral loyalty.

And because it’s longitudinal—spanning three years—it offers a real view into what drives durability, not just buzz.

Final Take: Brand Fandom Is the Business Moat of the Future

For CMOs, brand strategists, and media planners, the message is loud and clear: in 2025, brand love is more than marketing fluff—it’s a business advantage.

With consumer trust in institutions declining and attention spans splintering across platforms, fandom is what makes a brand matter when price and convenience are equal. It’s what makes people stick with you—and stand up for you.

So whether you’re a Fortune 500 titan or an upstart challenger brand, the path forward is the same: go beyond awareness and build emotional capital. Because the brands that feel like home don’t just survive—they lead.

MarketCast

Headquartered in Los Angeles, MarketCast is a leading research firm focused on advertising effectiveness, brand tracking, and fandom analytics. With a team of researchers, data scientists, and media experts, MarketCast helps brands maximize the impact of their advertising, messaging, and customer experiences—delivering insights that drive both love and loyalty.

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