Getting a voter’s attention is harder than ever. Traditional ads are easy to ignore, and the media is split into thousands of pieces. In this episode of the Political Marketing Podcast, Benedict Pringle sits down with digital strategists Ryan Davis and Nicole Dunger to explore how influencer marketing is changing the political landscape.

They discuss how Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign shifted the mainstream view of digital creators, why micro-influencers are more effective than celebrities in local races, and how campaigns can use real people to break through the noise without losing message discipline.

About the Guests

• Ryan Davis is a veteran Democratic digital strategist and the founder of People First, the first influencer marketing company in American politics. He got his start on Howard Dean’s famous 2004 web team, served as the first social media director at Blue State—where he worked on over 50 campaigns, including Obama 2012—and has been the digital director for a dozen state and local campaigns.
• Nicole Dunger is a digital engagement strategist who works at the intersection of audience behavior, social media, and public influence. Trained in demographic analysis and social listening, she helps campaigns, non-profits, and brands understand and engage their target audiences.

Key Takeaways from this Episode

• The Shift to Decentralized Media: Political campaigns are entering a new era. Just as social media defined the 2008 Obama campaign, influencer marketing has become a dominant force, heavily proven by political movements in recent cycles.
• Messenger vs. Message: Voters trust people, not brands. Partnering with “normy” creators—like suburban moms talking about childcare—is far more effective at persuading undecided voters than using purely political commentators.
• The Influencer Pyramid: A successful program scales from the top down. Use one or two macro-influencers for broad awareness, mid-tier creators to drive consideration, and a larger group of micro-influencers (under 50k followers) to drive actual persuasion at the local level.
• Issue-Based vs. Candidate Endorsements: Many creators fear alienating their audience by endorsing a specific politician. Campaigns can solve this by hiring creators to raise awareness about specific issues (like climate change or reproductive rights), then using traditional ads to connect the candidate to those issues.
• Vetting in the Modern Era: Democratic campaigns are often too conservative when vetting creators. The era of the perfectly scripted campaign is over. If a creator is passionate, fits the demographic, and behaves like a normal person, they are a viable messenger.

Connect with Us

• Website:www.politicaladvertising.co.uk
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