Bloomberg: TikTok Stars Make Appeal to Turn Out Youth Vote

Bloomberg recently reported that a number of TikTok stars are being paid by marketing firms and voter outreach groups in a last-ditch effort to encourage TikTok users to vote in the presidential election.

Bloomberg reports in an article titled “TikTok Influencers Tapped in Efforts to Turn Out Young Voters,” that a number of TikTok influencers are being paid by marketing firms and voter outreach groups to promote voting in the 2020 presidential election.

Bloomberg writes:

Traditional forms of outreach like knocking on doors, paper mailers, or phone calls often miss young, first-time voters, and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have been critical in filling the gap, said Andy Forrest, co-founder and executive director of Feel Good Voting.

“We find that this low-budget, filmed in my kitchen, straight from the heart, authentic message from a young person is way more powerful than any slick agency-produced ad,” he said.

For years, the corporate world has tapped young influencers to boost their brands. Now, politics is catching on. For the first time, millennials and Gen Z Americans will equal Baby Boomers and older generations as a share of all citizens eligible to vote, according to research from the nonpartisan States of Change project. By disseminating voting information on TikTok, groups like Forrest’s are meeting young people in their digital playground, in hopes of making their votes the decisive force in this election.

Breitbart News previously reported that TikTok removed a number of videos after a BBC investigation revealed that a number of creators on the platform were posting anti-Trump material without disclosing that they were being paid by a marketing company.

The company Bigtent Creative has been funding skits and memes to persuade people to register to vote. One marketing campaign included mixing rapper Cardi B’s “WAP” song with a message from the rapper encouraging people to vote. Some videos it has paid for are reportedly non-partisan but many are anti-Trump and call for him to be voted out of office.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “These guidelines also apply to paid content by influencers, and we rely on influencers and marketers to follow FTC guidelines. We remove paid influencer content that’s not disclosed as such as we become aware of it and are now taking action on this.”

Bigtent Creative began as a grassroots initiative that made memes and internet content in support of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Since then, it has become a fully-fledged marketing company working with influencers ahead of the November election.

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