The Scoop: The trouble with political influencers

Influencers are a critical part of selling almost anything today, whether that’s a Stanley Cup, life insurance or the highest political office in the United States.

But President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is finding that working with political influencers can be tricky.

The New York Times reports that there are two key issues: the president’s unpopularity with young people, especially over the war in Gaza, and Biden’s own prickly nature with the press.

Influencers are a critical part of selling almost anything today, whether that’s a Stanley Cup, life insurance or the highest political office in the United States.

But President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is finding that working with political influencers can be tricky.

The New York Times reports that there are two key issues: the president’s unpopularity with young people, especially over the war in Gaza, and Biden’s own prickly nature with the press.

Biden was caught on film during an April influencer event calling Jonathan M. Katz, an influencer with a moderate 100,000 followers, that he’s “a typical press guy” and “I trust you as far as I can throw your phone.”

Media training tip: Discourage your principals from threatening to throw influencers’ phones, especially when they’re actively filming.

The Biden campaign is also discovering that working with influencers can be a very friendly affair, such as when Julian Sarafian danced outside the White House while a scroll of Biden’s accomplishments aired, or one more akin to the adversarial nature of traditional journalists, including bargaining over what questions can be asked of the president.

But the stakes are high, and Biden is far behind: On TikTok, the very app that Biden has sought to force a sale or face a ban, he’s amassed just 375,000 followers. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has 6.2 million.

Why it matters: If you’re not sure why it matters, read that last sentence back again. The gap here is wide, and Biden needs young voters if he hopes to win. Voters under 40 favored Biden by 20 points in 2020, and he’ll need similar margins if he hopes to keep his desk in the White House come next year.

This contentious relationship is a good reminder that “influencer” is an incredibly broad term that can encompass incredibly different kinds of creators. Some will be friendly and excited just to be invited and happy to post positive messages. Others have stringent editorial standards and feel a strong duty to their audiences to ask tough questions and get answers when they’re in the room with a powerful person.

We must stop considering influencers to merely be a marketing conduit, easily bought and sold. Some are, yes. But others are far more akin to the traditional media, and must be addressed with the same care and professionalism.

Editor’s Top Reads:

• House Republicans have introduced the “Dismantle DEI Act,” which, as the name implies, would halt all federal DE&I programs and cease funding for any organization with their own initiatives, the Washington Post reported. It’s unlikely to pass in this Congress, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. But if Donald Trump does win office and sweep other Republicans in on his coattails, you can expect more of these challenges — which will cascade beyond the public sector and into the private. It’s part of an overall shift in the language that surrounds diversity and is requiring communicators to become more creative to welcome everyone without raising ire.
• The CFO of Tyson Foods has been suspended after he was arrested for DUI, blowing more than twice the legal limit. It wasn’t John R. Tyson’s first run-in with the law; the scion of the eponymous Tyson family sought alcohol treatment after he was found intoxicated and asleep in a house that was not his own. First, we hope Tyson gets the help he needs. Second, this incident has already had financial impacts on the company: its stock closed 1.5% lower Thursday after the news broke. The difficulty in messaging such a complex story — he’s a member of the founding family, he’s clearly in the throes of addiction, but he’s also the CFO for the largest meat packing company in the nation — is complex. Tyson Foods must be prepared to clearly lay out what comes next, especially if they keep him on as CFO past his suspension.
• Tyson’s suspension raises the question of succession planning, which is also raising its head in the story of Elon Musk and his recently approved $48 million payday from Tesla. The Wall Street Journal points out that while the company overwhelmingly gave their stamp of approval to the contested award, it raises questions about what Tesla is beyond Musk. Musk has pushed out many key executives in the last year, leaving behind … himself. The shareholders have kept him with a massive payday, reducing the risk of voluntary key person flight, but Musk is still a mortal man and could be hit by a bus tomorrow. Then what would remain of Tesla? Your crisis communications plan should be prepared for the involuntary loss of key persons, whether that’s due to arrest, illness, accident or another cause. It’s morbid work, but vital to helping an organization survive the loss of one very important person.

Biden was caught on film during an April influencer event calling Jonathan M. Katz, an influencer with a moderate 100,000 followers, that he’s “a typical press guy” and “I trust you as far as I can throw your phone.”

Media training tip: Discourage your principals from threatening to throw influencers’ phones, especially when they’re actively filming.

The Biden campaign is also discovering that working with influencers can be a very friendly affair, such as when Julian Sarafian danced outside the White House while a scroll of Biden’s accomplishments aired, or one more akin to the adversarial nature of traditional journalists, including bargaining over what questions can be asked of the president.

But the stakes are high, and Biden is far behind: On TikTok, the very app that Biden has sought to force a sale or face a ban, he’s amassed just 375,000 followers. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has 6.2 million.

Why it matters: If you’re not sure why it matters, read that last sentence back again. The gap here is wide, and Biden needs young voters if he hopes to win. Voters under 40 favored Biden by 20 points in 2020, and he’ll need similar margins if he hopes to keep his desk in the White House come next year.

This contentious relationship is a good reminder that “influencer” is an incredibly broad term that can encompass incredibly different kinds of creators. Some will be friendly and excited just to be invited and happy to post positive messages. Others have stringent editorial standards and feel a strong duty to their audiences to ask tough questions and get answers when they’re in the room with a powerful person.

We must stop considering influencers to merely be a marketing conduit, easily bought and sold. Some are, yes. But others are far more akin to the traditional media, and must be addressed with the same care and professionalism.

Editor’s Top Reads:

• House Republicans have introduced the “Dismantle DEI Act,” which, as the name implies, would halt all federal DE&I programs and cease funding for any organization with their own initiatives, the Washington Post reported. It’s unlikely to pass in this Congress, with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House. But if Donald Trump does win office and sweep other Republicans in on his coattails, you can expect more of these challenges — which will cascade beyond the public sector and into the private. It’s part of an overall shift in the language that surrounds diversity and is requiring communicators to become more creative to welcome everyone without raising ire.
• The CFO of Tyson Foods has been suspended after he was arrested for DUI, blowing more than twice the legal limit. It wasn’t John R. Tyson’s first run-in with the law; the scion of the eponymous Tyson family sought alcohol treatment after he was found intoxicated and asleep in a house that was not his own. First, we hope Tyson gets the help he needs. Second, this incident has already had financial impacts on the company: its stock closed 1.5% lower Thursday after the news broke. The difficulty in messaging such a complex story — he’s a member of the founding family, he’s clearly in the throes of addiction, but he’s also the CFO for the largest meat packing company in the nation — is complex. Tyson Foods must be prepared to clearly lay out what comes next, especially if they keep him on as CFO past his suspension.
• Tyson’s suspension raises the question of succession planning, which is also raising its head in the story of Elon Musk and his recently approved $48 million payday from Tesla. The Wall Street Journal points out that while the company overwhelmingly gave their stamp of approval to the contested award, it raises questions about what Tesla is beyond Musk. Musk has pushed out many key executives in the last year, leaving behind … himself. The shareholders have kept him with a massive payday, reducing the risk of voluntary key person flight, but Musk is still a mortal man and could be hit by a bus tomorrow. Then what would remain of Tesla? Your crisis communications plan should be prepared for the involuntary loss of key persons, whether that’s due to arrest, illness, accident or another cause. It’s morbid work, but vital to helping an organization survive the loss of one very important person.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on X or LinkedIn.