Converse takes off among liberal consumers after Harris becomes the Democratic nominee

It’s been an unpredictable election season – and we still have seven weeks to go until Election Day. But we aren’t here to talk about politics. We’d much rather discuss brands.

This year’s political season has impacted more than Americans’ voting decisions – it has impacted how consumers think about certain brands, like Converse.

Converse’s sales conversion funnel has significantly shifted since Kamala Harris became the presidential nominee of the Democratic party. Don’t see a connection between the two? Keep reading.

Want more information on fashion trends? Check out our Apparel & Fashion: An Industry Snapshot report for insights and brand data. 

Converse’s number one fan

Converse and Harris have a long, public history.

All the way back in 2018, Harris publicly talked about her collection of Converse shoes in an interview with The Cut: “I run through airports in my Converse sneakers. I have a whole collection of Chuck Taylors: a black leather pair, a white pair, I have the kind that don’t lace, the kind that do lace, the kind I wear in the hot weather, the kind I wear in the cold weather, and the platform kind for when I’m wearing a pantsuit.”

Harris was seen wearing Converses on the election trail in 2020, and on the cover of Vogue in 2021. 

In an unexpected move this July, President Joe Biden decided to not pursue a second term in office. Harris stepped up as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee. Harris’ fans turned to Converse to show their support for the current Vice President. Converse’s Chuck Taylors saw a tremendous surge on Google Trends. Mentions of “Converse” (and related terms) on social media rose 4,500%. 

For its part, Converse has remained solidly out of the discussion and has not responded to the outpouring of interest from Harris’ fans. This is a smart move during a contentious election season, where a brand could easily alienate half of the country if seen as playing favorites with either the Democrats or Republicans.

A tale of two sales conversion funnels

Looking at Converse’s data from QuestBrand by The Harris Poll, we can see the surge in liberal consumers’ enthusiasm after Harris announces her spot as the Democratic presidential nominee in July.

A sales conversion funnel tracks customers’ journey on the buying process, from initial brand awareness through to product purchase and recommending the product to others.

Converse Sales Conversion Funnel Among Liberal Consumers – Pre vs Post Kamala Harris Presidential Nominee Announcement

Figure 1. QuestBrand. Base: US adults who identify as politically liberal. Pre: 6/1/24-7/20/24, n=132. Post: 7/21/24-9/9/24, n=130. 

After Harris’ announcement, reported Converse brand usage (i.e., purchasing/wearing Converse shoes) (+18.7) and recommend (i.e., recommending the Converse brand to other consumers) (+16.6) both significantly increased among liberal US adults.

But we did not see the same sales conversion funnel growth among politically conservative Americans. Over this same period of significant growth among liberals, Converse only saw modest upticks in usage (+9.9) and recommend (+6.6) among conservatives.

Converse Sales Conversion Funnel Among Conservative Consumers – Pre vs Post Kamala Harris Presidential Nominee Announcement

Figure 2. QuestBrand. Base: US adults who identify as politically conservative. Pre: 6/1/24-7/20/24, n=185. Post: 7/21/24-9/9/24, n=177. 

These discrepancies in reaction between liberal and conservative Americans show that Converse is making the right choice by staying out of the Harris-fueled enthusiasm.

While liberal consumers may appreciate a social media shoutout from the shoe brand, Converse could easily alienate conservative consumers with a single statement or social media post.