To paraphrase Winston Churchill, don’t listen to what they say, just watch what they do.
The refrain repeatedly echoes across the mediascape: “Bitcoin is dead,” crypto is a haven for criminals, and according to a recent poll, Bitcoin and catastrophically collapsed exchange FTX are among the least liked brands in America.
But some of the most popular brands in North America don’t necessarily agree.
The Axios Harris Poll 100 is a yearly reputation ranking survey done by news outlet Axios and 60-year-old market research firm Harris Poll. It gauges the public reputation of the most visible brands in the United States, canvassing 16,310 Americans to see what companies have top-of-mind awareness and whether they favor or dislike them.
Decrypt reviewed the 2023 results—which shows outdoor gear maker Patagonia at the top, and the Trump Organization at the bottom—to see where the top American brands stand on Web3 and crypto.
FTX came in barely ahead of Trump in 99th place, followed by Bitcoin at #93. But despite the poor showing for two crypto-native brands, the most popular entries are surprisingly receptive to the digital assets industry.
Chick-Fil-A, one of the largest fast food chains in the country and number 5 on the list, has shown interest in crypto-related endeavors. The company filed several trademark applications expressing its intention to enter the NFT and metaverse space.
Right behind Chick-Fil-A is the Toyota Motor Corporation at #6.
“In an era when all things and services will be connected by information, blockchain is expected to be a fundamental technology,” the automobile giant said when it revealed official plans to launch the Toyota Blockchain Lab in 2019.
The automotive industry published a report earlier this year analyzing opportunities in the Web3, NFT, blockchain, and digital wallet space, according to Yahoo! Finance. It mentions behemoths the likes of BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Subaru, and Jaguar as potentially entering the crypto space.
Shifting from fenders to food, Kellogg Company (#26 on the Axios Harris Poll) took a dive into Web3 gaming through their popular snacks Pop Tarts.
Pfizer, the pharmaceutical empire, sits stab-dab at the middle of the ranking at #50, and is also involved in crypto-related business. Their investment arm, Pfizer Ventures is taking a shot at decentralized science through a recent funding round of VitaDAO. The company also joined a working group to research blockchain for supply chain management in 2019.
It should come as no surprise that certain tech companies have also been at the forefront—in R&D or as hodlers—of crypto-related ventures.
Sony, which narrowly missed the top 10 and came in #12, applied earlier this year for a new NFT-related patent, suggesting a further Web3 foray for PlayStation, and Samsung (a top 10 brand) announced a Smart TV patent to allow for their users to buy NFTs from home.
Although many of the brands on the list have not announced any interest in cryptocurrency, blockchain or Web3, there are several that have been involved for a few years already. Only time will tell whether more will join them.
