Issue #27: Project Coconut

A special Sunday edition, all about how Kamala’s social campaign is appealing to Gen Z voters

Earlier this weekend, I set up a recurring weekly donation to the Harris campaign. As much as I cringe to admit it, I didn’t decide to donate because of a commercial spot I watched or an article I read. I decided to donate because of the Kamala HQ TikTok account. 

If you haven’t checked it out yet, Kamala’s TikTok account is killing it. Over the past week and a half, her team has pumped out some very quality video content, ranging from incredibly inspiring to hilarious to informative. And the comments reflect the success of each post. 

Last week, after Biden stepped down from the race, Charli XCX tweeted that Kamala IS Brat. Those three little words (from a British pop star, might I add) put the Harris campaign on the Gen Z radar.

And from there, the Harris campaign’s social media content has taken off. They have succeeded in producing a variety of content covering Kamala’s positioning, providing more information around her background, countering Trump, and ultimately inspiring and uniting audiences. After so many years of (white, male, old) politicians relentlessly attacking each other’s characters, the Harris campaign content is a breath of fresh air. There’s a clear sense of safety and stability that’s communicated through Harris’ brand and social media presence right now. It’s a reminder of how politicians can and should show up: with confidence, grace, and humility.

After Biden stepped aside, Harris pulled off one of the fastest rebrands ever – but they did so in a really smart way. They utilized the Biden campaign’s color palette and font for the “Harris for President” logo, demonstrating Harris’ connection to and respect for Biden. There’s familiarity in the Biden brand already, and whether or not you liked him, audiences already associate his brand with the presidency. At the same time, Harris has begun differentiating herself from Biden through a fun and youthful social media presence. While her social efforts could easily lead to people poking fun at her for trying to fit in or be cool, she’s not really trying to be cool. She’s just herself, and she’s putting it on TikTok. 

Her first campaign video is great too, set to Beyoncé’s Freedom. In the spot, Harris shares that she stands for freedom and justice in this country. It’s upbeat and inspirational. Personally, I’m left wanting a little bit more specificity around Harris’ platform. How is she differentiating herself from Biden? What are her plans? 

I also realize that it’s early, and she will be sharing more in the coming weeks and months. Presidential races are long, with lots of ups and downs, and the Harris campaign’s recent success and virality are not promised to last. As the race ramps up, it’s going to become increasingly important for Harris to focus on serious issues and clarify her platform to undecided voters. However, I don’t think the Harris campaign should abandon its current marketing strategy. They’re effectively appealing to Gen Z, and if they abandon their strategy now, then audiences might view her as pandering and disingenuous.

I trust that she’ll find a balance between the types of content that she puts out – there’s room for both fun, memeable, viral content as well as serious, informative, nuanced content. She should maintain her platform strategy too, appealing to a younger audience with that fun content on TikTok while using LinkedIn, X, and other mediums for the more serious stuff. 

What should be next? Getting Taylor and Travis to endorse her, of course.

What are your thoughts? Let me know if you’re liking Kamala’s content, or what you think she could be doing more or less of in the comments. Thanks for reading, and have a great week ahead.