Tech, Entertainment, and Heritage Brands Reshape the Loyalty Landscape

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — October 6 2025 —  Results of the 17th annual  Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List – an identification of the top 100 brands according to their ability to create customer loyalty – revealed a striking mix of digital innovation, entertainment platforms, and long-standing heritage brands among 2025’s leaders.

“A combination of generative AI, always-on CX, and brand experiences that consumers actually want is defining this year’s loyalty winners,” said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, Inc. (brandkeys.com), the New York-based loyalty and engagement research firm that conducts the annual survey. “More and more loyalty isn’t set in stone – it’s set in code!”

Expectations, AI, and CX Drive Loyalty

“The better a brand meets consumers’ expectations, the more loyal they will be,” said Passikoff. “On average, expectations have increased 30% year-over-year, while brands are only gaining 9–11%. That gap is where brand loyalty lives – and why exposure to and experience with a brand, whether at retail, via streaming, or AI, has never been more critical.”

AI is fast becoming the most important bridge across that loyalty gap. Today it powers personalization and support, but tomorrow it will reshape the very idea of what it means to be loyal to a brand. Generative AI companions will act as always-on brand emissaries, carrying the voice, values, and personality of a company into every customer interaction. “Instead of static loyalty programs or simple points systems, AI will enable dynamic, adaptive loyalty experiences – anticipating shifts in mood, context, or life stage and responding in ways that make customers feel recognized at a near-human level,” noted Passikoff.

The impact of personalized customer experience, generative AI support, and immersive entertainment ecosystems was especially evident in 2025, where new brand entries and big movers dramatically shifted the rankings. But this is only the beginning. As AI weaves itself into daily routines – from shopping and media to health, mobility, and finance – brand loyalty will move from being transactional to relational, and eventually, predictive. Consumers won’t just be choosing brands; AI will be choosing for them, based on trust, history, and context. In that world, brands that teach their AI to be empathic, transparent, and genuinely aligned with consumer values will command loyalty not for a season, but for a generation.

The 2025 Loyalty Leaders Top 20

1. Amazon (Online Retail)

2. Google (Search)

3. Microsoft (Tech)

4. Apple (Smartphones)

5. Coca-Cola (Beverages)

6. Samsung (Smartphones)

7. Paramount+ (Video Streaming)

8. ChatGPT (AI)

9. TikTok (Social Networking)

10. Levi Strauss (Apparel Retailers)

11. Discover (Credit Cards)

12. McDonald’s (Fast Food)

13. Netflix (Video Streaming)

14. PayPal (Online Payments)

15. Dunkin’ (Coffee)

16. Disney+ (Video Streaming)

17. Hyundai (Automotive)

18. Walmart.com (Online Retail)

19. Toyota (Automotive)

20. Domino’s (Pizza)

“The shifts in loyalty rankings – the largest for Coca-Cola (+76), Paramount+ (+67), ChatGPT (+32), Microsoft (+29), Modelo (+27), Google (+23), Spotify (+20) and McDonald’s (+19) – are proof of concept,” noted Passikoff. “Brands that deliver interaction, personalization, and emotional resonance win. Coke found a way to stay classic and modern simultaneously. Paramount+ took streaming loyalty from Disney+ and Netflix by delivering exactly what viewers wanted. And ChatGPT is redefining not just CX but how consumers expect to interact with every brand in their lives.”

No New Entrants, Stronger Movements

This year saw no new entrants to the Top 100 brands, but some of the biggest leaps in ranking history. “Consumers are doubling down on brands that continuously meet their rising expectations,” said Passikoff. “When that happens, loyalty doesn’t just rise – it accelerates.”

Methodology

The Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List analysis was conducted in August 2025 and included 77,608 assessments (M/F, 16 to 65 YOA). U.S. respondents self-selected categories in which they are consumers and assessed 1,485 brands in 145 categories. The Brand Keys’ rankings are 100% consumer-driven and predictively measure emotional and rational aspects of each consumer’s decision process, which is why loyalty correlates so strongly (0.80+) with customer behavior, sales, and profitability.

For the complete Loyalty Leaders List for 2025, click here: https://brandkeys.com/loyalty-leaders-list/

Insights About Your Brand

For more information regarding the Brand Keys 2025 Loyalty Leaders List, your brand’s ranking, or information about integrating predictive loyalty and emotional engagement metrics into your marketing and branding activities, contact Leigh Benatar at leighb@brandkeys.com.

Media Contact:
Len Stein
lens@visibilitypr.com
914 527.3708