PA Consulting's Brand Impact Index: Rivian tops rankings as US consumers pay more for purpose, innovation, and connection

2025 results reveal what the most successful brands are getting right

NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PA Consulting, the global innovation and transformation consultancy, released today its 2025 Brand Impact Index, ranking Rivian as the top-performing brand in the United States. The Index, based on a survey of 7,000 U.S. consumers and 360 business leaders, evaluates over 350 brands across customer centricity, dependable delivery, intelligent innovation, conscious creation, and community connection.

Key report highlights:

• Consumers prioritize connection over cost. Despite a tightening economy, consumers reject the idea of choosing brands based on cost alone. Nearly 50% of U.S. consumers say they are willing to pay more for brands that understand and respond to their needs—making customer centricity the most influential driver of brand engagement.
• AI is transforming consumer-brand relationships. While only 35% of business leaders believe they see a return on AI investment, 60% of consumers are comfortable using AI in brand interactions, and 40% believe AI-driven experiences justify a premium—highlighting a growing disconnect between brand perception and consumer reality.
• Purpose drives loyalty. Consumers are searching for a new type of holistic value – one that builds a better world. 77% of consumers lose respect for brands that put profit before the planet and increasingly seek out brands that align with their values and contribute to a better future.
• Sustainability is a growth opportunity to build future-ready brands. Despite strong consumer demand, only 15% of business leaders plan to significantly increase investment in sustainability initiatives. This reveals a potentially costly disconnect between consumer expectations and corporate priorities, signaling that organizations are missing a deeper understanding of their customers.

Jorge Aguilar, growth strategy expert at PA Consulting, said: "Leading brands recognize that consumers are becoming more intentional with their spending, and these brands are stepping up to offer more than just products. The brands that thrive in this new normal are the ones that go beyond the transaction, meeting customers where they are and delivering real value. Consumers remain loyal to the brands who listen – those that are making a positive impact and building trusted relationships that last." 

The top ten performing brands in the survey are:

Chris Fosdick, growth strategy expert at PA Consulting, said: "Consumers today demand more than just quality; they seek brands that align with their values and aspirations. Rivian has emerged as a standout in this regard, recognized by consumers for its approach to customer centricity and conscious creation, all while providing an exceptional user experience. The top performers in our Brand Impact Index reflect a broader trend – consumers connect most deeply with the brands that innovate to deliver personalized interactions while driving social impact."

Methodology

The PA Consulting Brand Impact Index ranks 350 market-leading consumer brands with innovative offerings, services, or business models across 17 categories. In late 2024, PA Consulting surveyed 7,000 US consumers, reflecting national diversity across age, gender, zip code, race/ethnicity, income, and household composition. The 2025 edition includes expanded executive insights after surveying 360 business leaders in the roles of director and above at brands across a range of 17 product and service categories to correlate brand strength with revenue, profit, and stock performance. Both perspectives highlight the most important ingredients for brand success in a changing world. 

About PA Consulting

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future. As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity. Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results. We are about 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands. Discover more at paconsulting.com and connect with PA on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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SOURCE PA Consulting Group - US