Hi All! I'm trying hard to stay offline (my IG is BLOCKED but I am on my computer). If you think this article is important please *RESTACK* it. The first step in countering something like this is awareness, would love your help! TYSM
You know, a couple points you touched on here really are things that some of the younger people in democrat circles need to listen to because the branding girlies run STRONG in internet land. Feminizing the branding and making it cutesy is SO UNDERRATED if we’re using social media to make an impact. Of course the bros are online but you know who makes up so many internet audiences? Women. Ages 25-44. Moms. You’ve been screaming this forever, Emily.
I know SO many brand designers in the internet space that make the coolest personal brands and humanize concepts so well. It’s an area nobody is paying attention to except you. Consistent graphics, consistent colors, consistent messaging. It all translates to a strong cohesive brand. I put this on threads. I’ll probably put it there again with a CTA for some of the graphic design girlies. That’s all I notice from these MAHA people is their branding.
I apparently have a lot of big feelings about this. I’m really interested in digging into some of the marketing around these people. Excuse me while I go creeping into their pinterests and the people they follow. After I figure out their names lol
Something else I would like to point out is you can see the evolution of these people by looking at who they follow from the very first person they followed on Instagram and scrolling up. Meg Haywood Sullivan and Amelia Leeann joy are their marketing and comms directors for this maba movement. Really interesting to see the liberal people they’ve drawn in. That branding will indeed peel off liberals, it’s cloaked under the “no labels” guise
10000%. At this point, the right is so far ahead in this regard AND they have the support of major platforms who boost their messaging. I've been thinking for a while, we NEED to form some sort of coalition of progressive-minded design/comms/social media pros and influencers; get on task and implement our own strategy instead of constantly playing defense. Kamala HQ was promising but it's dead and now everything feels scattered again, scrambling. I know we have the numbers; how do we organize?
I would probably have to read through Emily’s book tbh. You are so right. There is a whole coalition of online service providers (think like: virtual assistants, graphic designers, etc) in the dem frame of mind. I haven’t truly seen anyone actually nail the branding and messaging that the right has with any of the kind of “movements” that drawn people in. One other thing they do well, and this is again in digital marketing girlie land, is they niche down big time. They find their exact target audience and they speak directly to them. So that would be another thing to consider. How can the left bring back the Pinterest girly influencers?
Yeah, we need a general "fascism isn't cute" movement, with offshoots to grab back different demos (wellness, fashion, food, travel influencers) like the MA_A formula does. I did notice a lot of big influencers go silent around the election, and then some "came out" as republican afterward but a lot have remained silent...that feels like an untapped resource.
They are NOT coming for my planet. Oh no no. I think I just found the missing puzzle piece for my IG content. I'm so angry I can't even comment properly! This is going to have an impact on the entire world.
Their messaging is so good. I can definitely see this grabbing the attention of people who care but aren't digging into what the group really stands for. I also really dislike the 'X' is not political messaging. We have made these things political based on the policies we enact. Nature is impacted when you make it easier for corporations to pollute it or destroy habitat. I think about the messaging among fired park rangers right now. I would love to see that built into a larger social media strategy, because whoever is making that content is *good*.
You sent me down a rabbit hole. Left needs improved visual branding to match this and some really popular movements. They have this influencer thing locked down tight
Nature is nonpartisan? Nature doesn't care who you voted for? The hell it doesn't. This is right up there with convincing the hens (American women) to vote for the fox (Maga) in the name of protection. Ugh.
That was my first reaction too. I see regenerative ag folks as susceptible to this too unfortunately. Lots of us left traditional homesteading spaces on social media because they were too right leaning during trump’s first term. A lot of regenerative ag content creators seem to not want to be too left leaning. Lots of “everyone is welcome here” type talk. I think the intent of those people is to make sure no one else feels pushed out like many of us did but this definitely concerns me.
This is what I came here to say. Democrats/DNC seem determined to keep playing like everything is normal, and refuse to take this sh*t seriously when the writing is clearly on the wall. Wtf do we do.
We need to form our own coalition of progressive design/comms/social media pros and influencers—people who actually get aesthetics and algorithms. If this already exists, I haven't found it. I know that people are out there but we're not organized. Meanwhile, the right has secured their advantage on platforms like X and Meta. We need strong, cohesive strategy and branding, and to stop being reactive and scattered. But first we need to bring everyone together, and I'm not sure how to do that. Maybe it can happen on Substack?
