The Promo Column
Election winners “N
exercise that is representative democracy.
ot you as well!” I hear you grumble, fed up already with the interminable
But for merchandisers, elections are very welcome on at least one level. We may not know which direction the country is heading in, but at least we can make hay while the sun shines – which, granted, isnʼt for very long at this time of year.
Those campaign T shirts, baseball caps, flags, badges, pens and mugs, donʼt just appear out of nowhere. Some lucky business is tasked with delivering them, and with the short lead time for GE19, theyʼll be needed PDQ!
Rebranding Of course, thereʼs always just the option
of Tippex-ing over… sorry, rebranding, the 2017 merch cache. I donʼt doubt there are cartons of unopened stuff left over from two years ago in various organisersʼ garages and sheds which they never got around to upcycling or disposing of responsibly. Thatʼs completely the wrong attitude though.
As Donald Trump demonstrated in 2016, merchandise it a powerful ally to the single-issue politician. His trademark Make America Great Again baseball caps have apparently sold one million units. To be fair, that information may need to be independently fact checked as it came from POTUS58 himself, so it could be anything from one to twelvty billion.
Creativity
Will we see this level of creativity over here: a ʻLetʼs Swing it for Swinsonʼ hammock maybe; an ʻI dig Jeremy Corbynʼ allotment fork, or a ʻMy parents went to a Brexit Party and all I got was this babygrow with Nigel Farage on itʼ romper suit? Time will tell.
On a practical front, the fact that the election is in the deep midwinter, presents a number of merch options for parties. As activists trudge the streets, this could be the election of the torch allowing party workers to scan their voters lists of yes, no, and ʻdonʼt go theresʼ.
It comes around quicker every year, doesn’t it? The General Election, not Christmas! This month, promotional products commentator, Stuart Derrick, takes a look at campaign merchandise.
from the Trump playbook, that includes proceeds from the sales of 32,000 $35 baseball caps with the logo ʻMATHʼ – as in ʻyou do the mathʼ. (Note to our American friends and colleagues, itʼs actually ʻmathsʼ.)
lengths in between. Socks are also available in a range of materials, including cotton, Lycra, and bamboo and performance materials such as Coolmax and Thermolite. Sublimation printing allows all over images to be created.
Street level While weʼre at street level, our good friend
Scanglo has a range of
reflective lace accessories. The tags can be attached to shoes or trainers and providing a reflective surface that can be viewed an incredible 150 metres away. The tags can be branded, of course. A further reflective option is a bus or rail pass cover which provides a similar degree of visibility on dark nights.
Scanglo’s reflective lace accessories
Fluid Branding’s head torch
Our good friend at Fluid Branding has an array of light-emitting devices from powerful nine LED bulb hand torches, to more discreet keyring sized versions, and my favourite for taking the bins out, the good old head torch. This has the added benefit of leaving your hands free for gesticulating wildly about how great the future is going to be.
MATH cap
However, if they sold anything like the number he claims, at $25 a pop, thatʼs a lot of cheeseburgers, and other candidates have taken note. Andrew Yang, the tech entrepreneur running an outsider bid for president, raised $10m in donations in the third quarter of 2019, according to his campaign. Taking a page
| 104 | December 2019
While people are out there shining a light on their partiesʼ policies, remember that itʼs going to be cold, and to me, that says one thing – socks. In recent years socks have become increasingly popular as an item of promotional clothing, not least during the summer, when they show off a pair of sandals perfectly, or is that just me? Anyway, you donʼt have to wait until summer comes along before showing off your colours at street level. Kingly specialises in bespoke knitted socks, and with 120 knitting machines, the company can knock them out to short deadlines. Not that the socks have to be short. Styles range from practically invisible below the trainer, secret socks, to extra- long above the knee socks, with six other
After all that canvassing, or perhaps during it, what better than a piping hot beverage, particularly if itʼs in a drinking vessel that helps show your green credentials, such as the Stojo
collapsible cup. Itʼs a reusable
alternative to a disposable cup. The collapsible design allows you to enjoy hot or cold drinks, and then collapse it and store it in your pocket or bag. It is BPA free, food grade and made of recyclable materials, and with many cafes offering a discount for people who bring their own cups, it will save you money too.
Stojo’s collapsible cup
Which may be no bad thing. With the spending pledges of the main parties mounting up, weʼll all be looking for some spare change down the back of the collective sofa soon. Iʼll see you on the other side.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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