The Power Of Political Merch: New Study Dives into American's Relationship with Branded Campaign Reports

LAS VEGAS – June 2024 – EverythingBranded, a global merchandising hub offering high quality, tangible marketing solutions outside of the digital world, today released its 2024 Political Merch Report, which explores the American consumer’s relationship with branded political merchandise (merch).

36% of Americans surveyed say they have purchased or plan to buy branded political merch to support their chosen candidate in this election. Of those, 77% said they are proud to wear their political merch and 70% said their purchase was made in hopes of influencing others to support the same candidate. Nearly 3 out of 4 respondents view the purchase of political merch as a donation and 68% believe it will impact the results of the election.

“People choose to wear branded merch for all types of reasons,” said Lucas Theodoulou, Director of North America for EverythingBranded. “They like the organization and the design, but they also want to show they belong to a team. Whether it’s a favorite sports team or a political party, these products have always been a powerful way of showing support.”

Candidate branded merch stands the test of time, regardless of who wins. 72% of people who purchase political merch say they plan to keep it even if their candidate loses and 66% say they plan to keep their items for at least 5-10 years after the election.

As for type of merchandise people are looking for, of those who have purchased political merch or plan to, clothing is in the highest demand at 55%, including a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket. This is followed by a hat or any other type of headwear (43%); a bumper sticker, car magnet or any other type of car sign (42%); and a button, pin, broach or similar adornment (31%). A bible or other religious item (14%) and a flag (1%) ranked the lowest.

On average, Americans will spend $26.50 on political merch for a single candidate this election. 4% will spend more than $500 and 1 in 1,000 said they’d spend over $1,000 on one lucky candidate.

Republicans and Democrats are nearly just as likely to buy branded political merch to support their chosen contender. 44% of republicans say they have purchased or plan to purchase political merch compared to 43% of democrats. Independents are more likely to fly under the radar at only 26%. Even some people with no political party affiliation, 16%, will pick up an item this year.

Democrats favor clothing like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets whereas Republicans are much more likely to purchase a hat or yard sign. Democrats are also willing to spend $14.06 more than Republicans when it comes to political merch.

Men are more likely than women to purchase candidate swag; 42% of men compared to 31% of women. Men are also willing to spend more on political swag than women – dropping $13.83 more on average.

“In today’s marketing landscape, there are more options than ever thanks to advancements in social media, connected TV and programmatic offerings,” said Theodoulou. “Yet even with ever more sophisticated ways to reach customers, the most effective advertising technique is still one of the oldest and simplest: branded merch.”

63% of consumers polled said they were likely to visit a business, either the physical location or online site, if they saw it on a friend’s t-shirt or other branded merchandise – more than any other form of marketing polled including an influencer’s social media post (41%), a digital ad (50%), an outdoor ad or billboard (45%), a print news advertisement (44%) or a TV ad (56%). This was true regardless of age group, even amid 55+, but was especially true for young people aged 18 – 24 (72%), aged 25-34 (68%) and aged 35-44 (73%).

Methodology:

The total sample size was 1,000 consumers in the U.S. aged 18 and over. The survey was conducted between May 16 and May 20, 2024 by independent market research consultancy, Censuswide. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

About EverythingBranded

A global merch hub, offering high quality, tangible marketing solutions outside of the digital world, EverythingBranded provides brand elevating products that make people smile. The world’s most recognizable brands, like Microsoft, Netflix, Google, Walmart, CocaCola and NASA, rely on EverythingBranded’s full suite of custom branded merchandise solutions for bespoke design, supply chain fulfillment, short-term storage and more. Founded in 2010, EverythingBranded is one of the fastest growing providers of branded products, employing more than 150 people worldwide including in Las Vegas.