Since July, Kamala Harris’s campaign has purchased more than 5,000 Snapchat ads, amounting to an estimated $5.3 million.
It’s not hard to understand why: Snapchat is a haven for young people. According to an eMarketer estimate, 52.3% of Snapchat users are Gen Z, compared to just 43.8% on TikTok and 35% on Instagram. Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are looking to court young voters, making Snapchat an opportune spot for voter engagement.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, hasn’t spent a cent on the platform. In fact, after his 2021 ban from Snapchat following the attempted January 6 insurrection, Trump has shunned the app entirely. That’s made Snapchat uniquely favorable for Harris—and she’s going all in.
Harris’s big bet on Snapchat
Throughout 2024, the Harris for President campaign has purchased 5,619 Snapchat ads, per the company’s disclosures. These ads often target 18- to 29-year-olds, and are sent to swing states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. Overall, Snapchat has recorded just over 17,000 political ads purchased this year, meaning that 32.77% of political ads on the platform are funded by the Harris campaign.
Harris also operates a personal Snapchat account, which is filled with content tailored to Gen Z. A recent “Message to Gen Z” forwardly pronounces, “Your generation is killing it.” Many of her stories feature young people, like her discussion with the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit and her stop into a high school band practice. Her interview on Call Her Daddy, a Gen Z favorite podcast, was widely spread across the platform.
The investments keep coming. In honor of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour arriving in Miami, the Democratic National Committee purchased a Snapchat filter urging Swifties to enter their “voting era.” The filter then prompts users to choose what issue they’re feeling “fearless” over, a nod to Swift’s album. Options include reproductive rights, climate action, racial justice, and student debt relief.
Some of Harris’s Snapchat ads have proved controversial. A recent ad replicated Arlette Amuli’s YouTube dating series, Pop the Balloon or Find Love, in which one Black man answers questions for a lineup of Black women. A popped balloon means the woman has lost interest. In Harris’s edition, the women begin stomping out their balloons when the suitor claims he has no plans to vote. Many online saw the ad as a brazen and tasteless attempt to court favor with Black men.
Why Trump isn’t on Snapchat
Following the January 6 Capitol riot, Snapchat banned Trump’s account and—unlike Facebook or X—has yet to reinstate the former president. While Trump is still allowed to purchase ads on Snapchat, he’s declined to do so; in fact, his campaign has cited the company as proof that “Big Tech is all in for Kamala!”
Whether Trump ads would be successful on Snapchat is an open question. The app’s demographic in the U.S. leans toward women, while Trump seems most interested in courting young men. And while much of Big Tech moves to the right, Snap’s leadership has a general leftward tilt. Snap chairman Michael Lynton formally endorsed Harris and has donated thousands of dollars to various Democratic candidates, while CEO Evan Spiegel recently sent money to Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Victory Committee (and supported Harris’s run for Senate back in 2016).
While the Trump campaign has avoided Snapchat entirely, his supporters have filled some of the advertising gap. A recent 404 Media investigation found that the Elon Musk-backed Future Coalition PAC is pushing conflicting ads surrounding Harris’s position on the war in Gaza. In areas of Michigan with large numbers of Muslim voters, the PAC is pushing Snapchat ads claiming that “Kamala Harris stands with Israel.” Meanwhile, in areas of Pennsylvania with large numbers of Jewish voters, the PAC is pushing Snapchat ads claiming that “Kamala Harris stands with Palestine.”
Snapchat’s users are politically diverse, with 51% leaning Democrat and 41% leaning Republican, per the Pew Research Center. In the age of media echo chambers, Snapchat could be one of the spaces unbridled by political influence.
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