Historically, Drexel Heard II notes political campaigns have been dotted with celebrities and entertainment figures endorsing one campaign over another, one social issue versus others, and leveraging their name and face to drive support for various candidates and causes. Every major campaign has seen multiple examples, from musicians’ songs being used to personal endorsements on TV or the radio to in-person presence at political campaign rallies.
However, what used to be a guaranteed reaction from the audience when a given celebrity arrived or became connected to a political name isn’t manifesting anymore. The fact is, modern campaigns using entertainment today are finding it’s simply not generating the desired reactions, either in presence or at the voting booth. What happened?
Drexel Heard II believes that part of the problem has to do with the fact that radio and TV simply aren’t the primary communication tools for the masses anymore. While generationally, those tools still matter to Boomers and some Generation X members, he argues, most of the population is tuning in, collecting, and sharing their information and positions on the Internet. Whether it’s in forum channels like Reddit or Discord or streaming resources like YouTube and TikTok, the primary drivers of information and generating groundswells are happening online. Both the last national elections proved this point, even if the information itself wasn’t necessarily accurate.
So, as for celebrities, their value is lessened considerably in the modern election age. While they will still have followings, that only automatically translates into action if the given celebrity has been cultivating their following on the newer modes of information sharing, such as social media. In fact, Drexel Heard II points to influencers, person for person and dollar for dollar, probably being more powerful today for political reach than any traditional celebrity.
Given the above, Drexel Heard II expects that future election campaigns will continue to seriously evaluate their strategies, and celebrities and influencers should start dialing it up and using their platforms to help shape narratives. If not, Drexel says, the age of the Hollywood impact leader will go the way of the Whigs.
