Don’t Let Your Memes Be Dreams!
Donald Trump’s certified dank Reddit army.
Like many internet users, we all visit Reddit from time to time, even though most of us won’t admit it (First rule of Reddit: don’t share your username with your boss — cringe).
As someone who works in marketing and PR, I browse Reddit for work purposes as well. Scouting new marketing techniques, interesting new business and growth hacking ideas (shout out to /r/Entrepreneur), and I’ve even done some pro bono PR and growth consulting for businesses via connections made on Reddit.
But if you’ve been on Reddit in the last 4 months, you cannot escape the domreddit as they call themselves, /r/The_Donald.
Quasi-Official Online Grassroots Homes for Political Campaigns
Other candidates have also sought to use Reddit’s active online users as a source for campaign support. Bernie Sanders supporters, via the subreddit of /r/SandersForPresident, have organized massive canvassing, phonebanking, and facebanking campaigns in an attempt to generate genuine support for their candidate. Bernie supporters challenge each other to “match my donation of $50”, “I phonebanked 2,000 calls.” Even passionate teenagers, some of them too young to vote, are getting in on the action and calling their neighbors. The subreddit's tone is one of passion and seriousness that cannot be ignored. The Sanders campaign has even worked with the subreddit.
In steps the outrageous /r/The_Donald…
And then there’s the “Can’t Stump The Trump” video series that Donald Trump has personally retweeted on his official Twitter account (7.44M followers).
What is going on at /r/The_Donald?
No matter your political leanings, /r/The_Donald is one of the most entertaining websites on the internet.
The subreddit is filled with Trump memes, posts trolling each other for fun, not-so-subtle critiques of competing primary candidates, links to political articles, video clips from Trump news appearances, and live stream links to Trumps sometimes 2–3 rallies per day on the campaign trail.
A few memes that /r/The_Donald have generated
- “Have a coat” — The greeting for any new subscriber and or Trump convert. Refers to a Trump rally in a snowy Vermont where protesters were kicked out by security. Trump himself yelled over the microphone to security, “Take their coats! Confiscate their coats! They can pick them up later…don’t give them their coats.”
- “HIGH ENERGY” or low energy depending on the post — Comes directly from one of Trump’s first debates where he mocks Jeb Bush for being “low energy”. Jeb Bush was a favorite punching bag for /r/The_Donald.
- Centipedes / Nimble Navigators — The name given to any Trump supporters. Comes directly from the “Can’t Stump The Trump” video series. The theme music is a mixture of dubstep and the narrator of a national geographic documentary on centipedes. Very strange, but hilarious reference.
Its users share the same brash, smart-assed, politically incorrect, offensive, blunt, sarcastic, mischievous, and humorous personality of their pick to be the President of The United States of America, Donald Trump. It’s an organic mimicking of the attitude of Donald Trump.
Another sample post, that links to the video below.
There’s a serious, but somewhat smart-alecky tone to the whole subreddit that makes it feel like you just walked into your college dorm or local pub (for our British readers) on a Friday night after finishing your last lab and all your friends are waiting for you. A few light-hearted jabs, a little roasting, a little inside joking (spurred from a few early drinks), and overall a fun time to be had by all.
Many Sanders supporters have even ventured over to /r/The_Donald to voice their enjoyment for the subreddit’s entertaining atmosphere.
An election phenomenon online
But the greater news story with /r/The_Donald and /r/SandersforPresident is the growth of the “online community” that generates genuine support for their candidates.
Users on the /r/The_Donald, identifying themselves as part of Trump’s official campaign, have chimed in with official campaign messages. There have even been hints, according to /r/The_Donald, that Trump campaign staffers are taking memes and one-liners from the subreddit and adding them to his speeches. The subreddit posts answers to questions about registering to vote in the state primaries, links to buy Trump merchandise, and photos of solidarity and support.
Both /r/The_Donald and /r/SandersForPresident have impressive numbers of subscribers. Trump’s subreddit with over 88,000 and Sander’s with over 220,000.
I’m sure Nate Silver or another political data analyst will lookover Reddit and it’s effect on the 2016 election. But until then, as any good Redditor would say, enjoy the dank memes.
A personal note and disclaimer
Please know that this post is in no way an endorsement of any political candidate.
But I like to write about unique PR campaigns, growth hacking, online marketing, and the power of atypical online communications movements. And right now you cannot avoid online political places, specially ones as unique and outrageous as /r/The_Donald.
Matt
I’m online at Matt Burkhead — twitter @mcburkhead
