HOW ONE >>> SO MICHAEL BLOOMBERG IS A
LOT OF THINGS, BILLIONAIRE,
EAGLE SCOUT, FORMER MAYOR,
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. NOW THERE’S ONE THING HE’S
TRYING TO BECOME, A SOCIAL MEDIA
INFLUENCER AND HE’S WILLING TO
PAY FOR IT, PAY A LOT.
HIS CAMPAIGN WORKING WITH SOME
OF THE BIGGEST ONLINE MEME
MAKERS, REMEMBER FIREFEST AND
THAT EPIC FAIL.
LOOKS LIKE A DM CAMPAIGN ASKS IF
THEY CAN SEEM COOL FOR THE
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. PUTTING LAMBORGHINI DOORS ON THE
SLATER.
SLATER. ESCALATOR.
ESCALATOR. THERE’S A LOT LIKE THIS AND IT
SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
THE ONE WE SHOWED YOU WAS THE
MOST SUCCESSFUL AD PUT UP BUT IT
COULD BE WHETHER PEOPLE ARE
CONFUSED WHETHER IT’S REAL OR
NOT.
NOT. IT IS REAL.
REPORTER ONLINE WHO WRITES ABOUT
TRENDS, THRILLED TO HAVE YOU ON.
BLOOMBERG IS TRYING TO GET INTO
THE MEME GAME.
>> BLOOMBERG HAS TAKEN A NEW
MEDIA APPROACH TO ADVERTISING.
WHILE A LOT OF CANDIDATES HAVE
SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON TRADITION
MEDIA, TELEVISION ADS, OBVIOUSLY
BLOOMBERG IS DOING THAT, TOO BUT
TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE
INTERNET.
INTERNET. >> SO THE CAMPAIGN HAS A
STATEMENT.
STATEMENT. WHILE A MEME STRATEGY MAY BE NEW
TO PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS WE’RE
BETTING AN EFFECTIVE COMPONENT
TO REACH PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
AND COMPETE WITH TRUMP’S
POWERFUL DIGITAL OPERATION.
PRODUCERS ARE LIKE, I’M GETTING
BLOOMBERG STUFF FROM MY FEED.
IT ACTUALLY LOOKS DIFFERENT.
WHAT IS SUCH A SELL FOR PEOPLE
IS AUTHENTICITY.
IS AUTHENTICITY. CAN YOU DO BOTH?
BE A POLITICIAN ON INSTAGRAM AND
PAY FOR MEMES AND BE AUTHENTIC?
>> THAT’S THE MILLION DOLLAR
QUESTION.
QUESTION. A LOT OF INFLUENCERS POST ADS
FOR MONEY.
FOR MONEY. THEY ARE SEEN AS AUTHENTIC
BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE A CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP WITH INFLUENCER.
THEY HAVE NOT EVER ENDORSED A
POLITICAL CANDIDATE.
POLITICAL CANDIDATE. A LOT OF THEM SPEAKING TO THEM
ON BACKGROUND SAID THEY REALLY
DO FEEL LIKE IT’S TIME FOR A
CENTRIST TO COME TAKE ON TRUMP.
I THINK THEY PERSONALLY SUPPORT
BLOOMBERG.
BLOOMBERG. >> SHOULD PEOPLE READ MEMES AS
ENDORSEMENTS?
ENDORSEMENTS? >> I THINK IT’S FAIR TO READ
THEM AS AN ENDORSEMENT.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY OTHER
CANDIDATES HAVE DONE
ENDORSEMENTS REACHING OUT TO
INFLUENCERS.
INFLUENCERS. I DON’T THINK AN INFLUENCER
WOULD TAKE ON A BRAND DEAL IF
THEY DIDN’T BELIEVE IN THE
BRAND.
BRAND. >> THAT’S THE POINT.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT NAMES LIKE
JERRY MEDIA, BIG, BIG NAMES
EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT AND
MICROINFLUENCERS, PEOPLE WITH 1
STHOU
STHOU -- 1,000 FOLLOWERS.
BLOOMBERG CAMP IS PITCHING THEM
TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT MICHAEL
BLOOMBERG.
BLOOMBERG. >> IN ADDITION TO BUYING SPOTS
ON LARGE MEDIA PROPERTIES LIKE
JERRY MEDIA, OTHER MEME
ACCOUNTS, THEY ARE TRYING TO
HAVE THIS GROUND SWELL OF
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT OTHER
CANDIDATES, FOR INSTANCE, BERNIE
SANDERS, HE HAS A VERY YOUNG
BASE, ACTIVE POSTING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
MEDIA. >> UNPAID.
>> UNPAID. >> THEY ARE DOING IT BECAUSE
THEY CONSIDER BERNIE AND
INFLUENCER.
INFLUENCER. I THINK BLOOMBERG IS TRYING TO
COUNTER THAT WITH A LITTLE PAID
BOOST BEHIND IT.
>> WHAT WAS INTERESTING IN THE
STATEMENT FOR THE BLOOMBERG CAMP
THEY TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DIGITAL
OPERATION, RIGHT IN BLOOMBERG
SPENT MORE THAN A MILLION
DOLLARS A DAY ON AMPLE OVER THE
PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS ON
FACEBOOK.
FACEBOOK. THAT’S FIVE TIMES MORE THAN WHAT
TRUMP SPENT DURING THE SAME
PERIOD AND THREE TIMES WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP SPENT DURING DAY
ULTIMATELY WINNING 2016
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THE
PRESIDENT’S TEAM SPENDS AND I
KNOW COVERING HIM AND CAMPAIGN
SPENDS ON POLITICAL MEDIA ONLINE
AND FACEBOOK IS ASTRONOMICAL.
DO YOU SEE BLOOMBERG TRYING TO
TAKE IT TO TRUMP’S BACKYARD HER?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THE BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGN
IS CORRECT IN THE FACT TRUMP HAS
VERY ADEPTLY BEEN ABLE TO
LEVERAGE SOCIAL TO PROMOTE HIS
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. >> SUPER TARGETED ADS.
>> SUPER TARGETED ADS.
BLOOMBERG IS DOING THAT.
ALSO, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE
MEME WARS OF POLITICS TRUMP
PROMOTED HIS MESSAGE LARGELY
THROUGH MEMES.
THROUGH MEMES. YOU SEE TRUMP’S MEME TWITTER
ACCOUNT CONSTANTLY POSTING
MEMES.
MEMES. BLOOMBERG RECOGNIZES THAT AND
TRYING TO GO MEME FOR MEME.
>> PULLBACK, 2016 VERSUS 2020.
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS IT GOING
TO FEEL ONLINE WHEN IT COMES TO
AD WARS AND POLITICS IN 2020.
>> RADICALLY DIFFERENT.
IF YOU THINK BACK TO 2016
INFLUENCER CULTURE WAS VERY
NASCENT, A LOT OF PLATFORMS WERE
JUST EVOLVING, JUST ADDING
STORIES WHEN YOU CONSIDER IT.
NOW IT’S COMPLETELY UBIQUITOUS,
YOU HAVE GEN Z, A WHOLE NEW