Unless you’ve been living under a coconut tree, you’ve probably noticed the vibe of election season this year feels … different. When something is shaking culture as election season typically does, it’s important to know how to navigate content in November; whether you’re directly speaking about U.S. politics or not.
We talk about the mindset of our customers a lot in marketing. Why do we limit this conversation to things surrounding our products and offerings? Even if your brand isn’t directly tied to the 2024 election, it’s important to get a feel for what’s going on culturally. That way, when you create any type of content later this year, you won’t accidentally come off as tone-deaf or miss the vibe.
So let’s do a vibe check, shall we? I looked at 100 videos from the official election content feed on TikTok and categorized them by tone. The largest tonal categories were 29% action-oriented, 23% dreadful and 19% silly. Although this is just a peek into how Gen Zers and millennials are shifting culturally in this moment, the content they create online gives us a good sense of the larger changes in sentiment.
While there is a lot of fear and frustration for this year’s presidential election, there is no shortage of bold, comedic content. If your brand does have a reason to directly talk about the election this year, it would be smart to consider playing into the comedic space vs. staying high-level informative. It’s been made clear that the way to Gen-Z’s digital heart is to make it obvious your brand is “in” on the joke.
We’re already seeing these insights come from the candidates themselves, like Vice President Kamala Harris’ iconic Twitter header and bio for her campaign team: Kamala HQ.
The Biden campaign’s official account, Biden-Harris HQ, has officially rebranded to Kamala HQ with a ‘brat’ theme. pic.twitter.com/xy4FhdE5h7
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 22, 2024
If I have to explain why the header mimics Charli XCX’s “Brat” album art or what the phrase “providing context” means, you’re already behind.
There is no shortage of election-related memes already. A few of my favorites include:
While it may feel risky to take on this election season with a comedic lens, it may be worth the reward. We continue to see the payouts of brands speaking like their audience, not just to them.
If you do want to test the waters this election season, I’d recommend doing a meme deep-dive to make sure you’re appropriately referencing TikTok’s vernacular. Or, even better, bring your social team into the brief process. Their inside scoop will serve as crucial information on how to acutely navigate politics in the social landscape.
It’s important not to ignore the genuine fear, dread and anxiety a lot of us are feeling about this year’s election. Voters share that the news and social media coverage of the upcoming cycle has them feeling even more anxious than usual, according to a poll from Myriad Genetics.
As you finish your H2 planning, consider what announcements you have for the fall and winter. You won’t want your typical programming conflicting with the sobriety your young audience will feel leading up to the vote.
Your worst nightmare? Getting a “Kim, people are dying” reaction to your brand announcement in October or November. Avoid this by ruthlessly prioritizing announcements, updates and initiatives that bring real value to your audience while keeping a very close eye on how tone shifts throughout the year.
The TLDR is it’s important to understand that social sentiment on the election affects the attitude surrounding your brand during election season. Don’t take this point of view lightly.
Bri Reynolds is the social media manager at Lyft.
This story first appeared on PRWeek U.S.
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