In the ongoing struggle for the hearts and minds of young voters, Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be making significant strides on Snapchat, a popular social media platform.
This comes as former President Donald Trump's personal account remains banned on the platform, a situation that has led to his campaign's refusal to advertise there, despite the platform's overtures.
As reported by Breitbart, The New York Times has highlighted that Trump has abstained from advertising on Snapchat for his prospective 2024 presidential campaign. This move is seen as a concession of the platform to his political adversary, Vice President Kamala Harris, despite Trump's public declarations of targeting younger voters, especially young men.
Snapchat's disclosures reveal that the Harris campaign has poured over $5.3 million into advertisements on the platform, while Trump's campaign has not expended any funds there. The reason for Trump's absence from Snapchat can be traced back to his ongoing dispute with Snap, the parent company of the app. Snap banned Trump's personal account in the aftermath of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and unlike other tech giants, has not rescinded the ban. Interestingly, while Snap has continued to deny Trump's personal account access, it has simultaneously solicited his campaign for millions in advertising dollars.
Snap's stance is that while Trump is prohibited from posting personally, his campaign is allowed to purchase political ads, subject to an internal fact-checking process. Despite this, Trump's campaign has chosen not to invest in the platform, a departure from his previous campaign strategies.
On the other hand, Harris has seized this opportunity to monopolize the platform, positioning herself as a forward-thinking candidate. Her ads, featuring her campaign theme song, Beyoncs Freedom, and messages framed as back-to-school assignments, are designed to resonate with college-aged voters.
As the 2024 election approaches, both campaigns are intensifying their efforts to connect with Gen Z and millennial voters, who predominantly get their news from social media. Mobilizing these voters could be the key to a narrow victory for either candidate.
Digital strategists underscore the value of Snapchat as a medium for engaging politically interested young Americans. The platform boasts over 100 million users in the United States, approximately 80 percent of whom are 18 or older and eligible to vote. Snapchat also has a higher percentage of users under 30 compared to other major tech apps.
While Snapchat may not be the primary arena for the campaigns' efforts to woo young voters, with larger investments being made on platforms like Facebook and Google, it holds significant potential due to its personal nature. Users often interact with friends through the app, making it a prime space to influence millennial and Gen Z voters.
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