MANILA, Philippines – Trump and Kamala. They both have their stable of endorsements coming from several fields, from film to Silicon Valley, although the latter appears to be attracting more of the A-listers.
But here we ask the question: just how valuable are these star endorsements? We scanned the news sites, and here are some of the consensus being formed around the matter.
India’s The Economic Times looked back at the turning point when celebrities started to make their voice heard in the political arena. The article notes the band The Chicks, whose frontwoman Natalie Maines, in 2003, criticized then-president George Bush, saying, “the incident marked a turning point in the intersection of entertainment and politics. Today, celebrities are viewed not only as entertainers but as influential figures who can potentially sway public opinion and mobilize voters.”
Can celebrity endorsements change minds? Not so, the article said. Celebrity endorsements do not have the power to change people’s stances on certain policy issues. But quoting political scientist David Schulz, celebrity endorsements could just be the thing to move people from their couch, register, and vote: “Let’s say Bad Bunny or LeBron James can move 5,000 to 10,000 voters in Nevada or Pennsylvania… it could shift the state.”
If, say, a person is already aligned with the politics of a certain candidate, but isn’t motivated enough to go out and vote, a celebrity endorsement could change that. The biggest example in this cycle is Taylor Swift who reportedly drove more than 400,000 to go to a voter information site after her endorsement. It mobilizes voters.
The Guardian recalls the peak of celebrity endorsements: “The gold standard example of celebrity influence remains Oprah supporting Barack Obama in 2008 — her first presidential endorsement, credited with bringing in about 1 million votes for the then-Illinois senator [in the Democratic primaries].”
And while the Harris campaign is getting the plum endorsements from Hollywood A-listers and other stars in their fields — much in the same way that the 2022 Leni Robredo campaign in the Philippines did — culture writer Shamira Ibrahim said that this is a double-edged sword. The endorsements may reinforce, for a portion of the US masses, that the progressives are truly part of society’s top and are in cahoots with the so-called “coastal elites” in New York, and California.
Trump has his own group of moneyed elites too backing him, like the tech bros such as Elon Musk, and venture capitalists David Sacks and Marc Andreessen. Political engagement expert Mark Shanahan tells The Economic Times that these figures — who hold influence for their supposed business and money acumen — may represent something aspirational for some voters, especially those in areas away from the seat of power:
“…those people may well think someone like a [PayPal CEO] Peter Thiel offers a solution and gives them an opportunity to be a millionaire or billionaire one day.”
Harvard study has similar findings on stars mobilizing voters
A 2024 study by the Harvard Kennedy school, reported by The Guardian, corroborates the argument that celebrity endorsements are best for mobilizing voters and not necessarily changing their minds on their candidates of choice. It also noted that endorsements benefit not only the candidate but the celebrity and their brand as well.
The study wrote: “Based on the interviews conducted for this case study, we find that celebrities encourage voter participation because they believe it is not only good for democracy but also good for their brands….
“While some polling shows that people claim they aren’t influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful. For example, nonprofits report higher rates of online voter registration or poll worker sign-ups when a celebrity promotes these calls to action.”
The study quoted Dawn White, manager of musician Questlove, on the value that endorsements add to a celebrity: “It helps your audience stay connected to you — a connection based on values, which humanizes an artist and a celebrity in a way that the audience then feels like they know you. And then, when your next film or album comes out, this audience that’s connected to you wants to support you, wants to show up.”
Authenticity, however, is very, very important, and is one of the major findings of the study: “One of the greatest commonalities between both celebrities and companies when it comes to increasing civic engagement is that authenticity is key…The largest impact is realized by those influencers who are personally motivated and passionate about the cause at hand.” When an endorsement doesn’t feel genuine, it loses its effectiveness.
Endorsements could be effective when courting the younger audience as well. Like the Taylor Swift endorsement, the study cited how in 2020, an endorsement-post from Kylie Jenner, via a non-partisan voter registration link, led to a traffic spike of 1,500% for the site.
People’s voices
The BBC, which conducted interviews with people and voters, had similar findings. The interviewees “say posts from Swift and her mega fans on social media have motivated them to go out and vote, or get involved in activism.”
But it doesn’t immediately mean that just because you’re a fan, you’ll vote who she’ll vote for, the site said.
On one end of the aisle, one person professed going to the polls partly due to Swift’s influence.
Destiny from South Carolina told BBC that while she and her boyfriend are not very political, the posts by the Swifties for Kamala group have prodded her to vote. “I really want a woman president who has similar values to me. This is my first election that has pushed me to vote for this reason,” she said.
On the other end, there’s Bri from Massachusetts who will stay on the Republican side because “at the end of the day people need to do what’s best for them,” and that Swift is “entitled to her own opinion.”
Do endorsements equate to a win? Not really. The Financial Times noted how the failed 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign had also been a “star-studded” one, even joined by the “press-shy” Jay-Z and Beyonce — who also recently endorsed Kamala — on the eve of the election.
The site quoted a Harris campaign official who appears well aware of the limitations of the power of celebrity endorsements: “We are mindful that this isn’t a celebrity-forward campaign. Our approach here is that we will utilize the celebrity support…to generate a moment of excitement or reach a certain community.”
In such a close race where every vote appears to matter, both campaigns probably hope that all these extra voter registrations spurred on by endorsements will hold some weight and merit. Whatever the results are, there may also be lessons here that Filipino campaigns can learn from come our own elections, with regard to celebrity influence. – Rappler.com