Sticker Mule is a printing company known for its novelty T-shirts and coasters, but until recently it wasn’t a political animal.
But at an event held Monday night in Amsterdam, New York, three hours north of Manhattan, the company took a very public stance on the presidential election, hoisting a glowing 100-foot-wide sign of support above its headquarters. Ta.
The sign, which read “Vote for Trump” in 12-foot-tall letters, was visible from miles away. The company said it feared the signs would distract passing motorists and that city officials feared a backlash from critics embarrassed by the printing company’s harsh political stance in a town of 18,000 people. Despite concerns, the lighting ceremony went ahead.
Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino said it was worth the trouble.
“I’m here on behalf of all Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike,” Constantino, 41, said at the event alongside mixed martial arts fighters and two tangerine Tesla Cybertrucks. He spoke while surrounded by people. It’s a celebration of free speech and unity, he said, and Trump is a “unifying candidate.”
If recent polls are any indication, many of Constantino’s clients are unlikely to agree.
It was the latest example of unusually bold politics in a risk-averse business world at a time when partisan sentiment seems to permeate every aspect of American life.
Corporations have long tried to influence policy behind the scenes, but in recent years some have been accused of “virtue signaling” by supporting movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement. are.
However, it is still unusual for a company to give its full support, and even more unusual for a company to be so far removed from national politics.
Is it a wise business strategy? Research says no, but the move is sending ripples through the once-serene world of sticker printing.
Sticker Mule first gained political attention in July when Constantino announced he had sent an email to more than 4 million mailing list subscribers with the subject line “Trump 2024.” The email promoted a $4 T-shirt, down from $19, after calling for an end to political violence in response to the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump. “We encourage you to purchase anything that shows your support for Trump,” he wrote.
Confusion arose. Online businesses operate across the country and in many international markets.
“I had to double check who the email was from,” said Adam Bredlow, 27, of Seattle. He said he ordered T-shirts and magnets through the website of his punk band Jet///Rag. “My first thought was, it’s over, I’m not going to use it anymore,” he says.
Critics of the letter argued that the company made matters worse by starting to post some respondents’ email addresses on social media.
Constantino said in an interview that the company respects people with different opinions and only exposes users who have sent death threats or other harmful messages to the team.
This support certainly attracted attention. According to analysis firm SimilarWeb, the number of accesses to the company’s website in July was approximately 3.7 million, an increase of 43% from the same month last year.
But that hasn’t translated into increased sales, Constantino said. “We have been hit by this, but solving big problems requires upfront investment.”
purple politics
In Amsterdam, where residents have recently chosen candidates from both major political parties, political opinions have become a calculated risk for businesses. About 38% of the city’s voters are Democrats, the largest voting bloc, followed closely by independents and Republicans, according to data from the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
There were almost no unveiling ceremonies for the sign. Last week, Democratic Mayor Michael Cinquanti’s office sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the giant sign from being posted, saying it violates zoning rules and could pose a danger to distracted drivers. Ta.
Shortly before the ignition, Sticker Mule’s attorneys persuaded a state Supreme Court judge to vacate the order on the grounds that it had not been properly obtained.
Cinquanti said in a statement that the city notified Constantino in August that the sign violated city ordinances and that he could apply for a penalty fee, but there was no follow-up.
“If the name on that very same sign were ‘Harris’ instead of ‘Trump,’ our city would take the exact same action requiring the owner to abide by the same city code,” he said. , added that the city still intends to do so. Let Mr. Constantino abide by the rules.
The company employs more than 1,000 local residents, primarily in manufacturing, and has a large following. Founded in 2010, Sticker Mule opened in a former glove factory. Manufacturing, once a major industry, has declined significantly in the region. More than a fifth of the city’s population will live in poverty in 2022, according to demographic data firm Social Explorer.
At the sign-lighting ceremony, hundreds of people filled the factory parking lot to hear from guest speakers, including former UFC champion Henry Cejudo and Conservative provincial candidate Joe Mastroianni.
“It’s in bad taste to mix business with politics, and Anthony didn’t want that to happen,” Mastroianni said in an interview. But beyond support, he said, the sign reflects a common sentiment among conservatives who feel shunned by others because of their beliefs.
“It feels like coming out of the closet, it’s liberating,” he said. “That’s the best analogy.”
City resident Bill Nice said he showed up to support local businesses.
“Sticker Mule is a big employer,” he said. “See these abandoned buildings? This country needs industry.”
dangerous posture
Constantino insists that President Trump’s sign is not about business, but about lowering the temperature of political debate.
“Most people do a risk-reward calculation and stay silent,” he says. “The world needs to know that there are influential and successful people supporting him.”
The cost of that support was not small. Mr. Constantino formed a political action committee called Sticker PAC, which paid nearly $90,000 (out of his own pocket) for the 100-foot sign, according to public information. The group also said it has printed more than 27,000 packs of pro-Trump stickers for supporters.
This move attracted a lot of attention for the company. Trump commented on the article about the lighting ceremony, saying, “Thank you!” He then shared his work with his 7.8 million followers on Truth Social.
Constantino hopes the buzz will support the upcoming launch of a new e-commerce platform focused on print products for small business owners. “We serve the public,” he said.
But Vanessa Burbano, a professor at Columbia Business School who studies corporate behavior in the public sphere, said this rise may be short-lived.
For companies that make overtly political statements, Dr. Burbano said, “all of my research suggests that it’s hardly a good thing,” and that people react more negatively when they disagree. , with the company’s position adding that they are less likely to change their behavior when they agree.
He said the politicization of business started accelerating around the 2016 election, but it backfired or was half-hearted for many companies, such as My Pillow, whose CEO worked closely with Trump. It is said to have brought about results. Expensify, a business software startup, drew harsh criticism in 2020 for sending emails supporting Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential campaign to 10 million customers.
She said there are signs that much of the business community is once again withdrawing from politics, which makes Sticker Mule an outlier.
SimilarWeb said that despite the company’s traffic surging in July after President Trump’s email, visitors in September were down 12% compared to the same month last year.
But Constantino wasn’t concerned about the potential drop in visitors, saying, “I think in the long run it will enhance the brand.”
Paul Post contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy and Jennie Coughlin contributed to the research.
