America Was Branded From The Start | Must Read Branded merchandise is as American as baseball, jazz and apple pie. Before it became a defined business category, patriotic merch was already being produced and distributed as mass messaging tools. These promotional products weren’t essential to “brand campaigns” yet, but they demonstrated the core concept that would define the industry: Branded merch powers lasting connections. In many ways, the story of patriotic merch is also the story of the industry itself, illustrating how it grew, evolved and responded to national moments. From political campaigns to wartime mobilization to cultural movements, merch has remained a powerful force in shaping public opinion, national identity and consumer capitalism. The Birth Of Political Merch You must go back 237 years for the dawn of patriotic – and political – merchandise in the U.S., as commemorative buttons were distributed at George Washington’s presidential inauguration. “There was a dozen different buttons, and some said ‘Long Live The President’ because they were treating him like a king. They didn’t know what to say,” says Tony Lee, president of the American Political Items Collectors, a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to promoting the collection, preservation and study of materials relating to political campaigns and the presidency. Throughout the 1800s, political merch consisted of primarily brass and metal items, Lee says. To show support for candidates, people would have an image of them on tin, PPAI • MAY 2026 • 29
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