Promotional Product Trends and the 2024 US Election

With the election results now in, we wanted to take a look at the role promotional products play in election campaigns, helping candidates engage voters and increase visibility. In a recent PPAI study, involving campaign workers and over 1,000 voters, it was revealed that campaign merchandise has been effective, especially branded hats, promotional t-shirts, and political yard signs.

From the study we can see that 53.3% of voters indicated that promotional products positively influenced their view of a candidate.

Who was involved in the survey?

PPAI Research conducted a survey with around 250 respondents, each of whom recently played an active role in a political campaign. The survey captured insights from a diverse group, including:

• Roles: Campaign managers, marketing directors, communication directors, and fundraising coordinators.
• Campaign Team Size: Respondents worked on campaigns with team sizes ranging from small groups of fewer than ten members to large teams exceeding 200 people.
• Political Affiliation: The sample included participants from both Republican and Democratic campaigns, along with a smaller number of respondents from independent candidate campaigns.

What were the most popular promotional products?

1. Hats and Caps

Hats and caps were ranked as the most popular promotional products among campaign representatives, with 69% of respondents viewing campaign headwear as effective. According to the founder and president of Unionwear, Mitch Cahn, the company had sold roughly 100,000 hats for the Harris campaign by mid-August, surpassing the initial demand for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats in 2016.

2. T-Shirts

Following closely with 67.1% was political promotional t-shirts. The earlies recorded political t-shirt was created in 1948 by the Governor of New York, Thomas E Dewey. He put “Dew-it-with Dewey” on a t-shirt to support his political campaign. Although it didn’t land him the job, the shirt did have enough of an impact for Dwight D. Eisenhower's supporters to adopt similar tactics four years later.

Flags, banners, posters, and signs garnered over 40% in positive feedback, while buttons, badges, and stickers received more than 30% approval.

Image Credit: PPAI

Does promotional merchandise help your campaign?

Merchandise can help your campaign in a few ways, when done correctly. Let’s take a look at a few of those ways:

1. With the right design, your campaign merchandise will be eye-catching and recognizable when supporters are out and about.
2. Not only are you promoting your campaign, but you are also building a community among your supporters.
3. Having promotional merchandise for your campaign is a constant reminder for supporters, even in years to come. Meaning they will hopefully stay faithful to you and your beliefs as well as influence others around them.

How much was spent on promotional products?

PPAI Research found that most campaigns allocate a notable portion of their marketing budget to promotional products, with 40.85% of respondents dedicating between 11% and 20% of their total campaign budget to this category.

This focus on promotional products aligns with the record-breaking levels of campaign spending seen in 2024, with the final price tag for political advertising nearing $11 billion, as tracked by AdImpact. This includes over $3 billion directed toward the presidential race alone. Promotional products serve as a strategic supplement to the expansive media buys, ensuring campaign visibility on multiple fronts as campaigns strive to connect with voters in a competitive landscape.

How do voters feel about the promo products?

In addition to campaign staffers, PPAI Research also surveyed more than 1,000 voters. 45.11% of voters claimed to have received a political t-shirt. Hats were next on the list, with Republican voters showing a stronger preference than Democrats. 36.91% of voters took a liking to buttons and badges, with Democrats receiving more than Republicans.

Where do voters collect their promo products?

As well as showing the popular products, the study also looked at where most voters were receiving the promotional products that they were collecting from various campaigns. For both parties, community events were the most common for receiving promo. Door-to-door visits and fundraising events also proved to be tried-and-true methods for distributing promotional items.

Image Credit: PPAI

In Conclusion

To conclude, promotional products have proven to be an integral tool for election campaigns, aiding candidates in connecting with voters and amplifying their presence. From hats and t-shirts to banners and buttons, campaign merchandise not only increases visibility but also helps foster a sense of community among supporters. As the research above highlights, voters respond positively to these items, often associating campaign swag with favorable impressions of candidates. Furthermore, with a significant portion of campaign budgets allocated to promotional products, it’s clear that campaign teams recognize the value these items bring. Whether distributed at community events or through grassroots outreach, promotional merchandise remains a powerful way for candidates to leave a lasting impression. In an increasingly competitive political landscape, it’s these small and tangible connections that can make a big difference.

Sources:

• PPAI. "October Surprise." PPAI Media Hub, October 2024. Available at: https://www.ppai.org/media-hub/october-surprise.
• Wikipedia. "Political T-shirt." Wikipedia. Accessed November 12, 2024. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_T-shirt.
• Unionwear. News and Press. Accessed November 12, 2024. Available at: https://unionwear.com/category/news-and-press/.
• NBC News. "Final Price Tag on 2024 Political Advertising: Almost $11 Billion." NBC News, November 2024. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/final-price-tag-2024-political-advertising-almost-11-billion-rcna179341.