As we near the close of 2024, BITE is wrapping up the top 10 moments of the past year and sharing what learnings marketers can take with them into the new year. Number 5 in our chart is election season and the political moments that resonated around the world.

In 2024, over half of the world’s population took to the voting booths in what was dubbed a ‘super election year’. More than 60 counties had an election making 2024 the biggest election year in history.

From celebrity endorsement to social media, to carefully thought-out super-targeted geographical campaigns, election season put marketing in the spotlight. At times the spotlight was due to downright slander and misinformation, but there is no denying that politics has given us some unforgettable marketing moments over the past 12 months. 

Far from door-to-door picketing, flyering and TV ads of elections gone by, the proliferation of media has changed the face of politics. Social media played an increasing part in the elections across the globe, a fact that is concerning. Misinformation remains concerning and the BBC reports TikTok users were being fed misleading election news. The super-election year truly brought to life the impact that social media has had on our real lives. 

Elections too, of course, have an impact far deeper than marketing. Tensions and polarisations have divided society. Politicians have been stoking the fires of culture wars. In the USA rollbacks on women’s rights are indicative of a worrying trend. Diversity and inclusion is under fire.

A landslide Labour victory

In the UK at the end of May Rishi Sunak announced a July 4th election date. A last-minute election that gave the parties just five weeks to campaign. For the Conservatives the writing was on the wall, the election was Labour’s to lose.  

The quick turnaround gave little time for planning but underlined that precision is key to winning an election. Speaking at the IPA effectiveness conference, Lucky Generals’ Strategy Director, Rachel Hamburger and Uncovered, CEO and Co-Founder Chris Cookson, who worked on the Labour campaign shared the importance of having a super-targeted geographical campaign to best appeal to voters and their specific needs. Yet, beyond this emotion was probably the biggest driver of decision making. Whether it's selling tins of beans or electing a new Prime Minister, Hamburger shared that: “The mechanisms of persuasion remain the same, people make decisions on emotion.”

A race already won

Across the pond, the US election was also rife with emotion. The campaign trail circus made memes as well as headlines as President Trump continued to capitalise on his own celebrity to get back into the White House. Joe Biden bowed out of the race giving Kamala Harris just 107 days to make an impact. In the face of racism and misogyny, Creativebrief’s Editorial Director, Nicola Kemp wrote for the Media Leader on how Kamala Harris was running a different race.

Marketing moments from both Kamala and Trump proved that playing in culture is key to grabbing attention in the form of ‘Kamala is brat’ and a Trump appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast amassing over 47 million views on YouTube alone. Yet, NBC exit polls reveal that 59% of white men and 52% of white women voted for Trump while 92% of black women voted for Harris, suggesting that there are some ingrained biases and challenges that marketing simply cannot sway overnight. 

The impact of the result of the US election is undeniable and the threat to DEI, women’s health freedoms and minorities suggests that the sharp end of impact is still to come.