What’s Captifying the World: Forget the mittens, meet the real winner of the Bernie Sanders inauguration meme
When Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, no one expected Bernie Sanders to steal the headlines.
The photo of the 79-year-old Senator sitting on a ‘socially distanced chair’ became a viral sensation. Memes of Bernie’s pose popped up everywhere —in movie scenes, TV shows, historical photos, and even famous paintings.
And Bernie? Well, he became a fashion trendsetter in his own right.
Bernie drives an uplift for Burton
Captify analyzed billions of searches and identified a 514% search uplift for Burton, the outdoor adventure brand worn by Bernie, three days after the Inauguration. Bloomberg also reported sales of the Burton’s Edgecomb down jacket more than doubled compared to the past two and a half weeks combined.
Bernie’s inspirational taste in fashion does not stop there. Interest in handmade mittens also rose in popularity, with searches increasing by a whopping 1759%. Much to the public’s disappointment, Bernie’s one-of-a-kind mittens were not for sale.
Winterwear aside, searches for Universal Healthcare also saw an 846% uplift on the day following the Inauguration, pointing to the ‘medicare for all’ plan which Bernie has long championed.
The moment for the meme-makers
The Inauguration marked a compelling moment for meme-makers across the globe. In particular, Social Media Enthusiasts searched around Bernie’s meme 32.44 times more than any other audience, followed by Gen Z, Bloggers, and even Deal Hunters.
The power of search data signals
Brand marketers can lean on search data signals to understand how seemingly irrelevant real-life moments can impact consumer behavior and trends around their brand, and produce real-time opportunities to speak to new audiences in the most impactful and relevant way.
To understand how real-time trends and signals are impacting consumer behavior around your brand, get in touch.
*Data sourced from Captify’s global network from 01/01/21 to 01/24/21
