Audience signs and chants at the DNC were all about America. At the RNC, it was the Trump show.

“There were definitely American flags and imagery of that sort of the Republican Convention, but there was more about Trump himself,” Grose said.

Grose noted that this appeared in keeping with Trump’s brand in general and was reminiscent of his first presidential run when he said he was the only candidate who could save America and “drain the swamp” in Washington, DC.

On the other hand, the DNC’s approach leaned hard into American exceptionalism, and Grose said the party seemed to be “reclaiming” flag imagery that historically has been popular at Republican events.

Audience members at the RNC held signs with slogans like “Make America Strong Again!” and “American Oil From American Soil,” as well as more ominous messaging, including “Mass Deportation Now!” and “Stop Biden’s Border Bloodbath.”

Overall, while the messaging was honed into issues that galvanize Republican voters — such as immigration and America-first job creation — “regardless of if people agree or not, it was just more negative in tone,” Grose told BI.

Harris’ face was far less prevalent at the DNC than Trump’s was at the RNC. However, it wasn’t absent entirely — where she did appear on posters, she was often depicted with the caption “Forward” or in similar colors to Barack Obama’s iconic “Hope” poster.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, also had his own posters with phrases like “Doug for First Mensch,” though BI could not find any instance of Melania Trump being featured solo on any posters or signs.

While voters respond to both negative and positive signage and messaging, Grose said, audiences generally want a positive message at conventions. While the RNC this year did highlight themes of unity more than past conventions, the Democrats were more aligned with positive messaging this year overall.

“The positive signage and the positive message can make voters feel better and more motivated,” Grose said. “When you’re thinking about the sliver of undecided voters, or maybe the people that aren’t that excited about either candidate, the positive imagery and the positive signage can potentially move people in that direction.”