Opinion

Brat or Brainwash? Kamala Harris’ Gen-Z Campaign Strategy

From TikTok trends to the White House, is this merely a fun marketing strategy or a genius gimmick to prey on young voters? Is it ethical? And what does it mean for the future?

Shimla Nomani • November 19, 2024

For Those Out of the Loop: The Meaning of Brat

‘Brat’ is a term that skyrocketed in popularity after pop singer Charli XCX’s new album called Brat was released. Although it is in reference to the album itself, the term’s meaning runs a level deeper than that. It stands for everything the album was: raw, iconic, and fearless.

Charli XCX explains exactly what it means to be a brat on TikTok: “You’re just that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown but parties through it. It’s very honest; it’s very blunt and a little bit volatile.”

It’s not only an adjective but a mindset that inspired numerous young women of today who feel pushed into a societal box; it’s a freeing philosophy.

The Bratification of Kamala

The same day that former President Joe Biden announced he was stepping down in the 24’ election, Harris got a kick start to her presidential campaign when Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat.”

Almost immediately, the official Twitter/X account for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign switched their banner in true brat fashion to a lime green photo with the arial font stretched out to say, “kamala hq.”

It was reported that within 48 hours, this rebrand had made Harris a total of $15.9 million in media impact value, according to Launchmetrics.

The statistic makes sense when you observe the countless fans that were also embracing the embodiment of brat in their new democratic presidential candidate through the creation of edits. One particular edit was deemed the original and gained insane traction—currently sitting at 24 million news with 4.3 million likes.

Most edits of her include a mashup of clips where Kamala does her signature laugh or says her infamous coconut line, with lastly, of course, a song from Charli XCX’s album. Commentary Youtuber Saji Sharma explains in his video, “How the Democrats Successfully Propagandized ‘BRAT’” that there’s a few reasons this specific crossover of politics and internet culture works so well:

“Kamala is extremely personable. She’s almost too much herself […] People began using [her] overt silliness and ease to seemingly be herself as a critique […] Which is sort of the essence of brat: Unapologetic self-confidence, not being afraid to be yourself, even if you look like you’re on drugs… Brat was clinging onto and bringing forward Kamala’s individuality […] It humanized Kamala and made her feel much more relatable.” [Timestamp 11:00-11:50]

Thus explaining how the brat trend worked for Kamala by praising her once hated weirdness & quirkiness and making her a likable figure for the large Gen-Z audience it was catered towards. Her uniqueness separated her as a president and made her seem more like a down-to-earth and approachable person.

Is It Working? And Is That Bad?

Coupled with other pop artists’ endorsements and merchandise spin-offs, the Harris campaign has been deemed successful in garnering a young audience.

A Harvard Institute of Politics Youth Poll found that 53% of young adults, ages 18 to 29, have seen a Harris meme online in the last month, with 34% saying it “positively influenced” their opinion of the candidate. The poll also found that Harris currently has a 31% lead over Donald Trump among likely voters in this age group.

The content curated for the campaign has been for Gen-Z, by Gen-Z. A spokesperson from the Harris for President campaign confessed that The Harris HQ campaign’s mobilization team for developing content for social media accounts is all Gen Z. In fact, Kamala even has her own 25 and UNDER TikTok team, dedicated to boosting her virality through trends.

Should Gen-Z Be Concerned?

Political campaigns targeting young voters are nothing new. For decades, presidential candidates have built up fandoms around themselves; Kennedy had his own group of young supporters known as the “Kennedy Girls,” and Obama famously utilized social media to engage with young voters.

Now, Harris has embraced meme culture. But this isn’t just a new way to “connect” with young voters—this is a full-fledged digital marketing campaign that treats politics like a viral product launch. Modern campaigns have taken things a step further, using digital trends to reach and influence younger generations on platforms where they’re already addicted.

The ethics of this strategy are murky at best, manipulative at worst. With propaganda now embedded into social media feeds, the risk of creating an echo chamber for impressionable young minds grows—especially since many are fresh out of or in high school and are still forming their political beliefs. These individuals may be more easily manipulated into believing misinformation and disinformation, leading to increased collective group thinking and less critical online engagement.

Moreover, can we really call this newfound support genuine? Instead of engaging young voters through informative policy change discussions, this strategy relies on a calculated mix of trends, aesthetics, and internet humor. Now, the campaigner with more support is not the ‘better’ one for the country, but the more iconic and influential one—the one with more manufactured support.

As political parties race to capture the young votes, they’re starting to rely on advertising methods used by corporations—feeding off the mindless dopamine scroll that has become routine for many Gen-Z & Gen-Alpha. And if we’re not careful, we’ll find ourselves politically “bratified” without ever realizing we were being sold a product rather than a candidate.

Now more than ever, it is necessary for us younger generations to commit to independent thinking. Challenge the narratives you’re told, question what you see, and make informed choices based on research and self-reflection. If we don’t actively investigate how we’re being targeted, we risk becoming mere pawns in a digital-age political game. In a world flooded with content attempting to control your mind, the power to think for yourself is the ultimate tool of resistance—or should I say, brat move?

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