From Likes to Votes? How Social Media Has Shaped This Year’s Election
Why the US Presidential Candidates’ Use of Internet Culture and Influencer Collabs Are a Lesson in Strong Brand Building
From Likes to Votes? How Social Media Has Shaped This Year’s Election
🇺🇲 The 2024 U.S. presidential race has been one of the most unprecedented and headline-worthy yet – from Biden’s decision to withdraw, to attempted assassinations, and even weigh-in from the queen of “brat summer” herself, Charli XCX. But more than ever, this year’s election has embraced social media's influence on young voters.
What’s Happening: At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, VP Kamala Harris taped just three interviews, not with the 15k credentialed journalists in attendance, but instead with social media influencers. In fact, there were 200 content creators credentialed at the convention, exclusive creator lounges throughout the United Center, and areas with ring lights and charging stations.
Former President Trump has also harnessed the power of influencers, collaborating with major content creators like Logan Paul, the Nelk Boys, and even an X interview by Elon Musk himself.
Earlier in August, the White House hosted 100 content creators for its first-ever Creator Economy Conference, where White House officials and social media influencers gathered to discuss their concerns about pressing issues like AI, fair pay, data privacy, social media’s impact on mental health, and more.
A Step Further: Candidates’ digital strategies have not stopped at influencer collaborations, and building a strong and trend-savvy brand on owned channels has become equally as important.
Since Harris officially joined the race in July, her @KamalaHQ social media accounts have catered to Gen Z by embracing their favorite trends and meme culture, from temporarily changing its X banner image to Charli XCX’s signature “brat” green, to split-screen TikTok videos with the hit mobile game Subway Surfers – appearing to win over social media-savvy potential voters.
Why It Matters: While these attempts to reach young voters will not only be pivotal to determining the future of the nation – presidential candidates’ tactics have also been a lesson in building a smart, digital-savvy brand strategy that aligns with today’s consumption habits. It’s no secret that social media is continuing to climb in popularity as a news source, and at this point, if you’re not embracing it – you’ve already lost the coveted audiences of tomorrow.
It’s worth noting that social media was adopted first by consumers, then brands, and now politicians. So, are political figures too late to the game?
What’s Next? We've seen social media influence lead to political influence before – most notably with former President Trump – but only the election in November will be the true determining factor of whether this year’s strategies paid off. We’re eager to see if this social media footprint actually encourages more young Americans to vote, or if it only garnered temporary virality and an influx of memes. 📱
📈 The Wrap Report
🤖 In digital media & tech…
Media reporter Oliver Darcy left CNN to launch his own media newsletter: Status. CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter returned on Tuesday with Brian Stelter at the helm once again, rejoining the outlet as Chief Media Analyst.
This month, both Meta and Snap plan to unveil new AR glasses. Snap is reportedly set to unveil the 5th generation of Spectacles on September 17th at their annual Partner Summit in LA, and one week later on September 25th, Mark Zuckerberg is slated to debut Meta’s first AR glasses at his Connect conference in Menlo Park.
Following a heavily digital Summer Olympics, the Paralympic Games followed suit, launching a first-of-its-kind partnership with TikTok to share exclusive content across the platform’s livestreams, including around the opening and closing ceremonies, venue tours, and athlete interviews.
🎮 In gaming & esports…
The International, the largest Dota 2 tournament of the year, is banning in-game advertisements this year to remove distractions for players and viewers. Instead, that space will “showcase team or player identity.”
Black Myth: Wukong, a new game released this past week with a similar playstyle to Elden Ring, has become the most played single-player game of all time on Steam and has sold 10 million copies in three days.
Guild Esports, David Bechham’s org, is set to be acquired by DCB Sports. The news was broken via a disclosure made to the London Stock Exchange. Once complete, Guild will be DCB Sports’ first esports property.
🗞 What We’re Working On
At ESL FACEIT Group - EFG's IEM Cologne earlier this month, Adweek's Samantha Nelson heard from leaders at Intel Corporation, DHL, Logitech G, and more. (Adweek)
SYBO launched a “Veggie Hunt” in-game event, aiming to encourage Subway Surfers’ player base to eat more vegetable-based meals and contribute to a greener planet. (VentureBeat)
Yahoo News and YouGov’s latest poll revealed a notable surge in Democratic optimism, yet no big lead for Harris, following the DNC. (Forbes)
The ALGS Split 2 Playoffs wrapped in Mannheim, Germany, last weekend. (GinxTV)
Aerodome launched its latest drones-as-first-responder program at Scottsdale Police, with the ability to reach crime scenes within 85 seconds. (Axios)
Our founder & CEO, Jennifer Stephens Acree, shared her top tips for building confidence as a spokesperson to elevate your influence as a brand leader. (Forbes)
Thank You! 👋
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