Kamala Harris’ Gen Z marketing strategy: Why it works and why it needs to evolve

As Kamala Harris positions herself as the likely nominee for the 2024 U.S. Presidential  election, her entry marks a pivotal shift in the Democratic party’s political strategy. 

Harris’ campaign has evolved from the foundations laid by President Joe Biden, most notably in her outreach to and connection with Gen Z — a demographic that could influence the election’s outcome. 

Harris’ pulse on Gen Z is most visible on TikTok, where on July 21, the campaign officially shifted the account over from Biden to Kamala HQ. While the account previously relied on memes that aimed to make Biden relatable, these posts usually got a few hundred thousand views or lower on average — falling short compared to videos released by Harris’ team. 

The first post following Harris’ announcement as the likely Democratic nominee, for instance, was a screenshot of pop star Charli XCX’s viral tweet stating “Kamala is brat,” referencing her recent album that has been trending online. The post garnered 3.4 million views. 

The most well-performing video on Kamala HQ’s page sits at 54 million views and references a song from breakout pop star Chappell Roan, insisting that what the country needs is a “femininomenon.”

Meanwhile, celebrities like Stephen Colbert have quickly caught on to the viral brat-coconut meme that embodies Harris’ campaign and have posted their own videos seemingly in support of the candidate. 

@colbertlateshow I guess the apple don’t fall far from the (coconut) tree. #Colbert #bratsummer #CharliXCX ♬ original sound – colbertlateshow

Gen Z has reacted positively to Harris’ online presence, making their own edits with viral audio — some of which have been viewed more than 15 million times.

@jqsids kamala for president 2024 | #kamalaharris #kamalaharris2024 #biden #joebiden #trump #donaldtrump #politics #tiktok #paparazzi #famouseditxx #charlixcx #brat #fyp #fypツ #foryou #viral #xyzbca #blowup #newtrend #trend #trending #ae #aftereffects #aeedit #edit #edits #genz #aestheticedits ♬ original sound – Joseph

“The whole quote about the coconut tree… it could’ve gone either way depending on who said it. Had Biden said that, it would not have been picked up in a positive way,” said Ashley Cooksley, CEO of Social Element. “There’s something there about the connection that Harris already has [with Gen Z] that has made that a very viral, positive meme.”

But while Harris is resonating with Gen Z more strongly than Biden, her campaign will need to evolve its approach to win their votes, according to experts. Engaging this group requires more than traditional campaigning; it demands an understanding of their values and communication preferences. 

It takes more than memes

While Harris’ relationship with the media and the public hasn’t been all positive in her time as vice president, she hasn’t been in the media nearly as much as Biden. This works in her favor, according to Allen Adamson, co-founder of Metaforce, as a comparatively new face and voice is one that gets attention — specifically on social media. 

“When people are curious and they don’t know something about a topic, they’re more apt to click on it, pay attention to it. So [Harris needs to] capitalize on that,” he said, emphasizing the importance of cementing her image to gain trust with voters.

In the age of social media, concise, clear and easily shareable communication is critical. Gen Z voters see through superficial campaign tactics and are deeply aware of the impact of politics on their lives and futures, said Kathryn Orr, director of brand strategy at Designit.

They also have the tools to take political messaging, interpret it in their own ways and distribute that content to other younger people — meaning campaigns must be clear and direct while allowing the conversation to play out among voters instead of trying to control the messaging.

“Politicians and political campaigns can’t do the traditional campaign ads anymore,” Orr said. “Putting a candidate into blue jeans and a flannel shirt when they’re in the South, that’s not going to work.” 

Jess Phillips, founder of Social Standard, said that for Harris to excel with Gen Z, she needs to find her comfort zone with cameras and directly involve herself in the messaging vs. relying solely on influencers and memes. 

In a campaign against Donald Trump, a convicted felon, leaning into Harris’ background as a prospector will also play to her strengths, Adamson added. The Harris campaign recently released an ad emphasizing her prosecutorial experience and positions her as a “fearless” candidate to face Trump. 

“I think she has to come across as not just approachable, but strong,” said Adamson. “She shied away from that four years ago … because of what was going on with the perception of overzealous prosecutors, but now I think just being approachable is not the answer. She has to neutralize Trump’s attempt to paint her as weak and ineffective.”

Being clear on policy

Gaining attention online alone won’t win Harris Gen Z’s vote. 

According to Orr, now that Harris has Gen Z’s attention, she must articulate her stances on key issues with precision and consistency to build trust and credibility among this demographic, which is more diverse than previous generations and disillusioned with the status quo.

“What young people are focused on is their future and what their future is going to look like,” agreed Natalie Silverstein, chief innovation officer at Collectively. 

While the Biden campaign focused on the administration’s past successes, it fell short on explaining to voters how the President would continue progress in the future — an element that Gen Z is eager to understand, added Cooksley.  

On foreign policy in particular, Harris faces pressure to clarify her stance on the ongoing war in Gaza, an issue that ignited protests across college campuses nationwide this spring, often met with brutal police intervention. 

While Harris notably skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on July 24, she immediately followed with a statement condemning pro-Palestinian protestors at the Capitol and spoke with Netanyahu privately on July 25. After the meeting, she said she continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself while also condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and emphasizing the need for a ceasefire. 

“Gen Z is more tapped into foreign policy than previous generations,” Orr said. “I’ve already seen influencers demanding, ‘we have to hold her accountable, we have to get an answer from her on this.’”

How the Trump campaign should respond

As Harris steps into the race, the Trump campaign, which has been dominant on social media, has a much stronger — and younger — competitor to contend with. 

According to Adamson, Harris’ success is partly due to her age and her novelty in the race, whereas Trump, as a much older, second-time candidate, has lost that edge. 

“It’s hard to make your father’s Oldsmobile seem like a cool car,” Adamson said. “He’s a known quantity and he keeps on playing to his comfort zone. It’s really hard to change a brand once it has been in the market for 10 years.” 

Still, Trump certainly has strength on social media. Despite being banned from mainstream platforms in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, his TikTok account, launched in June, has 9.2 million followers; the highest-performing video is of him at a UFC fight, with over 166.5 million views. 

Trump supporters are also savvy at spreading his policies and message. For instance, John McEntee, an advisor at the Heritage Foundation, which organized the Project 2025 agenda, also has 2.8 million followers on TikTok. On the platform, he discusses right-wing talking points with “gotcha moments” and often takes digs at trans people and other minorities. 

@daterightstuff Date Right Stuff just fell out of a coconut tree #fyp ♬ original sound – Date Right Stuff

Facing Harris, Trump will need to recalibrate his strategy significantly. Unlike his confrontations with Biden, which centered on his age and perceived fragility, engaging Harris will require addressing her policy positions head-on. 

“The age issue can continue to be an issue, but with the tables turned,” Cooksley said, noting that Trump’s vice presidential candidate J.D Vance could be a counterpoint to that argument.

The Trump campaign is still actively engaging with younger voters, for instance by bringing Gen Z creators to the Republican National Convention in July, according to Silverstien. However, his limited reach on right-wing social media platforms, like Truth Social, remains a challenge. 

“If they want to gain new followers and stand out, they’re going to have to expand back out and kind of back away from the tight knit MAGA group that they’ve created,” Orr said of the Trump campaign.