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American tech companies might have held on to their spots atop the latest Ipsos Most Influential Brands in Canada survey, but the market-research firm says last year’s “Elbows Up” trend still helped Canadian companies punch above their weight in 2025.
Announced Wednesday in partnership with The Globe Media Group, Publicis and the Canadian Marketing Association at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto, Google and Amazon ranked in as the top-two brands respectively for a fifth straight year, while YouTube, Apple and Facebook held on to the remaining spots in the top five for a third straight year each.
Ipsos surveyed 6,700 consumers for the 15th edition of the survey, which ranked more than 100 brands across multiple categories based on the cultural, political and structural factors that contribute to their influence in everyday Canadian life.
The analysis now runs across eight dimensions with True North, a measure of patriotism, pride and perseverance, added for this year’s survey. The other seven dimensions are: Leading edge, trustworthiness, presence, corporate citizenship, empathy, utility and engagement. The poll results from each dimension add up to a 100% score to give a picture of where Canadians see brands having the most impact.
Ipsos said Google’s ability to maintain its focus on core functions and produce AI-powered innovations – such as reducing red lights for drivers in Quebec and supercharging its internet-search capabilities – helped it retain its long-running status atop the ranking.
And the firm said Amazon’s vast logistical infrastructure, product ecosystem and investments in entertainment were contributing factors to its holding firm in the two spot. Two-thirds of Canadians reported using an Amazon product daily and 68% said the e-retailer has changed the way they shop, according to the survey.
The top 10 Most Influential Brands in Canada in 2025:
1. Google (=)
2. Amazon (=)
3. YouTube (=)
4. Apple (=)
5. Facebook (=)
6. Costco (+5)
7. Walmart (-1)
8. Visa (+1)
9. Netflix (-2)
10. Tim Hortons (+2)
While Canadian-owned brands don’t show up on the list until PC Optimum and Canadian Tire’s appearances in the 15 and 16 spots, respectively, Ipsos Canada COO Steve Levy tells strategy that the True North dimension affected Canadian companies overall in the aggregate, saying “the more strongly a brand was associated with being Canadian, whether it is actually Canadian or not, the more likely it was that that a brand would make a jump.”
Had the poll been conducted during the height of the “Elbows Up” consumer trend in the spring instead of November, he adds, the effect would have been even greater.
“There was a Canadiana effect in 2025 and Canadians most certainly moved to support Canadian brands,” Levy adds. “Other metrics that we have showed that the concept of buying based on values shifted through the year. People moved from thinking about values when they make purchases to thinking about value. That was a big shift.”
While no longer wholly-Canadian owned, Tim Hortons’ legacy in the country helped propel it into the top 10 for the first time with its True North dimension making up 30% of its score. And Canadian Tire moved from 21 in 2024’s survey to 16 in 2025 with a True North score of 40%, the list’s highest.
“Part of the implication is, if you’re a Canadian brand, you need to leverage your Canadianness,” Levy says. “If you’re an American brand that actually sources an awful lot of what you do from within Canada, then you want to leverage that. And if you’re an American brand that doesn’t do any of that, you need to think about it.”
Among the big gainers on this year’s list were: ChatGPT, which moved up to 17 from the No. 41 spot last year, buoyed by a leading edge innovation score of 26%; Toyota, which moved to 33 from 50 helped by a trustworthiness score of 21%; and TD Canada Trust, which jumped to the 36 spot from 55, thanks in part to a True North score of 24%.
