As the presidential election looms and 2021 nears, the economy is the issue that matters most to promotional products professionals, while a plurality of industry pros believe a second term for President Donald Trump would be most beneficial to the ad specialty business.

Data from ASI Research

Those are the findings of a new exclusive survey from Counselor, ASI’s flagship publication. The survey sought to gauge where the industry stands on the 2020 presidential election, political affiliation, Trump’s presidency, and pressing economic/societal issues. It was conducted among members of ASI – Counselor’s parent company and the promo industry’s largest membership organization.

The survey found that a plurality of promo pros are Republican – 48% to be exact. That compares to 16% Democrat and 23% independent. Some 13% belong to a party that’s neither Republican nor Democrat.

Data from ASI Research

Given the conservative lean of the industry, perhaps it’s not a surprise that half of promo pros (50%) said the Trump/Mike Pence ticket will be best for the promotional products market, compared to the near third (32%) who preferred the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket. Nearly one in five (18%) said there’d be no difference for the industry regardless of who is elected.

Sentiments were distinctly divided when it came to assessing the 45th president’s first term. Nearly half – 48% – had an unfavorable opinion of Trump’s first-term performance. Meanwhile, 44% had a favorable opinion. Looking at the numbers closer, it’s clear there’s not much middle ground: 31% had a “very favorable” opinion of Trump’s presidency while 37% had a “very unfavorable” opinion. Only 8% were neutral.

Data from ASI Research. 

When it came to issues that concern promo pros, the economy took top spot, followed closely by related matters. Promo’s fortunes tend rise and fall with the performance of the broader economy. “While the industry is nearly split down the middle about how they see Trump’s presidency, there is no doubt what they see as the most important issue for 2020 – the economy,” said Nathaniel Kucsma, ASI’s executive director of research and corporate marketing. “And lest you think that trade and U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports were forgotten about – they haven’t been. Some 60% of ASI members cite that as a leading issue for 2020, right alongside taxes and Covid-19 Response and Plan.”

Data from ASI Research. Click here for a larger image of the above graph.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on about $370 billion worth of products imported from China, the country that manufactures the majority of promotional products sold in North America. Still, whether due to mitigated cost price increases or other actions by distributors, suppliers and overseas factories, data from Counselor’s 2020 State of the Industry report shows that only 15% of distributors reported that their sales have been negatively impacted by tariffs, while one in five distributors have had margins negatively affected by the levies.

Data from ASI Research/Counselor 2020 State of the Industry report

Counselor will soon be releasing, on asicentral.com/news, an in-depth breakdown of the election and what either a Trump second term or Biden presidency could mean for the promo products industry.