$6 Billion+ Later
I heard the pundits say on the news this morning (about the 2012 elections) that "$6 Billlion dollars later and things are exactly the same." I disagree! Things are NOT the same -
A great deal of that $6 Billion+ was spent with independent business owners in OUR industry, for shirts, headwear, buttons, lapel pins, signs and promotional products products! The net result of who will be serving us in Washington may be the same, but the impact of that incomprehensible spend by all the candidates was hugely significant for embroidery business owners, screen printers and promotional products distributors.
Yes, a huge chunk of the campaign spending went for TV advertising - with no tangible products to show for it. But even those dollars will benefit John Q. Public, as many TV stations are now able to afford upgraded equipment and technology, including things like their weather tracking systems. And personally, I am all for more accurate weather forecasts - I DO live in northeast Ohio, after all!
I wonder if there is any central office or database where campaign spending is tracked, on a local, state or even national level by category. I see articles with data about advertising spending like this one in the New York Times, but nothing that breaks it down into more detail. I would LOVE to know how much, in aggregate, was spent on shirts, headwear, promotional products, yard signs, etc. I bet the collective numbers would appeal to every embroiderer, printer and promo distributor I know!?!
If you did not go after or get any of those orders this year, I certainly would think about why not? Then think about what you can do to market your services to candidates and campaigns as the next election cycle gets into gear!
Oh - one another big winner from the massive campaign spending, our trusty old United States Post Office. They carried untold tons of flyers and postcards, adding much needed revenue to the USPS system - just my opinion. I think it is actually pretty amazing that I can send an envelope from here to anywhere in the USA for less than two quarters!
Did you do any orders for campaigns or candidates? How did you get that work? Post your comments below:
