Every month, YouGov identifies the brands generating the strongest surge in Word of Mouth scores in the United States.

Using data from YouGov BrandIndex, our daily brand tracking solution, we measure Word of Mouth, the percentage of people who say they have talked about a brand with friends or family in the past two weeks - whether in a positive, neutral, or negative capacity. The brands featured here recorded the largest increase in Word of Mouth in the latest month compared to the previous month. These scores are attributed to positive and negative conversations about the brands.

Word of Mouth Marketing: Brands with the strongest growth in July 2026

  1. T-Mobile – 5.9 point increase (from 17.9% in June to 23.8% in July)
  2. Golden Corral – 5.0 point increase (from 6.0% in June to 11.0% in July)
  3. Telemundo – 4.4 point increase (from 3.8% in June to 8.2% in July)
  4. Taco Bell – 4.2 point increase (from 21.6% in June to 25.8% in July)
  5. Nutella – 4.2 point increase (from 12.5% in June to 16.7% in July)
  6. M&M's – 4.1 point increase (from 18.1% in June to 22.2% in July)
  7. AutoZone – 4.1 point increase (from 10.4% in June to 14.5% in July)
  8. PlayStation – 4.0 point increase (from 14.1% in June to 18.1% in July)
  9. Hershey – 3.9 point increase (from 11.8% in June to 15.7% in July)
  10. Airbnb – 3.7 point increase (from 17.7% in June to 21.4% in July)

T-Mobile sees rise with sustained brand visibility

T-Mobile’s Word of Mouth Exposure rose from 17.9% in June to 23.8% in July, a 5.9-point increase. The gains coincided with its America’s 250th sponsorship, World Cup-related activity and recognition for AI-led network innovation. Member Month promotions also helped maintain visibility, although a late-July service disruption may have contributed some negative conversation.

Golden Corral gains alongside value-led promotion

Golden Corral’s Word of Mouth Exposure increased from 6.0% to 11.0%, up 5.0 points. The rise coincided with its America’s 250th promotion, which launched a series of $2.50 deals across children’s breakfast, drinks, takeaway and rewards. Timely July 4 messaging, combined with a focus on affordability and family dining, may have helped generate additional consumer conversation.

Telemundo boosted amid FIFA World Cup coverage

Telemundo’s Word of Mouth Exposure climbed from 3.8% to 8.2%, a 4.4-point increase. The gains coincided with extensive Spanish-language FIFA World Cup coverage across Telemundo and Peacock, including all 104 matches and related programming. Record Spanish-language audiences, daily fixtures and the tournament’s US presence may have helped sustain visibility and conversation around the network throughout July.

Taco Bell tracks upwards WOM following cyclospora outbreak

Not all WOM surges are aligned with positive news events or brand campaigns. Taco Bell recently hit the headlines due to the 2026 cyclospora parasite outbreak – with contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce reportedly being used at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. The brand recorded a 4.2 percentage-point increase, from 21.6% in June 2026 to 25.8% in July 2026. Furthermore, while Taco Bell was being talked about, our Buzz metric shows that the conversation around Taco Bell was largely negative from the middle of July through the end of the month.

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Word of Mouth Marketing: Brands with the strongest growth in June 2026

  1. Budweiser – 5.9 point increase (from 9.5% in May to 15.4% in June)
  2. Grand Theft Auto – 5.7 point increase (from 10.5% in May to 16.2% in June)
  3. Juicy Juice – 5.4 point increase (from 3.0% in May to 8.4% in June)
  4. McCafé – 4.2 point increase (from 6.9% in May to 11.1% in June)
  5. Sony – 3.9 point increase (from 4.2% in May to 8.1% in June)
  6. Axe – 3.8 point increase (from 4.6% in May to 8.4% in June)
  7. Tiffany & Co. – 3.7 point increase (from 6.2% in May to 9.9% in June)
  8. Venmo – 3.6 point increase (from 13.9% in May to 17.5% in June)
  9. Lipton – 3.6 point increase (from 10.6% in May to 14.2% in June)
  10. Buffalo Wild Wings – 3.6 point increase (from 9.7% in May to 13.3% in June)
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Word of Mouth Marketing: Brands with the strongest growth in May 2026

  1. Busch – 4.2 point increase (from 2.2% in April to 6.4% in May)
  2. Claude – 4.1 point increase (from 9.5% in April to 13.6% in May)
  3. Kool-Aid – 4.1 point increase (from 6.5% in April to 10.6% in May)
  4. Southern Poverty Law Center – 4.1 point increase (from 4.0% in April to 8.1% in May)
  5. Lowe's – 4.0 point increase (from 21.9% in April to 25.9% in May)
  6. Heineken – 3.9 point increase (from 8.4% in April to 12.3% in May)
  7. USAA – 3.9 point increase (from 6.8% in April to 10.7% in May)
  8. Clorox – 3.8 point increase (from 7.1% in April to 10.9% in May)
  9. Listerine – 3.8 point increase (from 4.7% in April to 8.5% in May)
  10. Walmart – 3.7 point increase (from 40.6% in April to 44.3% in May)
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Methodology:

YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Word of Mouth score is based on the question: “Which of the following brands have you talked about with friends or family in the past two weeks?"

Rankings in this article are based on change in Word of Mouth scores. To qualify as top improvers, a minimum base size of 300 (n) is required. In cases where the change in scores is the same between two brands, the current scores are used as a secondary metric to determine their ranking.

Brands tracked across multiple sectors are ranked based on their highest-performing sector. Both parent and child brands, such as Google and YouTube, are included to allow for greater granularity in performance tracking.

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The data analysis in this article was created with the assistance of AI.

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