Buying products made within the United States is also seen as an expression of national pride.
“I think it’s more that the way that [Americans] can express their patriotic fervor is by going out and buying a certain product,” he said. “After [the terrorist attacks of] 9/11, there was talk about one of the best ways to have revenge against the terrorists was to go out shopping and show things were normal.”
Patriotic marketing is particularly prevalent during wars, after national tragedies, and during other periods of fear or uncertainty. Simpson said that in such times, American patriotism becomes more than just a company value.
Nooshin Warren, associate professor of marketing and Eller faculty fellow at the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, said patriotic marketing is a strategy for companies to align their moral values with those of their target consumers.
“I think for example, when we see advertisements for American-made or manufactured trucks as a notion that buying a truck is a patriotic statement – it’s a very American thing to do,” Simpson said. “And no one talks about buying electric cars as an American thing to do.”
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