In today’s world of marketing, engaging with Gen Z humor and trends has become a popular approach to connect with younger audiences. Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign serves as a prominent and highly influential example of this.
It all began when pop singer Charli XCX took to X (formally Twitter) to post, “kamala IS brat,” which sparked positive discussions among Gen Z audiences.
For context, Charli XCX’s hit album, Brat, had become a trending topic for younger audiences on social media. Harris’s campaign team, Kamala HQ, was quick to embrace the branding of Brat by changing the backdrop of Kamala HQ’s Twitter page to the album’s renowned shade of chartreuse and adding the words “kamala hq” in the iconic Brat font.
What is the significance of “Brat” from a Gen Z perspective?
“Brat” by Charli XCX quickly became a hit album and many fans, as well as Charli herself, adopted the persona of “Brat”. In an interview with BBC’s “Sidetracked” podcast, Charli describes this persona as being “just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes.” The chartreuse color of the album cover is another aspect of Brat that makes it iconic to Gen Z audiences simply because of its distinctiveness.
In the eyes of a normal viewer, this change of theme in Kamala HQ’s page seems like a simple update. However, the marketing scheme reflects Harris’ campaign team’s attempt at gaining the approval and attention of younger audiences.
By employing this pop culture reference/trend that is popular amongst Gen Z, the campaign aims to engage this demographic in a way that resonates with their interests. Adopting this new branding for Kamala HQ creates a relatable and humorous connection that can be appreciated by Gen Z viewers.
The impact of this seemingly minor branding change is significant as it resulted in large amounts of traction on social media.
According to BBC’s article “What is Kamala Harris’s ‘brat’ rebrand all about?”, Charli XCX’s “tweet about Vice-President Harris received almost nine million views in just four hours.” This massive attention not only boosted the campaign’s reach but also generated substantial engagement across various platforms on social media.
Following this tweet, many related hashtags such as #KamalaIsBrat and #kamalaharris began trending, gaining hundreds of thousands of interactions, shares and comments.
There have also been numerous articles and discussions about Harris’ rebranding. For example, the popular talk show “The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert” addressed this topic in their video titled, “The Memeification of Kamala Harris,” exploring the internet’s newfound interest in her rebrand.
In summary, Kamala Harris’ rebrand has surged a large amount of attraction from all platforms and demographics, especially younger audiences like Gen Z. This approach not only gained social media traction but also sparked widespread discussions, demonstrating how modern marketing strategies can reshape the public’s image. This also proves how impactful pop culture is in today’s world and how much it influences the views of others.
