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Place Branding Director,
Brand Finance
With nearly USD1 trillion in brand value at stake, country of origin has become a strategic risk for U.S. B2B brands.
For decades, being an American brand in B2B was a competitive advantage in itself. In 2026, that same geographic origin has become – for many – a quantifiable risk factor.
The number that changes the conversation
Of the USD2.2 trillion in brand value generated by American brands in the global B2B landscape, USD953 billion - almost half - originates from markets outside the United States. This is the share structurally exposed to current geopolitical dynamics: not a theoretical risk, but real value generated in contexts where perceptions of the U.S. as a country of origin are shifting.
The scale of US dominance - and why it creates systemic risk
American brands account for 54% of total B2B brand value globally, with 138 brands in the top 300 and leadership across 13 of the 25+ sectors analysed. Six of the world's 10 most valuable B2B brands are American. This concentration means that any weakening of perceptions of the U.S. as a country of origin does not just create individual brand risk - it creates a structural risk for the entire global B2B market.
What the Global Soft Power Index 2026 tells us
The U.S. remains at the top of Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index – but records the sharpest decline of all 193 nations tracked. Among individual metrics, Reputation of the U.S. fell 11 places to 26th globally. Perceptions in the People & Values pillar dropped 48 ranks. Perceptions of ease of doing business with the U.S. slipped from second to third place, overtaken by China. American products and brands – historically perceived as the most ‘loved’ in the world – have been displaced by Japan in the latest iteration of the Global Soft Power Index. This is not a cyclical dip: it is a structural crack in “country of origin” as a lever of trust.
Why it matters more in B2B than in B2C
B2B purchasing decisions are not transactional. They are multi-year relationships, often embedded within national infrastructure or tied to government policy. In cloud computing, defence, and energy, choosing a supplier is increasingly an act of national security. When trust in a country of-origin wavers, trust in the brand wavers too, and that erosion is difficult to reverse, even after a specific political or policy crisis has passed.
The most exposed sectors - and who gains ground
An analysis of major B2B brands by geopolitical impact identifies three dominant risk vectors:
- Tech & Cloud: Microsoft Azure, AWS, Oracle, and Cisco face growing data sovereignty pressures across Europe and Asia. France and Germany are already replacing American platforms with local alternatives in public administrations. NVIDIA has faced severe restrictions in the Chinese market – and China is building domestic alternatives (Huawei Ascend, Cambricon) at unexpected speed.
- Defence: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing Defence face a double exposure – the unpredictability of U.S. foreign policy combined with Europe’s push for strategic autonomy. The beneficiaries? Rheinmetall, Airbus Defence, and Leonardo, European brands growing in ammunition, military aviation, and radar systems, backed by defence budgets that will fund a decade of expansion.
- Financial Services: Visa and Mastercard are seeing national alternatives advance - CIPS in China, UPI in India, MIR in Russia, PIX in Brazil – in the very markets that represent their primary growth opportunity. The weaponisation of sanctions is actively accelerating de-dollarisation as a geopolitical choice.
Two types of risk not to be confused
Revenue risk is immediate and measurable: lost contracts, reduced market access. Reputational risk is slower but more dangerous: being perceived as an unreliable supplier – not for operational failings, but for country-of-origin considerations – leaves marks that are difficult to erase even after the specific political tension has subsided. For CMOs, the challenge is to monitor both: the second does not appear in quarterly results but shapes the next five years of pipeline.
The strategic question for CMOs
USD953 billion in brand value of U.S. B2B brands is generated outside the U.S. This is the number every American CMO should have in mind when discussing international strategy in 2026. The flag behind the brand has never mattered more. And for the first time, for many American brands, it is starting to weigh on the wrong side of the scale. Understanding where “Made in USA” is still a lever, where it has become neutral, and where it is already an obstacle: this is the real brand management agenda today. Country of origin should no longer be treated as background context. It is a strategic risk factor shaping access, trust, and competitiveness – and it demands a place at the table.
