{"id":21414,"date":"2024-08-04T20:59:40","date_gmt":"2024-08-04T20:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=21414"},"modified":"2024-08-04T20:59:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T20:59:40","slug":"could-kamala-harris-meme-her-way-to-the-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=21414","title":{"rendered":"Could Kamala Harris meme her way to the White House?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kamala is Brat<\/em>. Charli XCX said so<\/a> herself.<\/p>\n

It started as an organic movement online in support of Vice President Harris\u2019s potential presidential run earlier this month, featuring fan edits of Harris set to songs from Charli XCX\u2019s Brat <\/em>album and from other popular artists like Chappell Roan. Now, the memes are officially part of her campaign after President Joe Biden announced he would no longer run for a second term.<\/p>\n

Harris\u2019s campaign, which has been live for about a week, quickly embraced the font and chartreuse green of Brat<\/em> on its Kamala HQ social accounts, and has made references to Harris\u2019s now-viral quote in which she recalled her mother asking, \u201cYou think you just fell out of a coconut tree?\u201d There are memes referencing everything from infinity auras to certain rumors about Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance. On TikTok, Kamala HQ used a trending audio from creator Brooke Schofield to joke about Trump\u2019s fundraising, which racked up 19.5 million views and more than 2.5 million likes since it was posted three days ago. Another TikTok, a clip of Trump noting the Democratic campaign\u2019s strategy and appended with Harris\u2019s approval message, has nearly 3 million likes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a vastly more online campaign than Biden\u2019s was\u2014and so far, brand experts told us, it appears to be working in the VP\u2019s favor, particularly with young people. But can the online momentum hold until November?<\/p>\n

You think these memes fell out of a coconut tree?<\/h2>\n

When it comes to memes, \u201ctiming is everything,\u201d Lynne Field, head of strategy at experience and design agency FutureBrand, told us, and the Harris campaign \u201cjumped in at just the right time\u201d before the memes and edits felt too mainstream.<\/p>\n

With less than 100 days until the election, Field said Harris\u2019s team has been tasked with building her brand at an \u201caccelerated pace,\u201d and engaging with online communities has helped them make serious progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re managed well, memes can be an incredibly powerful tool for building a strong brand as part of a connected ecosystem,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Molly Barth, a senior cultural strategist at the consultancy sparks & honey, told us that in the short time it\u2019s been live, the campaign seems to have \u201cbroken through that [election] fatigue among young voters\u201d by tapping into youth culture and establishing Harris as an alternative to some of the older presidential candidates of recent years. She compared Harris\u2019s campaign to President Obama\u2019s \u201908 campaign with its emphasis on hope, calling it a \u201cnew-age play\u201d on the concept.<\/p>\n

While Trump\u2019s TikTok account has more than three times as many followers as Kamala HQ\u2019s does, Barth noted Harris\u2019s engagement is \u201cso much higher\u201d already because of the strength of the posts themselves.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith a lot of political social content, it feels like a super PAC created it or there\u2019s big money throwing their weight behind it,\u201d she said. \u201cThis really feels like a person has created it, which is why it\u2019s been so resonant.<\/p>\n

Barth said that so far, the Harris campaign has engaged with trends that make sense for the campaign without stretching to make a connection, a strategy Field applauded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe memes are striking a chord because they feel true to who Kamala Harris uniquely is,\u201d Field said.<\/p>\n

Existing in the context<\/h2>\n

Field says it will be crucial for the campaign to toe the line between engaging with, but not trying to direct, future memes related to her campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far,\u201d she said, \u201cI think they are getting the balance just right and using a light touch to engage but not to try to own it too much [in a way] that will make the magic disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lesson social marketers may already know well. Internet discourse moves fast, and Field said the campaign will likely conduct social listening to track what\u2019s trending and the messaging that\u2019s resonating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to be that right balance of agility so that people sense that you are just ahead of the moment and not behind it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be critical to maintain that step ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barth agreed, adding the campaign already seems to be positioning itself well by activating on multiple trends. \u201cMeme culture moves very quickly, so this will die out soon,\u201d she said. \u201cI think they definitely need to be thinking about what\u2019s coming after Brat<\/em> girl summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another challenge the campaign may need to contend with is balancing the silly and playful tone of today\u2019s posts with a more serious tone as November approaches, Barth said. Field said using Kamala HQ for memes and the other official accounts for more traditional communications can help appeal to a broader base of voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a brand become real in real time,\u201d she said, adding that the Harris campaign is \u201cdoing the best of what modern brands today need to do: be true to who they are, but also relevant for changing times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barth put it even more simply: \u201cThey need to promote or give a raise to whoever is managing her accounts,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really great.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n