THIS. I saw today that Chuck Schumer basically said his hope is that once the GOP expels the “turd” that is Trump they’ll go back to being the Republican Party they were before. WTAF. The man is completely delusional and as long as any Dems with one iota of institutional power are thinking this way, we’re cooked.
Yes, what’s a good response? Rage commenting? Because I can do that but I bet I get blocked. And ppl don’t see the harm of groups like moms for liberty until there’s a mask off moment.
It might feel small, but I think things like sharing their posts with your network with commentary that highlights what’s really going on, sharing Emily’s Substack, etc., is a great place to start. We need to be shining as much light as possible for people who may not be as politically attuned (in addition to a movement and messaging that will counter it, but that’s a much bigger job).
Well this is terrifying. I'm not quite sure I understand the hook though. Like with Moms for Liberty it's parental rights as a Trojan horse for book bans, anti-CRT, etc. Keep the populace dumb. With MAHA, it's personal freedom, get the anti-vax and pro raw milk people, = less regulation for those industries, more profit. So, how do they truly hook nature lovers into this movement? If the goal is less regulation, what do you say to a nature lover to hook them in? I mean, other than the freaks who only like nature for trophy hunting, how do you convince that group to swing this way? I love nature, and I think letting them drill everywhere is somehow a good thing? I love nature and I think unlimited logging is great? I mean, I see that they have all the right types of people on their board to attempt it, but I'm failing to see who the true target is. Or are they just trying to get the MAHAS and the mama bears to be like yeah, cool, destroy our parks?
I did, and it seems like they are burying their agenda in doublespeak and this is quite a tightrope they are trying to walk. This one may backfire! But then again I should know better, if I've learned nothing else the last 5 years, it's that the people are gullible and easily influenced. They definitely have some "leave it to the states" and "incentivize private land owners" BS on there but the true agenda is deeply hidden.
One easy way (esp. because the housing crisis): "Hey girlies, remember 200 years ago when we all had acreage and it was so dreamy to farm? Well, we all should have that again, and the only way to get it is to sell public lands."
Okay, yup, good one, I can see that! Nature is great, you should own your own chunk of it and be able to do what you want with it. (As long as you are rich and yt.) 🙄
My guess is they take a page from the Yellowstone series. (Specifically the interactions between John Dutton and the environmentalist woman). The stance is farmers and ranchers are protecting the land and it’s the liberal out of touch city dwellers from California who are the boogeymen.
This was my initial question too, but my guess is it will play on fringe weather seeding conspiracies, that government agencies have been creating devastating weather events (like hurricane helene, which was so obviously fueled by very real climate change) to further justify the dismantling of things like noaa and nws. The messaging won’t be “actually logging is great for the environment,” it’ll be “look at how this corrupt agency destroyed the blue ridge mountains - we need to get rid of them before they try to wipe you out again.” You could already see how quickly weather seeding got into the mainstream convo on facebook after the hurricane, they were laying the groundwork then.
Hi Emily - I am really disheartened that dems still don't seem to be getting this. I've been a long-time follower of yours, and I was part of the original MAHA right before COVID (the white wellness movement). I've already shared this MABA concept with other dems and they are in complete denial about it, even saying "MAHA messaging wasn't effective." Meanwhile, we have measles outbreaks and RFK Jr. in the White House. I know this has been your frustration for years. I thought another Trump win would make people see, but alas...
You’d think their name -Make America Beautiful Again - would scream “we’re MAGA in camo” - but maybe not for people who like to believe they’re into “nature.”
Friends, that guy Benji Backer was on CBS Sunday morning during the election cycle, I'm pretty sure. They've been soft launching this since then or before I'm pretty sure.
And much like the idea of reading Matthew McConaughey's book/ political aspirations I quickly cycled through a range of emotions, because I am sensitive to an agenda.
🤔🤨😐😑😒😮💨😵💫😳😩😤
Thanks for reading the tea leaves Emily, despite needing to rest♡
Yikes, this feels bad bad bad. I think you're spot on with the fact that these movements, and this one, in particular, have honed in on the importance of branding, messaging, aesthetics, and palatability, and I worry that the left simply cannot keep up, particularly as the old guard appears to retain so much power. This is deeply worrying, so thank you for keeping us abreast of the next frontier. Ugh.
Hi All! I'm trying hard to stay offline (my IG is BLOCKED but I am on my computer). If you think this article is important please *RESTACK* it. The first step in countering something like this is awareness, would love your help! TYSM
You know, a couple points you touched on here really are things that some of the younger people in democrat circles need to listen to because the branding girlies run STRONG in internet land. Feminizing the branding and making it cutesy is SO UNDERRATED if we’re using social media to make an impact. Of course the bros are online but you know who makes up so many internet audiences? Women. Ages 25-44. Moms. You’ve been screaming this forever, Emily.
