Morgan Stanley Survey: the Brands Winning Over Wall Street Interns

Spotify was the first choice among Morgan Stanley interns for music streaming — 69% reported having a subscription. That’s a big lead over No. 2, Apple Music (23%), and No. 3, YouTube (17%).

As for which video service they use most often, Netflix was the most used video platform among interns (27%), but YouTube was a close second (25%), followed by TikTok (12%).

About 36% of surveyed interns said Nike was their No. 1 athletic shoe brand. It was followed by Adidas (11%) and Hoka (10%).

The company, though the first choice for MS interns, has been losing market share to competitors in recent years. In the 2021 MS survey, Nike was the top pick for 58% of interns. Business Insider previously reported ideas from avid customers for how the name brand could turn things around after revenue dropped 10% for fiscal year 2025.

Zara took first place as Morgan Stanley interns’ most preferred apparel brand (24%), while Lululemon (22%) and Aritzia (19%) came in second and third, respectively.

Though Zara and Lululemon remained the most popular general apparel retailers, the survey said, they each lost among the greatest preference share year over year (down 2 points and 4 points, respectively). In contrast, Arc’teryx, Aritzia, and Ralph Lauren were the biggest year-over-year share gainers (up 3 points, 4 points, and 4 points, respectively).

Aritzia has steadily gained ground and grown sales over the past several years by opening more retail stores and refining its inventory.

About 38% of female-identifying respondents said they didn’t have handbag brand loyalty, but Longchamp (13%), Coach (15%) were listed as the top individual brand choices.

Morgan Stanley interns have increasingly indicated having either no handbag loyalty (up 38% compared with 30% last year) or a preference for lower-cost options (luxury brands were down from 23% to 15% this year).

Owala has officially become the new hot water bottle. About 62% of interns at Morgan Stanley named it among their top three favorite brands. Hydroflask and Yeti were tied for second place, with Stanley cups at 28%.

When it comes to exercise habits, about half of Morgan Stanley interns said they preferred to work out at an indoor gym, while 27% said they preferred outdoor workouts, and 15% said they preferred to take group fitness classes.

Indeed, in-office indoor gyms are an increasingly hot amenity for corporate America — JPMorgan’s new New York headquarters is going to feature a “state-of-the-art” membership fitness center with professional personal trainers and a separate wellness center.

The most desirable car brand for interns is Mercedes (21%). Meanwhile, the favorability of Tesla has fallen from 30% in 2021 to 5% this year among MS interns.

They’re not alone. A May YouGov survey found that the American public’s favorability of Tesla had fallen to a nine-year low. Tesla’s stock is down year-to-date, and in its second-quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk said it was going through a “weird transition period” because of the expiration of incentives and other regulatory changes.

Apple Pay was the top digital wallet service used by MS interns to pay for goods and services, with a whopping 82% saying they used it at least once a week. Second place was Venmo (37%), followed by PayPal (14%).