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The elevation of influencers at this year’s DNC and Republican National Convention, which invited a group of nearly 100 internet stars in July, is a sign of the times. Many young people now get their news from social platforms like TikTok and Instagram rather than traditional outlets like The New York Times or NBC News, especially because many view influencers as more relatable sources of information. The presidential campaigns have noticed this shift and expanded creator outreach this year as they push to get their messaging in front of young voters.
“It’s becoming increasingly important for influencers to gain similar access to that of traditional media so that they’re better equipped to educate these young people who are turning to them for education,” said Victoria Hammett, Deputy Executive Director of the nonprofit Gen Z for Change. “The word journalism holds a lot of weight, so most of them I think are more akin to commentators.”
The DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Both campaigns are leaning more into influencer strategy compared to last election season
Outside of this week’s convention, the Harris-Walz campaign has vetted over 2,800 creators to serve as general social-media advocates for the campaign, according to a source familiar with the effort, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly about the work. The campaign tapped influencer-marketing agency Village Marketing, which worked with the Biden campaign in 2020, to help coordinate its influencer strategy.
Unlike the last presidential election, when Biden spoke with a smaller group of nationally known influencers as part of its social-media push, the Harris strategy is built around working with far more creators from across different niches, like beauty and fashion, to reach strategic media markets. It’s not just about connecting with influencers who advocate on a particular issue that’s related to this election, like climate change, immigration, or healthcare. That’s coming into focus at this year’s DNC where creators who don’t typically post political content are also showing up.
“The DNC inviting 200 creators is a huge step towards integrating this new part of media into a legacy part of media,” Helfgott said. “Us simply being there is such a ginormous step.”
Early on, the social team for Harris and Walz leaned into what had momentum, such as coconut memes and references to the Charli XCX album “Brat.” Its influencer team similarly taps into social trends, though the campaign also hosts regular informational briefings with creators and answers DMs via a dedicated Instagram account to make sure influencers are accurately capturing the campaign’s position on issues, the source familiar with its influencer strategy told BI.
“Our job as a campaign is to break through the noise and make sure we’re talking to voters wherever they are – TikTok is one of those landscapes, and we’re leaving no stone unturned,” Rob Flaherty, Deputy Campaign Manager for Harris, told BI in a statement.