Republicans and Democrats can’t even agree on popular brands

Want to start a bar fight? All you have to do is start
talking politics. Nothing exposes what divides us more
than topics like abortion, gay marriage, tax cuts, and
welfare.

Well, it turns out the divide between the political
parties goes far deeper. The brands we choose might also
help define why we chose one side or the other.

Are you a Dunkin’ Donuts person or a Starbucks person?
According to a new survey by BuyologyInc.com,
you’re a Republican if you prefer Dunkin’ and a Democrat
if you prefer Starbucks. The company surveyed 4,000
Americans on 200 different brands in a wide variety of
product categories. The company provided a list of
products and then measured the time it took respondents to
answer which was their most desired brand. This was a gut-
reaction response.

Here are some of the highlights: Democrats replied that
Jeep was their most desired car while Republicans answered
BMW. Democrats like Wendy’s best while Republicans prefer
Subway. Major League Baseball was tops for Republicans
and the National Football League reigns for Democrats.

Melissa Hobley, the Chief Media Officer with Buyology Inc.
told MyNorthwest.com the baseball vs. football response
tells her a few things. “The MLB, some people say, is a
mirror of a Republican philosophy on the economy,” she
said. “The MLB does not have salary caps. They don’t have
revenue sharing. It’s not a democratic system like the
NFL. The NFL has structured its system so that one
particular team cannot dominate.”

The most interesting brand decision, in Hobley’s mind, is
on insurance. This survey found Republicans prefer
Allstate while Democrats prefer Progressive.

“Allstate’s campaign is all about fear,” Hobley said.
“It’s that guy who’s ‘Mayhem.’ If you look at some of the
Republican Party marketing and messaging, they use fear.
So Republicans are responding to Allstate.”

Now Hobley admits, plenty of Democratic campaigns use fear
too, so it’s not a good idea to read too much into these
results or use them to justify stereotypes about either
party.

“I can see where people would use this as a stereotypical
thing, but that’s what we hope people don’t use this as.”

Hobley also admits that not all Democrats or Republicans
will share these results. It’s more of a reflections of
trends.

“I think the takeaway here is understanding why we’re
drawn to certain brands and why we’re drawn to certain
candidates and certain political parties, and you start to
see some themes,” she said.

Here are a few more brand distinctions to chew on.
Democrats prefer the Wii. Republicans like X-Box.
Democrats like Animal Planet. Republicans are into the
History Channel.

But there was some common ground. Both Democrats and
Republicans agreed on their favorite beverage; they both
like Coca-Cola. The two also agree that Visa is the best
financial service, Google is the best Internet brand,
Apple has the best technology, and Olay is the best beauty
brand.

Now, whether this really means anything or they missed the
vast majority of Americans who prefer all kinds of
products for a variety or reasons, is up to you. I’m not
going to tell you which party I prefer, but I will say I
choose my products the way I choose my candidates. If I
like something, I buy it regardless of the brand. I vote
for the best candidate regardless of party. I choose a
product if I like it, not because of the brand.

The most interesting question out of this survey is
whether the campaigns will consider its findings. Will
the president be seen at more Wendy’s and Starbucks now?
Will Mitt Romney be throwing out pitches at baseball games
and buying $5 foot-longs?