Beyoncé has shown her support for Kamala Harris in a meeting, and Elon Musk has done the same with donald trump. But they are not the only personalities who are supporting the candidates’ messages. Because on social networks both parties have deployed an entire strategy of influencer marketing to encourage citizens to vote and opt for their respective proposals, which has made these elections in the United States in the elections of content creators.

In a context in which more and more people consume information, news and current affairs through platforms such as TikTok, YouTube or Instagraminfluencer marketing has gained relevance in the political communication strategies. That is why throughout the last year, publications from prominent profiles have proliferated inviting their followers to go to the polls.

Mikey Angelo, known for his comedic rap videos and with more than 3.7 million followers on TikTok alone, published a video two weeks ago pointing out that there were only 22 days left to vote, since the elections will take place on December 5. November. In his publication he tagged Priorities USA and Somos Votantes, both Democratic organizations.

Unregulated content

By tagging the organizations and using the hashtag #partner, the creator clearly indicated that this was a paid collaboration, even though he is not required by law to indicate that it is advertising. And in the United States, unlike political television ads or the sponsored content they publish for brands, lThe creators are not required to reveal whether they have been paid to endorse a candidate or speak on a political issue.

The Federal Electoral Commission determined earlier this year that a political campaign could post a video on its own platforms and pay an influencer to promote it, as well as pay a person to create their own promotional material for a candidate, without the campaign or the influencer must identify the content as sponsored.

This is one of the reasons why influencer marketing has gained so much traction in election campaigns in recent years, and specifically in the fight currently between Harris and Trump. Which has caused many contents to give rise to confusion or misunderstanding and it is up to users to determine which content is sponsored and which are genuine expressions of support shared freely by influencers and content creators.

However, in the absence of federal regulation, as stated Washington Post, some states They have taken action on the matter. For example, the Texas Ethics Commission voted unanimously to require influencers to disclose when they are paid to make political posts.

However, it has become common to see influencers alongside candidates from both parties. Thus, Donald Trump has been seen in a publication by boxer and rapper Jake Paul, or the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz on the We Rate Dogs podcast. At the Democratic Convention, held last August, press passes were granted to more than 200 influencers and content creators, and a “creator lounge” was even created to offer a space for them to do their work.

Millions destined for influencer marketing

It is difficult, as the aforementioned media points out, to quantify the budget that both Democrats and Republicans have allocated to their actions with influencers and content creators. On many occasions, resources are distributed through political organizationswhich are the ones that establish collaborations with said profiles.

For example, as reported cnnMikey Angelo’s post is part of a $2.7 million digital campaign by Priorities USA, which has contributed to Harris’ electoral efforts. Together with Somos Votantes, the two organizations have collaborated with 15 social media creators to produce content that encourages Latinos to vote.

According to Washington PostSince March 2023, the Democratic National Committee and the Harris campaign have reportedly paid almost $4 million to the influencer marketing agency Village Marketing Agency. For its part, the National Republican Congressional Committee reportedly spent almost $500,000 working with Creator Grid Inc., whose activity focuses on connecting Republican candidates with conservative influencers most powerful on the Internet.

However, according to the Washington Post, the Trump campaign would not have directly paid conservative influencers for content, but instead gives them access to rallies and promotional articles and features Donald Trump for their podcasts or shows.

Payments to influencers can vary greatly depending on the campaign, the size of their followers, and the interaction they receive on their posts. For example, the People First agency, hired by the Harris campaign, reportedly paid influencers between $200 and $100,000 for political posts this year. From Priorities USA, they are considering prices between $5,000 and $15,000 for a single publication.

The aforementioned media point out that some content creators have been approached by both parties to make paid publications. They also point out that they have received offers for thousands of dollars, and to make more than a dozen political publications, which draws the picture. size of the bet of the candidates this year for influencer marketing.

The interest in associating with influencers and content creators is also understood as a natural evolution of forms of communication and the way of consuming media and content. Thus, if email was the decisive channel in the 2008 elections, and primitive social networks were in 2012, the TikTok, YouTube and Instagram platforms could determine the result on November 5.