A Brief History of Political Campaign Merchandise

A Brief History of Political Campaign Merchandise

The use of merchandise in presidential campaigns is as old as the campaigns themselves, merchandise is used in a bid to popularize the candidate and foster togetherness among supporters. Campaign hats have been in existence for more than a hundred years and have been used as an emblem of political support, and unity. These hats are of different types and are most of the time looked at as mementos by the most ardent followers.

A good example of the campaign merchandise that stands out is the one that was used in the 2016 Trump campaign. The hats which had the inscription “Make America Great Again” were very fashionable and were considered to be very important to the supporters. These hats did not only symbolize the campaign’s message but also contributed to the creation of a united front for the supporters.

Apart from the hats, other forms of campaign items such as t-shirts are also commonly sold during election periods particularly during summer. These shirts assist the candidate in passing on his message as individuals wearing them go around the community thereby becoming walking billboards for the campaign. Wearing a campaign t-shirt, and a hat can also add to this message and clearly state which candidate the wearer is supporting.

Campaigns also create items that can be collected such as presidential coins that are usually considered as useful or good to have. These coins may be those that are particularly minted for the election and may bear images of the candidate or his campaign catchphrase. Some of them are even plated with precious metals such as 24 K gold and this makes them to be of interest to collectors.

Other tradition associated with campaigns include the campaign flags and these have been in use since the 1840s. Early flags often comprised the candidate’s portrait, their campaign slogan and the American flag; and they were made of cotton. Banners are an important means of expressing the people’s love for their country and for a candidate.

In general, hats, t-shirts, coins and flags are vital to presidential campaigns as they are used by the campaign teams. These items establish immediate link between the candidates and the voters; the supporters are able to express their political stance in a very active manner.