TikTok push a winner for Steven Miles

The Labor campaign machine that successfully turned long-term politician Steven Miles into a TikTok star is believed to have helped stave off an inner-city ‘Greenslide’.

Some of Steven Miles's social media posts.

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The Labor campaign machine that successfully turned long-term politician Steven Miles into a TikTok star is believed to have helped stave off an inner-city “Greenslide” and brought young votes back to the party

Despite Labor’s significant loss in regional Queensland that led to election defeat, the party managed to claw back voters in four of the six inner-city seats targeted by the Greens. These were areas populated by renters and university students

Mr Miles’ six-person digital team, made up of videographers, photographers, writers and editors, modelled the former premier’s TikTok presence on that of Kamala Harris, even down to the name: Miles HQ.

More than 100 videos appeared on the Chinese-owned social media site through the four-week campaign. However, the online push wasn’t new; it was a considered approach Mr Miles had instilled in his team since he had become premier 10 months earlier, built on the belief that politicians should meet ­people where they are.

Associate professor of politics and journalism at Griffith University, Paul Williams, described the approach as “flawless”.

“We called this the first TikTok election,” he said.

“It was absolutely expert. It was a combination of humanising himself … he was domestic dad, had that masculinity with the beers, the gym. So, it was a very well-researched and very well-rounded campaign.”

The Sunday lunch box videos Mr Miles made with his daughter created a relatable dad persona, which was enhanced with the help of micro-influencers and the occasional schooner to distil the party policy down into a shot, often trending clip.

Then, after weeks of build-up and promises, a video of the then-premier bench pressing 100kg reached more than 900,000 views. Other clips garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

Associate professor of narratology at the University of Sydney, Tom van Laer, likened the transformation to Kevin Rudd’s traditional media persona in 2007, and said Mr Miles’ success likely came down to his authenticity and reliability.

“Miles presenting himself in scenarios that showcase his personal life and hobbies, helps diminish the generational gap, making him more accessible and likeable to younger voters,” Dr van Laer said.

“As social media continues to play a critical role in shaping public perceptions, especially among younger demographics, we can expect more politicians to leverage these platforms to craft and control their public personas.”

According to Newspoll, opposition leader-turned-Premier, David Crisafulli, was ahead of Mr Miles on the measure of preferred leader in September. But he slipped behind in the last week of the campaign after Labor’s sustained attack over abortion rights.

In the inner-city seats of McConnel and Cooper, which the Greens believed they would gain, first-preference polling slipped about 3 to 4 per cent. In Maiwar, held by MP Michael Berkman, the Greens recorded a 7 per cent swing, while Amy MacMahon is likely to have lost South Brisbane after losing 3 per cent of the vote.

The difficulty of social media campaigning it that it is hard to understand your audience.

Without spending on advertisements and promotions, which allows the targeting to specific users, the campaign was never sure if the people viewing and liking the content were old enough to vote or even in the state. But social media marketing agency We Are Social Australia’s editorial director Ruaridh O’Donnell said so-called organic posts boost authenticity and resonate better with audiences.

“Although he’s lost his premiership, the success of a digital campaign like this isn’t just about the numbers – it’s about sparking genuine interaction and conversation, and in that respect, he’s hit the mark.”

Dr Williams is not sure a similar approach would work at a federal level for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, due to his troubled incumbency. Although, he believes it may be effective for Treasurer Jim Chalmers.