Javier Milei and Digital Power: Will it be enough for the Argentine presidency?

The recent first round of the presidential election in Argentina has left a balanced outlook for November 19th.

Sergio Massa, the Peronist candidate, leads the far-right Javier Milei by almost seven points, 36.6% to 29.9%, according to the National Electoral Directorate.

In the digital sphere, however, Milei dominates by far, especially on TikTok and Instagram. Let's see why his political marketing is so successful.

TikTok: The Milei Phenomenon

The TikTok platform highlights on its website that 92% of its users take some action after watching a video and 37% have made a purchase based on a discovery within the application.

Javier Milei, representative of La Libertad Avanza, joined TikTok on March 14, 2022 under the user name @javiermileii.

In a short time, he has accumulated 1.5 million followers and 12.4 million likes, following only 9 accounts. The surprising thing is that he has only published 40 videos.

By comparison, Sergio Massa, his main rival, has 210.9K followers and 2M likes on TikTok. This digital difference is remarkable.

Javier Milei's Digital Strategy

Milei has demonstrated a smart digital strategy. In addition to his personal account, his political campaign is also run through @elpelucamilei, another more viral account with 2.4 million followers and 44.2 million likes.

This account shares controversial and well-edited videos, following only @javiermileii, so if we add these two accounts, Milei breaks the record.

Javier Milei's success on TikTok is due to several factors, one of which is having a communications team that knows exactly how TikTok works, such as having two accounts that can reach a larger audience.

On the other hand, creating specific content for it. His videos are direct, looking into the camera and sharing his ideas succinctly, it is a strategic team that thinks very carefully about what it wants to communicate.

The brains behind Javier Milei's TikTok

I?aki Gutiérrez, a young 22-year-old influencer, is the administrator of Milei's TikTok account.

He has worked on the campaign and is a passionate activist for the liberal deputy.

In addition to managing Milei's TikTok account, I?aki Gutiérrez has a strong digital presence, amassing more than 186,000 followers on his personal Twitter account.

Thanks to this social network, Gutiérrez gained popularity in 2019 thanks to his videos against Kirchnerism, which allowed him to collaborate with political figures such as Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich.

Currently, his biggest presence is on TikTok, his account has more than 288K and 4.9M likes. His videos are based on a strong criticism of current politics and his support for Javier Milei.

Milei's Digital Revolution on TikTok

TikTok has established a clear tactic: short, direct videos with a strong emotional impact.

This content fits perfectly with Javier Milei's media activity, promoting his most iconic motto: ?Viva la libertad carajo! Immediacy and massiveness are essential for content to go viral.

These techniques have been crucial in achieving what many would consider unlikely: transforming a controversial figure into a politician with a high chance of becoming president.

A clear example is the video in which Milei symbolically removes ministries from the map, shouting "?Afuera!"

This content generated widespread debate and went viral on TikTok, even becoming a meme.

Javier Milei's Impact on Instagram

On Instagram, Milei's team has used a similar technique to TikTok, his personal account @JavierMilei has 3.1 million followers and his second account @elpelucamilei has 778,000.

Here the communication strategy varies: the video with the most likes on his personal profile has 451,000 likes, and is very different from all the other videos, especially on TikTok.

This is the official reel to call the vote, published on October 19.

It is practically the only occasion in which Milei appears formally, sitting at a desk with the Argentinean flags behind him, as if it were a version of his (future) presidential figure.

As a result, the language used by Javier Milei changes considerably: his tone is decidedly low, calm, he appears serene, almost stuck in the single movement of his hands, something unusual compared to his usual manner.

The only thing that does not change is the use of simple and accessible vocabulary: the message must be understood by as many people as possible.

On the other hand, Fátima Flórez, a famous Argentinean actress, has publicly supported Milei, being also her official partner since August 2023.

With more than 1 million followers on Instagram, his presence in the campaign has also served to channel the public, as is usually done through influencers, achieving the video with the most views on Javier Milei's personal profile with 11.5 million.

The impact of social networks on politics is undeniable.

Politicians are recognizing their potential to connect with a young audience that is turning away from traditional television.

What's your opinion? Do you think Javier Milei will change his strategy for the second round? Will the impact on the networks be enough to ensure a presidential victory?

We are looking forward to your comments.