After the 2016 presidential election, we saw just how important promotional products were. The Trump campaign relied heavily on tangible goods, including caps, signs and T-shirts, to get the message out. And, as we see now, it worked.
So, with the re-election campaign starting essentially as soon as the Trump administration set up camp in the West Wing, we can see that the team is putting faith in promotional products yet again, and selling a lot of them.
According to Newsweek, more than 40 percent of presidential election products purchased are Trump-related, another 40 percent are simply 2020 presidential election products, and 20 percent represent prospective Democratic nominees.
This isn’t a shocking figure, as obviously Trump is the incumbent, while the Democratic camp hasn’t announced any formal contention to the president. Fans of politicians on the left have nonetheless created merchandise relating to their ideal candidates, such as Michelle Obama (who confirmed she would not run for office in 2020) and Bernie Sanders. CafePress said that 13.6 percent of election merchandise is Sanders-related.
Also, while Trump fans might be quick to celebrate this feat of commercialism, it’s important to look at what exactly the Trump-related items say.
Newsweek reports:
However, it would be unwise for the president to take the sales as an early indicator of support, as much of the Trump-branded merchandise is critical of the president or mocks him.
Along with hats and other merchandise bearing Trump’s 2016 election slogan, “Make America Great Again,” there are stickers proclaiming, “Donald Trump 2020: Just To P*ss You Off,” and others suggesting the election will bring about the “End of an Error.”
The Democrats will no doubt ramp up their promotional campaigns come 2018, when midterm elections take place. If they learned anything from the Trump victory of 2016, it’s that branding is vital.
According to The Hill, the Dems have been toying with one particular slogan:
“Democrats 2018: I mean, have you seen the other guys?”
