In April 2023, Republicans in the Florida Legislature introduced a number of bills attacking the rights and welfare of workers in the state. Looming large behind this agenda was Governor Ron DeSantis, in an attempt to bolster his conservative bonafides in advance of his presidential campaign.
The session was a busy one. Weekly calendars were full and the legislative hours were long as legislators attempted to deal with over 1,800 bills that were filed that year. Surprisingly, toward the end of this lengthy session, a Friday legislative day was abruptly canceled by leadership in both chambers without explanation.
Our in-state allies soon learned that this decision had been made to allow legislators to attend a Taylor Swift concert in Tampa. This incident, occurring amidst significant political maneuvering and media buzz surrounding Swift, presented a unique opportunity for our efforts.
LPS Campaigns recognized the potential to leverage this moment, connecting the legislative actions with broader public discourse through innovative digital messaging. Understanding the power of meme culture and its influence on public discourse, we employed a trending meme format that incorporated the lyrics “It’s me, hi. Iâm the problem, itâs me,” from Taylor Swift’s song “Anti-Hero.” This choice was strategic, aiming to cast DeSantis, a prominent supporter of the anti-worker legislation, in a critical light while using humor to better capture attention and convey our message.
To maximize impact, the campaign was geo-targeted to the area in and around the concert venue, aligning with the dates of Swiftâs Tampa concerts. This approach ensured that the message would reach not only the legislators in attendance but also a younger, more digitally engaged audience likely to sympathize with the workers’ cause.
The video meme featured Governor DeSantis waving, juxtaposed with the pointed lyrics from Swift’s “Anti-Hero”, and ending with a call-to-action that pushed the audience to contact their legislators about the attack on young workers. The campaign’s nuanced approachâmelding political critique with popular cultureâenabled it to cut through the noise, capturing the attention of both the intended audience and the broader public.
While the anti-worker bills ultimately passed, the “Ron DeSantis: Anti-Hero” campaign succeeded in drawing significant media attention to the issue and the legislative session’s cancellation. It galvanized public action, resulting in thousands of calls and letters to legislators opposing the bill. The campaign also played a pivotal role in expanding our client’s supporter base, demonstrating the meme’s effectiveness in engaging and mobilizing a younger demographic and capturing them as potential advocates for future efforts.
This innovative use of digital media underscored LPS Campaignâs ability to leverage social media and memes as a powerful tool in political advocacy and messaging. By creatively integrating timely, relatable pop culture elements with a targeted messaging strategy, we succeeded in amplifying our client’s voice, influencing public discourse, and ultimately earning the 2024 Reed Award for “Best Campaign Meme.”
