One of the biggest competitive advantages a company can have is a strong and enduring brand. And if it can attract consumers to the brand while they're young, the brand advantage can keep growing stronger over time.

Piper Sandler conducts a semiannual survey to help identify the brands teens love. It asks about everything from what they like to wear, to what they like to eat, and what they like to watch on TV.

While teens had strong opinions and preferences for certain brands, three companies stood out. Not only do they rate highly among teens, indicating a strong brand advantage, but their stocks all have appealing prices for investors. That could make them winning stocks for the long run.

So, listen to the kids and consider buying these three stocks today.

1. Amazon

Amazon (AMZN -0.46%) topped the chart of places where teens like to shop. Some 55% named the e-commerce giant as their top shopping website. Second place, SHEIN, wasn't even close with 12%.

Amazon's brand is practically synonymous with online shopping. The majority of consumers of all ages start their online shopping journey on its website. That's further reinforced by its Prime membership, which makes it faster and more convenient to shop on Amazon than any of its competitors.

The brand strength of Amazon benefits investors in multiple ways. First of all, it enables the company to launch new business ventures. For example, its fast-growing, multibillion-dollar advertising business is anchored by Amazon's dominant online marketplace. More recently, Amazon launched Buy with Prime, which is showing meaningful momentum in driving third-party service revenue and could be another factor in expanding Prime membership.

The strong brand also gives it pricing power. Where Amazon used to compete on price, it now competes on convenience. It can generate a wider gross margin on retail sales than its competitors in many instances.

Amazon benefits from its scale and the network effect on top of its brand. It can leverage scale with cost advantages, which it has reinvested into its massive logistics network. Scale also improves its advertising business, as it offers brands both reach and more shopping data than any competitor.

Taken all together, Amazon has several competitive advantages protecting its spot as the top e-commerce company in the world. With a return to strong free-cash-flow generation in 2024, the stock looks cheap relative to this metric. Right now is an opportune time to go shopping for shares.

2. Nike

The kids love Nike (NKE -1.16%). Nike was the top footwear brand by a mile -- it was the top choice for 61% of respondents. The second closest brand was Converse (9%), which Nike just so happens to own as well. While not quite as dominant in the apparel category, Nike still took the top spot for teens' favorite clothing brand (35%), well ahead of second-place Lululemon Athletica (6%).

Nike's brand strength has allowed it to invest in direct-to-consumer sales while reducing its reliance on wholesale channels. For example, it stopped selling directly on Amazon in 2019. This gives Nike more control over the customer experience and more pricing power, as it's fully in control of sales prices.

This brand is especially valuable as it aims to grow in China. Nike has established itself as the leading sports shoe and apparel brand in the country, but the rapid growth in demand is attracting a lot of competition. The established brand will protect Nike from losing market share in the region and keep its profit margin high.

Over time, Nike's push toward more direct-to-consumer sales and stricter price controls should enable it to increase its gross and operating margins while steadily growing sales. With shares trading around 28 times forward earnings estimates, the stock trades at a discount to No. 2 Lululemon, and it's a fair price considering the company's growth outlook.

3. Starbucks

Starbucks (SBUX -1.16%) isn't teens' absolute favorite restaurant, but it stands out among the crowded group. Starbucks came in second to Chick-fil-A in Piper Sandler's survey, but it's the only chain specializing in drinks, not food.

Starbucks isn't only popular with teens. It is the most valuable brand in the restaurant industry, according to Brand Finance. This brand strength produces two valuable outcomes for investors. First, it gives the company pricing power. People complain about expensive lattes, but they still buy them because they want Starbucks.

The second advantage is that it allows the company to expand quickly through franchising. Franchisees are willing to invest in a Starbucks location because they're getting an industry-leading brand they know will perform well in just about any market. That'll help Starbucks expand from 37,000 locations today to 55,000 by 2030 based on management's projections.

Starbucks also benefits from scale, which reduces its costs and improves marketing efficiency. Shares currently trade for about 23 times forward earnings, which is a reasonable price to pay for a highly differentiated restaurant. It's about the same valuation as another leader in the industry: McDonald's.

Any of the above three companies could deserve a spot in your portfolio. And if you're trying to impress a teen, you might buy them some shares as well.