Political campaigns and promotional products go hand-in-hand. In fact, it’s widely acknowledged that the first ever promo product used in the United States was a commemorative brass button handed out during George Washington’s inauguration in 1789.

While these initial promo products weren’t explicitly related to Washington’s presidential campaign, they were an immediate hit. The buttons, inscribed “Long Live the President” surrounding the initials “GW”, became a popular symbol for Washington’s supporters and a sign of things to come in the political promo landscape. Soon enough, political merchandise became a staple of campaign strategy.

Throughout the 19^th century, candidates used political buttons and other novelty promo items like ribbons, sewing boxes, handkerchiefs and dishware to win the votes of their constituency, and as promo’s familiarity began to rise, more creative marketing strategies emerged. William Henry Harrison used commemorative merchandise to promote his “Log Cabin Campaign of 1840,” effectively reclaiming his humble roots as a likeable characteristic for everyday Americans to relate to, a tactic mimicked in nearly every presidential campaign since.

It didn’t take long for wearables, the most popular category of promo products today, to become entangled in the rise of political promo. Reflecting the trends of the time, flat-brimmed hats of the mid-1800s featured silk ribbons with a candidate’s name around the hatband. Other styles of hats catering to different demographics started to pop up in the mid-20^th century – JFK reached East Coast voters with plastic boater hats, while Lyndon B. Johnson focused on the South with Stetson-style cowboy hats. One of the first iterations of the promo T-shirt (the no. 1 product in the industry) was also birthed as a form of political promo. Apparel was used to appeal to the women’s suffrage movement with yellow clothing, sashes and other swag evoking the iconic “Votes for Women” and “I Cast My First Vote” slogans. This helped spread the message of a groundbreaking movement.

Today, political promo has boomed into a multi-billion-dollar industry, reaching new heights with Barack Obama’s historic campaign in 2008. Obama’s immediately recognizable “O” logo proved the power of political branding and its limitless potential, and nowadays, every candidate is looking to ride a similar wave using the power of promo.

Government candidates look for any competitive advantage they can get when it comes to election time, and the effectiveness of election promo has stood the test of time when analyzing the campaign success. The evolution of these products has come a long way in the centuries since their inception. Washington’s commemorative buttons were expensive to produce at the time, but the investment proved to be well worth it, and because of that success, innovation throughout the industry allowed for the creation of mass-produced, affordable products designed to reach a much wider audience.

Political merchandise is now as ubiquitous in our elections as television ads and opinion polling. Simply put, candidates who underestimate this market are resigned to a losing fate, and more often than not, no stone is left unturned when it comes to promo opportunities. Check out a small sample of products that have been proven effective in this sector:

• Buttons – Washington was on to something when he introduced this product to the political promo landscape. Now they are extremely cheap to make, easy to mass produce and a must-have handout at any campaign rally.
• Yard Signs – These are inescapable during election season. Whether they are planted on front yards or on highway medians, election yard signs are a simple yet effective way for an end-user to show their political allegiance.
• Tote Bags – As one of the most versatile and well-loved promo products circulating today, tote bags are highly impressionable especially among millennial and Gen Z voters, as proven by Elizabeth Warren with her successful tax-the-rich campaign in 2020.
• Hats – While the flat-brim hats used to promote the likes of James K. Polk and Woodrow Wilson aren’t so common anymore, a similar promo effect is felt today with baseball hats, visors and beanies.
• T-shirts – There might not be much interesting history tying T-shirts to the rise of political promo, but the most popular promo product is now a mainstay in any campaign. With versatility of fabric, imprint method and brandable messaging, there’s nothing a classic T-shirt can’t do.

What’s your experience working with local political campaigns? Do you have a prediction for the next big promo item to be used to promote elections? Let us know your thoughts on the members-only Facebook page.

Sources
Time Magazine
National Museum of American History
Esquire