How to Tank Your Brand: Lessons from the Bottom 10 in the 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100
The Recipe for Reputation Failure—and What Marketers Must Learn
Every year, the Axios Harris Poll 100 ranks America’s most visible brands—and this year’s bottom 10 read like a cautionary tale for anyone in marketing or brand leadership.
Here are the 2025 bottom 10:
Let’s unpack what these brands have in common—and why they ended up here.
The Recipe for Ending Up at the Bottom
Trust is Everything—Lose It, and You’ve Lost It All
Wells Fargo and Meta are still battling trust gaps years after scandals—reminders that ethical missteps leave a mark that ads can’t erase
Shein and Temu face intense scrutiny for supply chain transparency and sustainability issues, proving that low prices can’t buy loyalty if values don’t match
Leadership Overshadows Everything
Tesla and X (Twitter) both suffered from the larger-than-life persona of Elon Musk, whose political and personal controversies have overshadowed the brands’ innovations
The Trump Organization shows that when leadership polarizes, it infects the brand itself
Cultural Tone-Deafness and Inaction
Fox Corporation and Spirit Airlines struggle with reputations for customer hostility or culture war stances that alienate big segments of the public
ByteDance (TikTok) faces geopolitical headwinds and a perception of not fully owning up to them
No Redemption Arc
Unlike brands that bounce back with action and accountability, these bottom 10 haven’t turned the narrative around—they’ve either stayed silent or doubled down
What Marketers Can Learn (and Apply)
You Can’t Buy Back Trust
Ads and influencers are no substitute for operational integrity and transparent values
Every interaction is a brand moment—don’t let convenience or profit erode the long-term relationship
Culture Moves Fast—But Backlash Moves Faster
Brands that miss the cultural temperature (or appear to) can’t hide behind old playbooks
Stay curious. Listen. Be ready to act, not just react.
Leadership Matters—But It’s Not Everything
A founder or CEO can build your brand—or break it
If your brand is tied to a single figure’s personal brand, know that it cuts both ways
Surprise and Delight Still Matter
The bottom 10 brands feel transactional—no magic, no relationship, no soul
Challenger brands win by making every moment of connection feel human, not corporate
What Sets the Bottom 10 Apart
They’re not just disliked for what they sell—they’re seen as out of sync with the public’s values.
Ethical blind spots
Defensive leadership
A failure to course-correct when the culture shifts
Final Thought for Marketing Leaders
The bottom 10 remind us: brand-building isn’t just about visibility—it’s about trust, cultural alignment, and the courage to act.
If you want to avoid their fate, ask yourself:
Do we know what our audience truly cares about—beyond what we sell?
Are we living those values consistently and publicly?
Are we ready to lead—not just promote—when the culture challenges us?
Because in today’s world, if your brand doesn’t stand for something, the culture won’t hesitate to decide what you stand for.