Crypto wins the vote in the 2024 US elections

Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of crypto.news editorial.

The 2024 US election campaigns have been a masterclass in how to compel a large group of people to elect their country’s leaders. Over a short period of time, we saw sentiment shift as each candidate began campaigning and making promises to voters on issues like immigration, the cost of living, and reproductive rights.

From the spread of memes about immigrants eating cats and dogs and the humorous phrase “coconut tree” to the decisive role of lobbying regulators, the similarities between compelling political messages and crypto narratives are hard to ignore.

Crypto is no stranger to engaging messages. One of the most memorable phrases in crypto history, the phrase “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor is on the verge of second bailout for banks” in the formation block of Bitcoin (BTC), is a reminder of the powerful messages contained in the formation block of Bitcoin (BTC). industry forward. For cryptocurrency to win the “people’s vote” again, the industry needs to learn from several basic communication principles we observed in this year’s elections.

Touching the soul of the masses with memes

The use of memes in political messages this election season helped candidates engage with the voter base and change their perceptions.

In July, singer Charli XCX reached out to her nearly 3.7 million followers on X to support Kamala Harris with a three-word X-post, “kamala IS brat.” Brat was an album launched by Charli XCX, featuring eye-catching neon lime green and black colors. The Harris campaign quickly adapted the theme into its campaign color scheme, resulting in the “Kamala is a brat” meme exploding across the internet and TikTok, creating a new cultural reference that shaped the discourse in positive ways. This is especially important for young and new voters, who increasingly get their news through social media, according to Pew Research.

Drawing on evolutionary biology and memetics, meme studies investigate how ideas, behaviors, and cultural phenomena spread. Media lightheartedness influences voter attitudes on an emotional level by allowing people to digest complex or disturbing political realities in a more accessible way.

Crypto has seen its successful implementation through memecoins such as Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Dogwifhat (WIF), which leverage meme culture to spark communities and interest. Similar to political memes that spread ideology, memcoins spread economic narratives through humor and social media interaction.

The industry at large needs to see a return to memes that appeal to users on a large scale. Popular memes such as ‘diamond hands’, ‘WAGMI’ (we will all make it) and HODL (hold on for your life) have spread crypto-related beliefs like wildfire in the past. The industry needs to create new memes and capitalize on new moments to stay relevant and resonate with broad audiences again.

Use of emotional and goal-oriented messages

Political campaigns also provide examples of how emotionally resonant, purposeful language connects with supporters.

Donald J. Trump’s campaign used many bold statements of purpose, showing that the work dovetailed with themes of strength and patriotism. Among the most popular messages of the campaign is the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) message. His appeal is linked to the psychological priming in US culture for an anti-hero figure who is bold and does not conform to typical political etiquette and represents a willingness to challenge the status quo. This is Trump’s “fight, fight, fight!” It was symbolized in his call. It spread after the assassination attempt in July.

The Web3 parallel is the need to evoke purpose when speaking to end users by skipping complex jargon in favor of emotionally engaging language. Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs, a prominent crypto thought leader, uses direct and emotionally engaging messaging to resonate with crypto enthusiasts. His commentary focuses on key trends and recent events, furthering his credibility as a key spokesperson for Solana (SOL) and blockchain technology in general.

Similar to how political campaigns use taglines that reflect voters’ core values, web3 projects and their founders need to rely more heavily on using catchy phrases that will create an emotional connection and generate greater engagement from a broader audience.

Lobbying to engage more seriously with policymakers

Lobbying played a notable role in this year’s elections. Health lobbyist Calley Means, Republican and independent presidential candidates Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. When he reconnected with , the health of U.S. citizens became a prominent issue. This played a role in RFK dropping out of the race to support Trump’s campaign, and the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement could make the difference in the final election results.

The US crypto industry itself also faced regulatory hostility towards companies after the collapse of FTX. Since then, there has been a growing awareness that the use of money in politics is just how the system works. Lobbying activities are needed to ensure that the priorities of the sector are heard in the halls of Congress.

The last two years have seen a huge increase in advocacy efforts for better US crypto policy. As of mid-October, crypto-focused super PACs (political action committees) had spent over $134 million to persuade voters to elect members of Congress who support crypto. Just this week, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced that the company had committed another $25 million to support Fairshake PAC heading into the 2026 midterms to elect pro-crypto candidates.

If US companies pursue this strategy, it could lead to significant changes in US policy and lead to a global ripple effect, allowing crypto to be better perceived by local users.

The 2024 US elections were filled with examples of ingenious communication tactics that could be adopted by crypto projects. As the industry focus begins to shift from infrastructure development to the growth of consumer applications across various sectors, these strategies will become increasingly important in convincing users why they should choose the products offered over the many alternatives available to them.

Debra Nita

Debra Nita is associate director and head of growth at YAP Global, a crypto-native public relations firm. With over a decade of strategic communications and product marketing experience, Debra helps leading crypto and web3 projects gain exposure and reputation through top-tier media coverage, leadership and narrative development. His areas of expertise include layer 1 blockchains, aggregations, decentralized finance, zero knowledge and cryptography, and stablecoins. Debra has also appeared as a speaker and hackathon judge at leading crypto conferences such as ETHDenver, Mainnet in NYC, ETHToronto, and ETH Kuala Lumpur.