Just for fun, we sent out a survey to see how much revenue the 2012 election cycle generated for the sign industry. Well, based on our sample size, not much. Twenty of the 28 respondents sold some political signage. Overall, their collective sales volume tallied $9.3 million; of that, political signs generated $158,700, or 1.7% of the total. More than half said it was “significantly more” than in 2011, and 40% said it was “significantly more” than in 2008, the last Presidential election.
Yard signs represented approximately 78% of the output, with banners (the only other specific option) at 16%. Screenprinting was marginally more popular than digital imaging, at 53% versus 47%. Republicans outspent Democrats by nearly 2:1. Slightly more than half of the sales volume went for local campaigns, with 37% for statewide candidates and issues, and 9% for national. A third of the respondents donated political signage to a candidate or cause.
Forty percent demanded 100% payment upfront, and a third requested 50% down. Two brave souls allowed for 100% payment upon completion. Approximately a quarter charged extra for rush jobs (10% and 25% premiums were specified).
Turnaround time was a week for approximately half the jobs, and “a few days” constituted most of the rest. Seven percent of the clients allowed two weeks.
Despite these minimal results, we have to assume they paint a rosier picture than reality, because people who don’t create any political signs were probably less likely to answer at all. But, keep in mind that the vast majority of our readers (subscribers, registered users, etc.) are sign companies, and not outdoor-advertising companies. Their figures would probably be significantly more.