I know SO many brand designers in the internet space that make the coolest personal brands and humanize concepts so well. It’s an area nobody is paying attention to except you. Consistent graphics, consistent colors, consistent messaging. It all translates to a strong cohesive brand. I put this on threads. I’ll probably put it there again with a CTA for some of the graphic design girlies. That’s all I notice from these MAHA people is their branding.
You know what else interests me? Who is doing the branding for these MAHA/MABA etc people? Does anyone know?
I apparently have a lot of big feelings about this. I’m really interested in digging into some of the marketing around these people. Excuse me while I go creeping into their pinterests and the people they follow. After I figure out their names lol
Something else I would like to point out is you can see the evolution of these people by looking at who they follow from the very first person they followed on Instagram and scrolling up. Meg Haywood Sullivan and Amelia Leeann joy are their marketing and comms directors for this maba movement. Really interesting to see the liberal people they’ve drawn in. That branding will indeed peel off liberals, it’s cloaked under the “no labels” guise
10000%. At this point, the right is so far ahead in this regard AND they have the support of major platforms who boost their messaging. I've been thinking for a while, we NEED to form some sort of coalition of progressive-minded design/comms/social media pros and influencers; get on task and implement our own strategy instead of constantly playing defense. Kamala HQ was promising but it's dead and now everything feels scattered again, scrambling. I know we have the numbers; how do we organize?
I would probably have to read through Emily’s book tbh. You are so right. There is a whole coalition of online service providers (think like: virtual assistants, graphic designers, etc) in the dem frame of mind. I haven’t truly seen anyone actually nail the branding and messaging that the right has with any of the kind of “movements” that drawn people in. One other thing they do well, and this is again in digital marketing girlie land, is they niche down big time. They find their exact target audience and they speak directly to them. So that would be another thing to consider. How can the left bring back the Pinterest girly influencers?
Yeah, we need a general "fascism isn't cute" movement, with offshoots to grab back different demos (wellness, fashion, food, travel influencers) like the MA_A formula does. I did notice a lot of big influencers go silent around the election, and then some "came out" as republican afterward but a lot have remained silent...that feels like an untapped resource.
Did you find anything? Please report back!
Hey! Norovirus here with my little family! Tried combing through some socials but didn’t find much!
I work in conservation and I'm going to be sharing this as much as I can. We will not be taken advantage of
They are NOT coming for my planet. Oh no no. I think I just found the missing puzzle piece for my IG content. I'm so angry I can't even comment properly! This is going to have an impact on the entire world.
Their messaging is so good. I can definitely see this grabbing the attention of people who care but aren't digging into what the group really stands for. I also really dislike the 'X' is not political messaging. We have made these things political based on the policies we enact. Nature is impacted when you make it easier for corporations to pollute it or destroy habitat. I think about the messaging among fired park rangers right now. I would love to see that built into a larger social media strategy, because whoever is making that content is *good*.
You sent me down a rabbit hole. Left needs improved visual branding to match this and some really popular movements. They have this influencer thing locked down tight
Nature is nonpartisan? Nature doesn't care who you voted for? The hell it doesn't. This is right up there with convincing the hens (American women) to vote for the fox (Maga) in the name of protection. Ugh.
Oh regenerative ag better not fall down this hole. Who are these gals on ig
That was my first reaction too. I see regenerative ag folks as susceptible to this too unfortunately. Lots of us left traditional homesteading spaces on social media because they were too right leaning during trump’s first term. A lot of regenerative ag content creators seem to not want to be too left leaning. Lots of “everyone is welcome here” type talk. I think the intent of those people is to make sure no one else feels pushed out like many of us did but this definitely concerns me.
In the words of multiple characters on HIMYM - "what the damn hell".
So what can we do?
This is what I came here to say. Democrats/DNC seem determined to keep playing like everything is normal, and refuse to take this sh*t seriously when the writing is clearly on the wall. Wtf do we do.
We need to form our own coalition of progressive design/comms/social media pros and influencers—people who actually get aesthetics and algorithms. If this already exists, I haven't found it. I know that people are out there but we're not organized. Meanwhile, the right has secured their advantage on platforms like X and Meta. We need strong, cohesive strategy and branding, and to stop being reactive and scattered. But first we need to bring everyone together, and I'm not sure how to do that. Maybe it can happen on Substack?
