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Election Time Drivers

Written by Tom Ryan

Flip Flop Shops, a retail franchise with more than 60 locations, last week became the latest retailer or brand to seek to capitalize on election fervor by releasing a limited edition Obama/Romney Flip Flop line.

The flip flops don the faces of both political candidates and seek to make light of their propensity to flip-flop on major issues. Providing its own guess into the coming election's outcome, each week Flip Flop Shops will report a poll on the company's Facebook page showing which candidate is leading based on purchases. For every pair sold, Flip Flop Shops will donate $1 to the U.S. Treasury.

"This is a fun way to call attention to the fact that both these candidates go back and forth on major issues," said Brian Curin, Flip Flop Shops' president, in a statement. "We're also helping lower the national debt — if the government can't do it, at least Flip Flop Shops can help."

7-Eleven, for the fourth consecutive presidential election, is encouraging consumers to vote at its stores by selecting specially-marked coffee cups, blue for President Barack Obama and red for former Gov. Mitt Romney. (Regular "nonpartisan" cups are also available.) Based on the purchases, a coffee poll is viewable on a micro-site to provide another prognosticator of the election's outcome. Past 7-Election poll results have virtually mirrored real election results. 7-Eleven's president and CEO Joe DePinto said in a statement, "We have had a lot of fun with it, and I hope we have encouraged people how important it is to vote in the real election."

Others playing the political game:

  • Maker's Mark Bourbon is running an ad featuring James Carville and Mary Matalin, the famous political couple, throwing their support behind, "The Cocktail Party."
  • Boston Market has set up a micro-site to encourage consumers to vote either "Left Wing" or "Right Wing" based on their favorite bird — turkey or chicken — in support of its new Market Bowl. Voters get a BOGO coupon for a Market Bowl and a fountain drink.
  • FedEx Office, formerly Kinko's, has a TV spot lampooning the extremes two local politicians looking to discredit the other.
  • Urban Outfitters has long sold sold t-shirts, some irreverant, and other merchandise around presidential candidates in the past. This year it reached an agreement with Comedy Central for items tied to the "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report."

 

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