Introduction to the Intersection of Social Media Marketing and Politics
There are three main streams of social media marketing and politics interconnecting.
1. Use of social media marketing to promote a particular political party and/or movement
The biggest example of this is how Donald Trump won the presidential campaign. His digital manager, Brad Parscale, has been largely credited with this. Social Media, and Digital, Marketing has opened up many avenues for candidates and political parties to promote themselves to consumers (voters). However, the downside of using this technique is if politicians are given control over their own public social media, ending up in some particularly interesting mistakes.
2. Brands using political movements to promote their own brands
The most relevant example is brands using Pride Month - a month dedicated to celebrating the history of LGBTIQA+ people and to advocate for their rights in the political landscape - to promote themselves, or to even sell Pride Month-related merchandise. While this can be very profitable as LGBTIQA+ people and other oppressed groups may appreciate the support and spend money on their products, many brands have been accused of commercialising Pride Month without advocating for LGBTIQA+ rights on a regular basis.
3. Brands having clear political stances rather than appearing neutral
Brands doing this may have some intention behind it, such as trying to capture a specific audience, but it is ultimately, like the second stream, a 50/50 tactic. For every political issue the brand supports, those against it will often boycott the brand. This has happened for brands such as Target and Starbucks.
There are multiple benefits and downfalls of politics and social media marketing interconnecting, and the ethics of it are often questionable. Regardless, it is a very interesting evolution in our society, and one we will continue to explore throughout this blog.
1. Use of social media marketing to promote a particular political party and/or movement
The biggest example of this is how Donald Trump won the presidential campaign. His digital manager, Brad Parscale, has been largely credited with this. Social Media, and Digital, Marketing has opened up many avenues for candidates and political parties to promote themselves to consumers (voters). However, the downside of using this technique is if politicians are given control over their own public social media, ending up in some particularly interesting mistakes.
2. Brands using political movements to promote their own brands
The most relevant example is brands using Pride Month - a month dedicated to celebrating the history of LGBTIQA+ people and to advocate for their rights in the political landscape - to promote themselves, or to even sell Pride Month-related merchandise. While this can be very profitable as LGBTIQA+ people and other oppressed groups may appreciate the support and spend money on their products, many brands have been accused of commercialising Pride Month without advocating for LGBTIQA+ rights on a regular basis.
3. Brands having clear political stances rather than appearing neutral
Brands doing this may have some intention behind it, such as trying to capture a specific audience, but it is ultimately, like the second stream, a 50/50 tactic. For every political issue the brand supports, those against it will often boycott the brand. This has happened for brands such as Target and Starbucks.
There are multiple benefits and downfalls of politics and social media marketing interconnecting, and the ethics of it are often questionable. Regardless, it is a very interesting evolution in our society, and one we will continue to explore throughout this blog.
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