'Kamala IS brat:' Wisconsin experts break down Harris' campaign strategy targeting Gen Z culture, voters

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- If you've been on social media in the last couple of weeks, you've most likely seen memes involving our vice president, a coconut tree, something about living in the context, or the word "brat."

The meme-ification of Kamala Harris isn't new -- but what is, is her team's campaign strategy of wholly embracing Gen Z culture and trends.

"Brat" is a term coined by British pop star Charli XCX, who describes it as "a girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes."

"It's very honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile," the singer/songwriter and Gen Z icon said in a recent TikTok. "It's brat, you're brat, that's brat."

Many Gen Z'ers have said being "brat" is a compliment -- so when Charli XCX herself posted on X that "Kamala IS brat" -- the message quickly went viral, garnering nearly 52 million views in just three days.

"I know it sounds silly, because it's just like little memes, right? Or little humor off of social media. But I think it is more than that," said 21-year-old Angela Stadelman. "A lot of the candidates have been older and more traditional, and I think for a political candidate, or their campaign, to acknowledge Gen Z's humor, and the fun that they like to do with certain things and certain posts, I think, is really important, because I think that allows us to feel seen."

Stadelman told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White she believes November's election is "one of the most consequential elections in our time."

"I love the memes, I love all that, you know, but I think at the end of the day, the biggest thing is literally going to be showing up to the polls," Stadelman said. "Doing your part is gonna be the most crucial thing of this election."

Nathan Gilkerson, an associate professor of strategic communication, said the speed with which these memes have caught on is "probably unique to some degree."

"I think some of it we're seeing in these memes and sort of viral videos and supporters that are creating their own content to show their enthusiasm for her candidacy," Gilkerson said. "You have an opportunity to connect with a group of voters who may not necessarily be reading or consuming traditional political or news media."

Studies show 41 million Gen Z'ers will be eligible to vote in the fall -- and eight million youth will have aged into the electorate since the 2022 midterm election.

Of those newly eligible voters, almost half are people of color.

"I think that the eight million is less important than the 300,000 or 400,000 in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan and Arizona. Those are the places where Gen Z voters are going to matter the most," said University of Wisconsin-Madison Journalism Professor Mike Wagner. "Harris seems to be a person who is embracing the meme culture online in a way that many Gen Z voters react well to."

Wagner added that because Gen Z voters are "crying out for authenticity," Harris' campaign's social media strategies could be key this fall.

"They want political leaders to be true to who they are, and the judgment made by the Gen Z meme makers is that Kamala Harris is authentic," Wagner said. "Whoever wins this race is going to likely win narrowly, and there are four or five different paths to narrow victory, but this is one of them. And it's one where I think she has a unique advantage."