THIS. I saw today that Chuck Schumer basically said his hope is that once the GOP expels the “turd” that is Trump they’ll go back to being the Republican Party they were before. WTAF. The man is completely delusional and as long as any Dems with one iota of institutional power are thinking this way, we’re cooked.
Yes, what’s a good response? Rage commenting? Because I can do that but I bet I get blocked. And ppl don’t see the harm of groups like moms for liberty until there’s a mask off moment.
It might feel small, but I think things like sharing their posts with your network with commentary that highlights what’s really going on, sharing Emily’s Substack, etc., is a great place to start. We need to be shining as much light as possible for people who may not be as politically attuned (in addition to a movement and messaging that will counter it, but that’s a much bigger job).
Well this is terrifying. I'm not quite sure I understand the hook though. Like with Moms for Liberty it's parental rights as a Trojan horse for book bans, anti-CRT, etc. Keep the populace dumb. With MAHA, it's personal freedom, get the anti-vax and pro raw milk people, = less regulation for those industries, more profit. So, how do they truly hook nature lovers into this movement? If the goal is less regulation, what do you say to a nature lover to hook them in? I mean, other than the freaks who only like nature for trophy hunting, how do you convince that group to swing this way? I love nature, and I think letting them drill everywhere is somehow a good thing? I love nature and I think unlimited logging is great? I mean, I see that they have all the right types of people on their board to attempt it, but I'm failing to see who the true target is. Or are they just trying to get the MAHAS and the mama bears to be like yeah, cool, destroy our parks?
head to their website and take a look!
I did, and it seems like they are burying their agenda in doublespeak and this is quite a tightrope they are trying to walk. This one may backfire! But then again I should know better, if I've learned nothing else the last 5 years, it's that the people are gullible and easily influenced. They definitely have some "leave it to the states" and "incentivize private land owners" BS on there but the true agenda is deeply hidden.
One easy way (esp. because the housing crisis): "Hey girlies, remember 200 years ago when we all had acreage and it was so dreamy to farm? Well, we all should have that again, and the only way to get it is to sell public lands."
Okay, yup, good one, I can see that! Nature is great, you should own your own chunk of it and be able to do what you want with it. (As long as you are rich and yt.) 🙄
My guess is they take a page from the Yellowstone series. (Specifically the interactions between John Dutton and the environmentalist woman). The stance is farmers and ranchers are protecting the land and it’s the liberal out of touch city dwellers from California who are the boogeymen.
This was my initial question too, but my guess is it will play on fringe weather seeding conspiracies, that government agencies have been creating devastating weather events (like hurricane helene, which was so obviously fueled by very real climate change) to further justify the dismantling of things like noaa and nws. The messaging won’t be “actually logging is great for the environment,” it’ll be “look at how this corrupt agency destroyed the blue ridge mountains - we need to get rid of them before they try to wipe you out again.” You could already see how quickly weather seeding got into the mainstream convo on facebook after the hurricane, they were laying the groundwork then.
Hi Emily - I am really disheartened that dems still don't seem to be getting this. I've been a long-time follower of yours, and I was part of the original MAHA right before COVID (the white wellness movement). I've already shared this MABA concept with other dems and they are in complete denial about it, even saying "MAHA messaging wasn't effective." Meanwhile, we have measles outbreaks and RFK Jr. in the White House. I know this has been your frustration for years. I thought another Trump win would make people see, but alas...
"MAHA messaging wasn't effective" WHAT. I don't even know what to do with that level of denial.
You’d think their name -Make America Beautiful Again - would scream “we’re MAGA in camo” - but maybe not for people who like to believe they’re into “nature.”
To me, anything that is "Make America ______ Again" is instantly a red flag.
This is my nightmare. Thank you for bringing awareness.
Friends, that guy Benji Backer was on CBS Sunday morning during the election cycle, I'm pretty sure. They've been soft launching this since then or before I'm pretty sure.
And much like the idea of reading Matthew McConaughey's book/ political aspirations I quickly cycled through a range of emotions, because I am sensitive to an agenda.
🤔🤨😐😑😒😮💨😵💫😳😩😤
Thanks for reading the tea leaves Emily, despite needing to rest♡
Yikes, this feels bad bad bad. I think you're spot on with the fact that these movements, and this one, in particular, have honed in on the importance of branding, messaging, aesthetics, and palatability, and I worry that the left simply cannot keep up, particularly as the old guard appears to retain so much power. This is deeply worrying, so thank you for keeping us abreast of the next frontier. Ugh.