Fri. Dec 13th, 2024
Shown here are examples of brands Democrats and Republicans tend to prefer. (Buyology, Inc.)

Written by Amy Bingham for abcnews.go.com

Trying to escape the partisan bickering and political pandering that is dominating this election season? Good luck. Those party lines may extend much farther than you think.

From choosing where to get that morning coffee fix to which car you bought to get you there, your political party association may be driving those purchase decisions.

Republicans, for example, are more likely to head to Dunkin’ Donuts for their daily cup of Joe, while Democrats are more inclined to get their caffeine fix from Starbucks, according to a study released this week by the neuro-insight firm Buyology.

When choosing a car, Democrats were more inclined to favor a rugged and adventurous Jeep while Republicans preferred the luxury and sophistication of BMW, according to the online survey, which used responses timed to the millisecond to determine more than 4,000 respondents’ gut reactions toward a brand.

“People will gravitate toward brands that have values that are reflective of who they are or who they want to be,” said Vanitha Swaminathan, an associate business administration professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Spokespeople for both BMW, which the study shows is favored by Republicans, and Starbucks, which is favored by Democrats, said their customer’s political persuasions are not a factor when deciding how best to advertise to them.

“Politics never enters into our advertising decisions,” said Kenn Sparks, a spokesman for BMW of North America, “Our customers are as diverse as our global company and people from every demographic group tell us that BMW is the brand they aspire to own. We’re delighted to have them all!”

While most mega brands, like Allstate or Progressive insurance, do not take a stand on political issues, they may make a play for people’s emotions in much the same way politicians do, said Swaminathan.

For example Allstate, which was favored by Republicans, has an advertising campaign that centers on fear, telling viewers “Mayhem is everywhere.”

The Republican Party uses a similar fear-based tactic, telling voters that four more years of President Obama would be a disaster for the country. Republicans may be attracted to Allstate because both the party and the product build off of a similar emotion, said Buyology CEO Gary Singer.

It is a similar story for fast food restaurants. Subway, where you choose every aspect of your sandwich, was the chain of choice for Republicans, a party whose platform revolves around individual freedom.

Democrats, on the other hand, favored Wendy’s, which Singer said can be seen as more democratic because they offer pre-fixed solutions to your hunger. It’s as if Wendy’s is saying, “We’ve got these answers and you pick which is best for you,” Singer said.

But not all brands divided down party lines.

While Democrats and Republicans disagree on so much, they did agree on Google, Visa, Apple and Coca-cola, the study showed.

“Those are brands that rise above these differences and have deep connections to people in both parties,” Singer said.

And the characteristics that make these four brands bipartisan are qualities Singer said could also prove helpful to presidential candidates, who are trying to connect with voters at the same emotional level on which successful brands connect with their customers.

“It’s all about leadership,” Singer said. “If you have clarity and distinctiveness there really is an opportunity to bring the country together in a powerful and emotional way.”

By OEN

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Ken Carman
Admin
12 years ago

Not sure this means all that much. BMW is over rated, always has been. Yeah, we got a Jeep, but it was as close as we could get to my beloved VW Thing but this damn top was designed by anal retentive Martians who know nothing about how a normal human would want to take down a top. These choices we make are more about who we want to be, than who we are. BMW? A desire to look like you have taste. Jeep? A desire to look like you’re freedom loving. The core values remain hidden.

Joyce Lovelace
Joyce Lovelace
12 years ago

The last 3 Google, Visa and Coca Cola may be their ubiquitousness rather than a clear choice. Visa/Mastercard are often designated by the bank, rather than a choice.
Coca Cola dominates the marketplace. Try asking for Pepsi – in many places you can’t get it.
You have to make a choice NOT to use Google.

The Wendy’s/Subway difference may be over types of food served. Wouldn’t a more telling choice be between McD’s or Burger king? Or compare Subway to Ciabatas(SP)?

As for the BMW. Many folks would like to be able to afford a BMW because of it’s perceived quality or status symbol. Once again I’d like to know how this survey was done because the comparison is between two cars with very disparate price tags.

2
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x