Shapiro for Governor
When Shapiro began his run for Pennsylvania governor, his campaign managers contacted our trusted team. F.I.I. created the diverse merch for Shapiro for Governor, and seamlessly executed complicated planning and delivery logistics for the large swing state. Our work unburdened Shapiro’s campaign staffers and dramatically increased campaign efficiencies.
Above and Beyond Value with a Multipurpose Ecommerce Store
One of the first to-dos for Shapiro for Governor was to stand up an ecommerce store for the campaign’s many merch sales needs. The store had all of the advanced functionality needed to sell products to Shapiro supporters. But the campaign faced an additional (and all-too-common) challenge: efficiently distributing free yard signs across the expansive state of PA.
Typically, yard signs are shipped to campaign headquarters. They’re left to sit in an office until someone decides to give them out or steadfast supporters pick them up. We wanted to take the onus off of the Shapiro campaign team and get the signs directly into supporters’ hands — and yards — fast.
We advised the campaign to leverage the robust ecommerce platform we had already created to not only sell merch, but also coordinate the delivery of free lawn signs right to supporters’ homes across the region. The back end of the campaign store was the perfect venue to record, track, and fulfill the sign orders.
The Result: Reimagined Fulfillment + Efficient Signage Distribution = Increased Campaign Prominence
Yard signage is critical to campaign visibility — and, therefore, success. We used the existing campaign store infrastructure to distribute thousands of lawn signs to individual donors’ homes, sparing campaign staff from having to distribute bulk shipments or travel to and from campaign offices. By shipping directly to homes, all the supporters needed to do was display the signs on their lawns. This led to a much higher sign usage rate, and even distribution across a wider geographic area.
Tailored Merchandise, On Demand
The Shapiro for Governor campaign grew rapidly. But even as planned and new product needs arose, the team at F.I.I. was able to effectively scale the merch.
We crafted custom products at a rapid pace. Key to F.I.I.’s ability to create and quickly fulfill this type of merch order is our state of the art print-on-demand capabilities, together with our union printing partner Worx Printing.
Our print-on-demand services gave the Shapiro campaign the flexibility to order only the number of products sold. Consequently, we provided more detailed, bespoke designs and product types — without breaking the bank. The campaign was spared from having to create or carry the costs of unsold inventory.
Shapiro defeated Mastriano in the 2022 gubernatorial election by more than 14 percent [Image By WeaponizingArchitecture – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125183319]
The Result: More & Better Custom Merch, No Wasted Capital
Custom merch matters. It makes each segment of supporters feel seen and heard by the campaign…by Josh Shapiro. At F.I.I., we know when to recommend the print-on-demand route vs. when to order in bulk. In this case, creating bespoke merch saved the campaign money and time while elevating and extending their messaging and reach.
Logistics Made Easy & Efficient with Direct Merch Fulfillment for Events and Donor Gifts
F.I.I. is so much more than a place to buy merchandise. We also manage the complicated logistics of fulfillment and distribution. For the Shapiro campaign, that meant shipping to campaign rallies and events as well as mailing direct response incentives to donors.
When the Shapiro campaign had events — like Pride, bus tours, or Shapiro for Students rallies — the campaign managers only had to worry about telling us they needed event-specific merch and showing up to the event. F.I.I. took care of everything else.
We shipped merch directly to campaign trail stops throughout the state — coordinating complex delivery times and locations so the goods arrived exactly when needed. Nothing arrived too soon (before the campaign managers arrived at that trail stop) or too late (post-event when the merch was no longer needed).
We also mailed direct response incentives to Shapiro donors. Nobody likes to make a donation (especially a sizable one) and then wait weeks for their swag to arrive. For the Shapiro for Governor campaign, we did what we do best: leveraged our resources to maximize the production and fulfillment of the campaign merchandise.
The campaign managers only had to provide us with a list of donors who should receive merchandise. We did the rest, producing goods and sending merch gifts directly to donors, constituents, and other financial supporters quickly and accurately. For an added touch, we personalized each swag bag with a thank you note.
The Result: Better Constituent Relations
To attract and retain supporters and donors, the Shapiro campaign had to show event attendees and donors just how vital their participation in events and donation of funds were to the ultimate success of Shapiro. Merch also helps keep campaign momentum and morale high.
At the end of the day, we created the sense that the campaign was responsive and efficient without burdening the Shapiro team with the thorny logistical challenges of direct merch fulfillment for events and donor gifts.
On to the Inauguration: Our Continued Work with Josh Shapiro
After achieving victory, Josh Shapiro asked us to help with his inauguration merchandise because of our proven, successful partnership.
F.I.I. created a purpose-built ecommerce operation to supply new celebratory gifts as well as repurpose leftover campaign items, minimizing waste.
Overall, F.I.I.’s services for the Shapiro campaign aided in Shapiro’s eventual victory. Not only did our USA made, union printed merchandise contribute to campaign visibility, but it also increased funds raised. What’s more, uber-efficient logistics management by F.I.I. saved the Shapiro team time and energy that they could apply to other pursuits in winning the election.