Taylor Swift in Her Political Era: How Celebrity Endorsements Are Shaping Election PR
Published on September 30, 2024, at 7:50 p.m.
By Megan Renzi.
A celebrity endorsement is a strategic move in public relations to enhance brand visibility, connect with a target audience and ultimately influence consumer decisions. There’s no denying the effectiveness of using a celebrity’s support to market a brand or product, but can the same be said for marketing a political candidate?
As we head into the 2024 election, a noticeably increasing number of celebrities have been using their platforms to advocate for political candidates and causes. Several of the most influential pop icons of our generation, including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and now Taylor Swift, have voiced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris on social media. I can’t help but consider how these endorsements may affect young, first-time, female voters like myself, much like it would in the world of public relations.
The Swift shift
It is no secret that Swift is a mastermind who dominates far beyond the music industry in this generation.
Her strong influence can be observed in something as simple as her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. Swift’s presence alone at NFL games instantly boosted viewership and interest in this year’s Super Bowl, leading to the gain of $9.6 million in free publicity, or earned media throughout the game.
If her support for the Kansas City Chiefs drove the NFL franchise to make millions more in revenue, we can only imagine how her endorsement for Harris can shape the upcoming election.
Speak now and speak out
In 2016, Swift faced intense backlash for being one of the few pop icons who stayed silent during the presidential election. Two years later she finally turned to social media to back two Democratic candidates in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections and encouraged fans to exercise their right to vote. Her effort did not go unnoticed, as the number of new registered voters in Swift’s home state of Tennessee began to spike only a day after her endorsement.
From that moment on, Swift became increasingly involved in politics, making her stance clear by endorsing Joe Biden in 2020 and expressing concerns about the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Given Swift’s profound political influence over the years, all eyes are on her as we approach another high-stakes election, where more celebrities are openly sharing their political views.
Taylor reenters her political era
After watching the first debate between the official 2024 presidential nominees, Swift broke her silence once again, announcing on Instagram that she will be casting her vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Her endorsement yet again had a profound effect on her audience by driving more than 400,000 users to vote.gov the following day. This surge in registered voters further demonstrates that Swift’s voice holds the power to inspire her fans to show up and vote.
Pop culture meets politics
As one of the 41 million members of Gen Z eligible to vote in November, I am actively researching the candidates and issues on this year’s ballot to form my own opinion. However, being an avid fan of pop culture, I can’t help but pay attention to which icons are supporting which candidates. If celebrity endorsements have significantly influenced consumer decisions in the past, they can similarly shape our political decisions and the outcome of the upcoming election.
Will pop culture sway your vote in the 2024 election?
