Record-Breaking Campaign
How Social Media and Savy Marketing Propelled Harris’s Historic Campaign
Since announcing her presidential candidacy just over a week ago, Kamala Harris has been running an impressive, record-breaking campaign. A key factor in her success is her innovative marketing strategy, which has generated excitement for politics not seen in years. Harris has captivated and energized voters across America through the savvy use of memes, TikToks, celebrity endorsements, and guest appearances.
Created By: Kamaryn Madry
On Sunday, July 21st, 2024, President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 Presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris for President. Later that day, Vice President Harris announced her candidacy. In the following days, she received overwhelming support, with 262 elected Democrats publicly endorsing her within three days. Her campaign raised over $81 million in the first 24 hours and has now surpassed $200 million. Numerous Zoom calls were organized to rally support and fundraise for Harris, including Black Women for Harris, White Men for Harris, and many more. She has also secured enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention on August 19th in Chicago. In a short amount of time, Harris’s campaign has achieved remarkable success. However, I find her marketing strategy and the brand she’s created the most fascinating aspect of the campaign.
Cultural Branding
Harris’s strategy is called Cultural Branding. Cultural branding focuses on creating connections through shared ideologies rather than traditional product marketing, which, in this context, is a specific legislation or political policy. By addressing societal conflicts, the brand becomes a symbol of certain ideals, resonating with and mobilizing like-minded individuals. Kamala Harris’s ideology, centered on FREEDOM with the slogan “We are not going back,” is a prime example. Similar to Obama’s 2007 HOPE campaign with the slogan “Yes We Can” or Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” it doesn’t focus on specific legislation or policy but an ideology.
Cultural brands skip traditional value propositions and candidate benefits. Instead of focusing on candidate performance, they connect with voters by aligning with their identities. This approach drives voter behavior by highlighting who we are, leading us to a candidate who reflects our values.
Social Media
The driving force of her marketing strategy has been the social media page Kamala HQ, which is on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. They posted on July 22nd, describing themselves as “The official rapid response page of Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign.”
They had a very short turnaround period, and their strategy of using memes, TikTok edits, and tweets has paid off. They create memes and TikTok edits of Kamala to popular audios, often using her iconic speeches or clips of her dancing. They participate in trends like showcasing different outfits, and even her husband, Douglas Emhoff, appears in videos. They capitalize on Kamala Harris’s iconic laugh and use the coconut tree emoji to reference her famous saying, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree.”
Additionally, they use snarkier language and tactics than the Biden campaign by calling out some of Donald Trump’s and J.D. Vance’s behavior and speeches. They react to videos of them and tweet about it. Recently, they referred to J.D. Vance as “Creepy and Weird” for his views on abortion.
Key Endorsements
Since announcing her candidacy, Harris has received many endorsements from celebrities and public figures. Charli XCX showed her support for Harris by tweeting, “Kamala is Brat,” referring to her recently released album “Brat.” Charli explained that “brat” means, “You’re that girl who is a bit messy and loves to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes. She’s honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile. That’s Brat.” Shortly after, Kamala’s campaign adopted the chartreuse background and typeface from Charli XCX’s new album for their social media banners, which has been embraced online. Other big names like Beyoncé have shown support, allowing Harris to use her song “Freedom” in the first campaign ad, which aligns with Harris’s ideology of freedom.
Perhaps the most significant endorsement came from Barack and Michelle Obama, who personally called Harris pledging their support. At a political rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Megan Thee Stallion performed, proclaiming “Hotties for Harris,” and Quavo praised Harris, saying she “always stands on business.” Additional endorsements have come from Shonda Rhimes, Olivia Rodrigo, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Grande, George Clooney, and more. Harris even appeared on the popular show RuPaul’s Drag Race to speak about the importance of voting and visited the USA Olympic teams to wish them good luck before they headed off to Paris.
Reception
People are absolutely loving this campaign and its marketing, especially young people like Gen Z, who appreciate the fun and positive energy it brings to politics compared to the current derogatory nature of political discourse. A month ago, there was little hope in Biden’s ability to serve, and confidence in Harris as a potential candidate was low. Now, political analysts are saying that excitement for a candidate hasn’t been this high in a long time. Harris brings hope and positivity because she’s having fun, a rare sight in politics. People are feeling hopeful, and hope is a powerful thing.
