A New Era of Digital Democracy? The Growing Influence of Creators in Politics

The press has a storied history of influencing elections. In the UK, The Sun famously claimed "It Was The Sun Wot Won It" after John Major's victory in 1992 and backed Tony Blair's successful campaign in 1997.

However, the 2024 election signals a significant shift as The Sun only offered Labour a modest endorsement one day before the election. The Labour government went on to win with a landslide - with or without the newspaper’s support.

News that Labour appointed its first ever influencer marketing coordinator for its winning election campaign, and that its digital ad spend outstripped the Conservatives, demonstrates how the political battleground is no longer fought on linear media channels but is instead won on digital.

As more than four billion voters head to the polls in 2024, we are increasingly seeing this approach being replicated internationally. In France, RN political leader, Jordan Bardella, leveraged social media and influencers to reach younger voters in the party's successful first round of elections.

Over in the US, we’ve seen the White House announce a creator economy summit in August to discuss creators’ priorities and repair relationships ahead of a proposed nationwide TikTok ban. The formation of the summit demonstrates a US government which is conscientious of the influence of creators in elections.

This influence is laid out in our new research. We surveyed over 4,000 consumers and 500 content creators and found that 26% of UK creators had been approached by political and cause-based organisations for election content. This figure rises to 37% for those approached during multiple elections, indicating growing interest in political creator partnerships. Notably, 43% of UK voters support creators posting political content, with Gen Z voters showing even greater enthusiasm - up to 76%.

As creators grow increasingly influential across the political landscape, our research also shows that the key to a successful political creator campaign is authenticity and transparency, with earned programs outperforming sponsored partnerships. With the Presidential election fast approaching, we will explore the research findings in the US and keep a close eye on how political organisations engage creators, and whether they put into practice the research’s findings.

Insights by: Thomas?Walters, Co-Founder and Europe CEO, Billion Dollar Boy.

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