October Surprise | Must Read promo products. The second most common promo ratio is 5%-10% of the campaign budget. (See Figure 2.) These are fairly high allocation percentages considering the sometimes eye-popping prices we see referenced for political television ads. It’s also a reminder that campaigns for downballot or local offices that may not devote big investments in television ads do rely on promotional products. • Both Democratic and Republican campaigns measure their return on investment in promo primarily through event attendance. Social media engagement, fundraising success and merchandise sales are also reported measures of ROI. Perhaps one of the most surprising insights from the survey is that one political party has much more confidence in promo’s ability to engage voters than the other, at least by percentage. A majority 61.29% of Democrats consider promotional products effective, compared to 30.30% of Republicans. (See Figure 3.) However, both parties use promo to help finance their campaigns. Nealy two-thirds (61.29%) of Democrats surveyed view merchandise sales as having a positive financial impact on their campaigns, compared to 54.54% of Republicans. Additional insights: • Democratic campaigns showed a preference for promo that could be personalized and create an emotional connection. • Republican candidates focused more heavily on visibility through traditional products like yard signs or banners. But How Do The Voters Feel About Promo? In addition to campaign staffers, PPAI Research surveyed more than 1,000 voters, more than 80% of whom were either Republicans or Democrats of all ages and incomes and who lived across the Midwest, Northeast, South and West. T-shirts are the most commonly received promotional products across all parties, with 45.11% of voters claiming to have received one. Hats and caps were next on the list, FIGURE 1: The most preferred promotional products among campaign representatives FIGURE 3: Confidence in promo’s ability to engage voters T-shirts Hats/Caps Buttons/Badges Banners/Posters/Signs Flags Stickers Pens/Pencils Overall Democrat Republican 67.61% 70.97% 69.70% 69.01% 77.42% 63.64% 36.62% 45.16% 33.33% 40,85% 54.84% 33.33% 43,66% 64.52% 33.33% 36.62% 41.94% 39.39% 28.17% 35.48% 27.27% Eective Neutral Overall Democrat Republican 42.25% 61.29% 30.30% 18.31% 9.68% 18.18% FIGURE 2: Percentage of total campaign budget spent on promational products More than 30% 7.04% Less than 5% 14.08% 21% - 30% 15.49% 11% - 20% 40.85% 5% - 10% 22.54% Perhaps one of the most surprising insights from the survey is that one political party has much more confidence in promo’s ability to engage voters than the other, at least by percentage. PPAI • OCTOBER 2024 • 27
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