Mike Bloomberg broke the internet Wednesday night, but like a lot of social media sensations, not all press is good press.
Dozens of popular meme accounts on Instagram feature screenshots of messages from the presidential candidate. "Hello Mr. Salad. Can you post this meme to make me seem cool for the upcoming democratic primary?" reads a message from Mike Bloomberg's account to Kale Salad, an account with 3.5 million followers.
The caption includes a note that said, "yes, this is really #sponsored by @mikebloomberg."
"Mike Bloomberg 2020 has teamed up with social creators to collaborate with the campaign, including the meme world," Sabrina Singh, a national spokeswoman for the campaign, said in a statement. "While a meme strategy may be new to presidential politics, we're betting it will be an effective component to reach people where they are and compete with President Trump's powerful digital operation."
Bloomberg's move had mixed results. In comment sections, some are praising the campaign and others think it's disingenuous.
"At first I didn't realize they were ads and just thought they were bizarre satire, but then I saw a headline about it and was pretty annoyed," Allyn Rosenberger, a Stanford Law School student told Cheddar. "Trying to be objective, it is interesting and getting a lot of attention. And it's going to reach a ton of people."
Samantha Bell, who works in digital marketing, called the meme move a "missed opportunity."
"I do think influencer marketing for political campaigns is a smart decision." But Bloomberg's campaign, so far "is trying to reach a group of people that are very thoughtful in politics as well as social media and it kind of comes off slightly too 'try-hard,'" said Bell, who has led other paid influencer campaigns. "You have actual people you follow and look up to. It could absolutely become more of a community PR campaign with actual people who have opinions. People who follow influencers in an organic sense care about the people they're following." She thinks it makes more sense to pay those influencers than paying meme accounts, which is "like inserting yourself in the zeitgeist."
Influencers and online personalities often promote specific products or companies in exchange for money or exposure. But Bloomberg's memes did not provide a call-to-action, like a link to a landing page or a note for where to learn more about a candidate, Sian Rigby, who also works in growth marketing, told Cheddar.
"I would have found it more redeeming if there was an educational aspect," Rigby said. "I'm not going to vote for a candidate because I think they're cool."
Neither Rigby or Bell disagree that social media may prove to be a useful marketing tool for political figures — but they don't think Bloomberg's execution accomplished the intended goal.
"I don't think using Instagram or using social media is a bad thing," Rosenberger said. "It should encourage people to get engaged, not just provide another form of name recognition."
Some endorsements — like that of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Sen. Bernie Sanders, involve social media. She regularly posts about her support. But she's doing it for free.
"People of power and influence endorse candidates very publicly," Annabel Gordon, another growth marketer, told Cheddar. "I feel like it's an untapped market to do that via social media."
"Why haven't they taken their endorsements digitally? That's where people are getting news and taking in content," Gordon offered.
Andrew Cuomo is reportedly planning his comeback. According to the Wall Street Journal, the former New York governor and his aides are considering how to make his first public appearance since he abruptly resigned last August amid sexual harassment allegations. Jake Lahut, politics reporter for Insider, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss Cuomo's potential return to politics.
The pressure is on for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - after his closest aides handed in their resignations this week.
It comes after a report found that 16 parties had taken place at Downing Street while Covid lockdown protocols were in place in the region. Ari Aramesh, Attorney & National Security/Foreign Policy Analyst joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
President Biden has ordered about 3,000 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe as Russia refuses to back off its pressure on Ukraine. The deployments to Poland, Germany, and Romania are a show of support to NATO allies concerned about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is in addition to the 8,500 troops put on high alert. David Tafuri, former Obama campaign foreign policy advisor and former State Department official, joined Cheddar to discuss what this move means for U.S.-Russia relations.
After tennis player Peng Shuai made an explicit sexual assault allegation toward a former Chinese government official, she disappeared from the public eye. Her recent reappearance with the IOC alongside a Chinese Olympic committee official raised eyebrows and renewed concerns for her safety. Asian affairs expert Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss Peng Shuai's retraction and the various human rights controversies swirling at the Beijing games. "It's clear that the IOC was working with Beijing to make sure that she did not express herself freely," Chang said. "So really this is the IOC being complicit in these mechanisms of control over Peng."
The opening ceremony of the 2022 winter Olympics has kicked off at the Beijing national stadium. 150,000 spectators are in attendance for the games inside the 'closed loop' system separating Olympic personnel from the public. Cheddar News spoke with Brian Cazenueve, Sports Illustrated contributor, to share the highlights you may have missed and much more.
The Biden Administration is set to revise federal rules to address potential security risks from foreign-owned apps, mainly Tiktok. This comes after the White House opted not to pursue a forced shutdown of the Chinese-owned video sharing platform. Under these new rules, federal oversight would be expanded to explicitly include apps that could be used by foreign adversaries to steal or otherwise obtain data. Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Craig Singleton, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Although this week's weather is predicted to be less severe than the 2021 storm, Texans are preparing for the worst - stocking up on supplies and emptying shelves in grocery stores, once again. Some Texans still have not recovered from last year's tragedy, and are heading into the next few weeks with anxiety for what's to come. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Houston-based energy workforce & technology council, joins Cheddar News to discuss if the Texas grid will fail again.
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
After two NYPD officers were killed with an illegal gun, President Biden made a trip to New York City to speak on the issue of gun violence fed by the "iron pipeline" of illegal firearms that make their way from the South to the Big Apple. Kris Brown, the president of the gun violence prevention organization Brady United, joined Cheddar to discuss what this visit from the president could mean for the future of gun laws in America. "He's asked Congress to pass things like expanding the Brady background check system, but with the filibuster a barrier to so much action right now in the Congress, he's looking at solutions that involve funding at the federal level and really involve enforcement."
