Cultural Signifiers

[Tiger08]

In the MA-Sen race thread I asked if Markey-Kennedy race was a proxy for the divide between the current left-of-center zeitgeist (Markey) versus moderate or more traditional Democrats (Kennedy). I mentioned Dave Wasserman's use of "Whole Foods" voters as a useful cultural signifier (even though he does overuse it) for upper-middle- and upper-class moderate-to-progressive voters. I also saw "Peloton moms" somewhere for the same group. In a different election, I remember reading about how Ed Gillespie specifically targeted Buffalo Wild Wings for R-leaning independents when he ran for Senate in 2014.

I'm interested in political data analysis and was wondering what other brands or other national, regional, or local institutions (maybe a sports team) serve as cultural signifiers for different groups of voters or just an important part of local or regional identity. For  middle- to upper-middle-class white right-of-center Southerners, brands like Chick-fil-A, Academy Sports and Outdoors, and Publix came to mind. Correct me if I'm wrong. Not intending to amplify the current culture war in which EVERYTHING is politicized and we don't have much in common, just want to analyze and learn about it. Maybe this belongs in a different board, but figured that this might be an interesting topic.

[Tiger08]

For music, the conservative equivalent is obviously country, especially since it's not just listened to in the South anymore.

For brands, I agree with Chick-fil-A as a proxy for the group that OP stated.  Living in perhaps the epicenter of those types of voters, you would be amazed at how long the lines at Chick-fil-A get (they often back up traffic on nearby streets).  Another cultural signifier I would add on the right is college football.  There's a reason that Trump has taken such an aggressive stance in favor of college football being played.  It might not get as much attention, but college football's fanbase is basically just as conservative as NASCAR's or golf's.

https://www.businessinsider.com/politics-sports-you-like-2013-3

I am from an epicenter of those kids of voters as well and can relate to the long Chick-fil-A lines. Their drive thrus are also shockingly efficient. Good point about college football. Most of the top CFB viewership markets are in the South or adjacent to the South (with the exception of some Ohio markets). There are lots of Chick fil A and Academy Sports ads during college football games as well.