Since Kamala Harris took over for a struggling Joe Biden as the Democratic party’s presidential candidate, she has taken decisive actions to differentiate herself from her aging predecessor—and for good reason.
Before last week’s announcement, three-quarters of Democrats under age 45 expressed a desire for Biden to step down. Public displays of cognitive fatigue and forgetfulness cast serious doubts on the 81-year-old’s capacity to govern for another term.
The broader electorate was not enthusiastic about either party’s frontrunners. Biden and Trump were the most unpopular major party nominees in over 30 years, with 40% of Americans questioning whether either candidate possessed the mental acuity or physical fitness to serve effectively.
Harris, 59, is intent on reshaping the narrative of the 2024 election. In just a few days, she has infused the Democratic Party with new energy and substantial financial support. Within 24 hours of launching her presidential bid, Harris secured over $100 million in contributions and gained endorsements from key youth voting organizations like NextGen America and Voters of Tomorrow. The latter raised over $125,000 for Harris in a single day.
In the week since announcing her campaign, Harris has made a concerted effort to distinguish herself from Biden and Trump, particularly with young voters. She made headlines by receiving Beyoncé’s blessing to use the song “Freedom” as her entrance music at her campaign headquarters, a choice she repeated at a rally in Wisconsin the next day.
But to convince young Americans that she is a vibrant and viable alternative to Trump, Harris must do a lot more than curate a stellar “walk out” playlist. Here’s where we predict Harris’ campaign will focus its efforts to win over Gen Z and Millennial voters leading up to Election Day.
Memes as messaging
Kamala Harris is well-acquainted with the cultural influence of a meme. In 2023, the Vice President saw a speech she gave at the White House become “meme-ified” after she shared this now infamous memory of her mother:
She would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.
The clip went viral, especially among right-wing pundits who mocked Harris, claiming she sounded “drunk” and “hokey.” However, in the past week, Harris supporters have repurposed the clip as a statement of solidarity, with many adding coconut 🥥 and palm tree 🌴 emojis to their social media posts and bios.
Just hours after Harris took over the Democratic campaign, pop star Charli XCX tweeted her support, declaring “kamala IS brat” (a positive nod to a track from her latest album). The tweet garnered over 53 million views and 56,000 retweets. Harris’ campaign swiftly leveraged this free publicity by updating their X banner to lime green to match the track’s cover art.
kamala IS brat
— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 22, 2024
Another Harris post juxtaposed unflattering images of Trump on the golf course—often used in memes to mock the former president—with footage of Harris from the 2020 inauguration. The background track features a clip from the hit song “Femininomenon” by Gen Z sensation Chappell Roan.
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 24, 2024
The strategy, while cleverly constructed to feel organic and spontaneous, is a targeted effort to appeal to voters under 45. The Harris for President site posted a job listing for a Content Development Associate, with key responsibilities including “drafting, copying, and developing concepts for creative content like graphics, memes, short-form videos, and more.”
With Millennials looking at an average of 20-30 memes per day, Harris’ efforts may prove to be a highly effective political advertising tool with this key demographic. Research even indicates that memes from brand accounts achieve 10 times more reach and significantly higher engagement compared to standard marketing posts, so marketers should expect to see our timelines flooded with more Harris memes in the future.
Tapping into the creator economy
The Vice President’s campaign is also hiring aggressively for Creator marketing coordinators to help “manage day-to-day operations of engaging and enabling Creators and Influencers that want to support the Democratic party” — another tactic we anticipate Harris will employ to target Gen Z and Millennials.
Harris has already adopted a robust creator campaign from her predecessor. Reports indicate that a Biden super PAC invested $1 million in influencer marketing, and Biden himself engaged an influencer agency in April for $150,000 to help with social media outreach.
With the Harris campaign’s recent influx of cash, we expect her presence in creator-generated content to grow significantly, particularly on platforms like YouTube. This is where she can reach the 93% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 who use the app regularly. Additionally, among users who get their news from YouTube, 51% are Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, making it a crucial platform for Harris to regain voters who may have been alienated by Biden.
In August, the White House will host the inaugural “Creator Economy Conference,” conveniently timed with the start of the DNC. This event will bring together creators from across the country to address “the most pressing issues within the creator economy today,” and help the Administration “gain insight on how various issues are impacting [Creators’] lives to inform policy decisions.”
Courting the creator economy could significantly enhance the Harris campaign’s efforts to connect authentically with young voters. On TikTok for example, videos with Creators have been shown to drive a 25% increase in brand favorability among users. Harris recently launched her own TikTok page, and shared a video of her and NSYNC member Lance Bass waving “goodbye” to Donald Trump — a nod to the famous boy bands song “Bye Bye Bye.”
As Harris hopes to ride the creator wave right to the White House, marketers should expect an influx of organic, short form content with politically-motivated messaging. Brands who are conscientious of political content, or wish to avoid the subject altogether, should be watchful of any contracted creators from now until November.
Cutting the cord to reach the under 45 vote
Politics may be one of linear TVs last true allies. During the 2020 presidential race, a record-breaking $3.1B was spent on political advertising — 80% of which went towards broadcast and cable TV.
Across the broader political landscape, some campaigns have ~slowly~ started to shift spend away from traditional TV and into digital. Advertising intelligence firm eMarketer projects that digital ad spend will reach $3.46 billion this political cycle — a 156% increase compared to 2020.
But with growing concerns around the spread of misinformation on social platforms, many campaigns are funneling their digital spend into more brand safe options like Connected TV. Political spending on CTV is estimated to hit $1.56 billion in 2024, an increase of more than 500% over 2020.
CTV is the perfect medium for candidates like Harris who are looking to reach the two-thirds of cord-cutting Americans. Unlike traditional linear buying, CTV offers much more robust demographic and contextual targeting parameters to help advertisers reach key households more effectively.
With nearly 70% of political spend historically occurring between July 1st and Election Day, advertisers may see CTV buying become more expensive leading up to November, especially in battleground states.
In conclusion
In just a few days, we’ve seen Kamala Harris’s campaign leverage unique digital strategies to connect with young voters in a way that reflects the shifting landscape of advertising at large. By leveraging the cultural power of these newer digital channels, Harris aims to resonate with Gen Z and Millennials and differentiate herself from her predecessors. Regardless of the outcome of the race, this election-cycle will likely reshape how political messages are delivered and consumed.
For marketers and brands, this evolving landscape presents both opportunities and challenges, and staying attuned to these shifts and navigating the complexities of political content will be crucial in the run-up to November.