It’s been a big one.
A re-elected Prime Minister. Sausage sizzles. TikToks. Flyers. Memes. And marketing teams working overtime to get your vote.
I deliberately held off writing this post until after the election – not because I didn’t have thoughts (obviously), but because I wanted to see how it all actually landed. What worked. What didn’t. What we might learn from it all.
Here we gooooooo: Election 2025, seen through a marketer’s eyes (and yes, there are some suggested edits and improvements*).
*Quick note before we dive in: I have massive respect for anyone working in political marketing. It’s complex, high-stakes, and comes with pressure most of us can’t imagine. These thoughts aren’t meant to be digs – they’re observations from the sidelines, with a lot of admiration for the people in the arena.
The illusion of “unbiased”
There was a lot of conversation this election about who was reporting or creating “unbiased” content – and it really got me thinking about how often we think we’re neutral, when actually we’re just aligned with a particular set of values.
And caring deeply about something – like the environment, or housing, or the economy – isn’t a bad thing. I totally get that’s what drives good, passionate storytelling. But when we start to call that perspective “unbiased,” we blur the line between personal values and universal truth.
What stood out to me this year was how even the explainers and tools designed to help people vote often came with a little side of commentary. Sometimes it was in the tone. Sometimes it was a throwaway line. But almost every piece of “neutral” content had a moment where it gave away where it stood. Even when it didn’t need to.
I found myself craving spaces where things were explained clearly, where the goal was understanding rather than convincing. The Daily Aus did this well. They offered bite-sized summaries of policies and outcomes without the emotional layering that comes from trying to sway someone.
And in a landscape where almost all of our content consumption is filtered through opinion, vibe, or algorithm, I think that kind of clarity is worth its weight in gold. 11/10 to TDA!
Room for improvement: Let’s not pretend neutrality is the goal. Let’s aim for transparency. “Here’s where I’m coming from, and here’s what that means for how I interpret this.” That kind of disclosure builds trust more than trying to appear above it all.
My thoughts on Poli-Tok
Let’s talk about TikTok – because I do think this was a defining part of the election for younger voters.
There was a clear push to “make politics relatable” through memes, stunts, and creator content. And I get it. We want to reach young people where they are. But I was still surprised – genuinely – by how far parties were willing to go to chase a viral moment.
We’re talking about the people who want to lead the country. The ones making billion-dollar decisions. And yet here they were, delivering thirst traps, choreographed jokes, and parody content that felt like brain rot/was 100% brain rot. Not because young people are silly or uninterested (far from it), but because it felt like a real misread of what it means to earn attention on these platforms.
And I NEED to know – did the actual leaders know what was going out on these channels? Did they sign off on these? Were they briefed? Or was someone deep in the campaign’s digital team quietly getting them posted and dodging a few approval lines? (someone, please tell me – this is keeping me up at night).
It didn’t feel fake. It just felt empty. Like the goal was attention, not connection. And the result just made me trust them less.
Compare that to something like Albanese on Abbie Chatfield’s podcast – an actual conversation, with space for depth. It still played in a culturally relevant space, but without the fluff. It felt like a leader showing up, not just a campaign trying to hit a KPI. That’s the difference.
If you haven’t seen what I’m talking about – here’s some of the wierdest ones that popped up in my feed:
Dutty Beats (which stayed in my head for a good week)
I don’t even know what is going on here
PS – literally nothing better than an unhinged video with an authorisation voice over at the end.
Room for improvement: Don’t just chase engagement for engagement’s sake. Voters – especially younger ones – are smart. They don’t need gimmicks. They need leaders who can show up in modern spaces with actual substance.
The knowledge gap remains real
This one’s personal. Because I really did try this year. I read. I listened. I watched. And still – I found it surprisingly hard to understand what each party actually stood for, outside of slogans and one-line soundbites.
What I did get loud and clear? The attacks. I could recite the anti-nuclear messaging from Labor word for word, purely from ad exposure. But could I clearly articulate each party’s climate policy? Housing plan? Vision for the future? Not easily.
There’s so much creativity in the marketing world. We see it every day in campaigns that manage to communicate big, nuanced ideas in digestible, compelling ways. So why is political marketing still so often reduced to flyers in the mailbox and scare ads on repeat?
I will say, I noticed more conversation this year than ever before. People wanted to talk about politics. Wanted to understand. But the sentiment I kept hearing was: “I just don’t know enough to make the right decision.” That’s a gap worth filling.
Room for improvement: Make it easier to learn. Break down complex policies into stories that stick. Trust voters to care if you give them something worth caring about. And for the love of all that is recycled, let’s retire the letterbox flyers PLEASE.
Timing matters more than ever
Here’s a stat I kept seeing post-election: 37.5% of Australians voted early this year. That’s a huge chunk of the population casting their votes before election day.
And yet so many campaigns are still built to peak in the final week – as if we’re all just waking up on Saturday, grabbing a snag, and making a split-second decision.
Personally, I didn’t see a single Liberal ad until after I’d already voted. Which made me wonder how many others felt the same. If your campaign isn’t visible when the decision is actually being made, is it really doing its job?
It reminds me a bit of brands that start posting their Black Friday deals the day before. BAD IDEA. Customers have been planning their purchases since October. They’ve made wishlists, set budgets, signed up for alerts. If you’re not in their consideration set early – you’ve already missed the moment.
Same goes for politics. The window to make an impact isn’t election day anymore. It’s the weeks before. That’s when people are watching. That’s when the real decisions are being made.
Room for improvement: Build for earlier momentum. Front-load your messaging. Treat early voting like the main event – not just the warm-up. Because by the time the big day rolls around, half the room has already left.
The face of the campaign is EVERYTHING
Something that came up a lot this election – quietly, and often offhandedly – was just how much the face of a party still shapes perception.
In the same way a brand choosing an ambassador has to ask, “Do people like and trust this person?” political parties have to do the same. And, rightly or wrongly, it didn’t feel like Peter Dutton passed that test for a lot of voters.
Even people who admitted they didn’t know much about him still had strong negative feelings. More than once I heard him compared to a wizarding world villain who shall not be named or memeified in ways that had nothing to do with his policies – and everything to do with how he came across.
It’s a fascinating parallel to influencer marketing. You could have the strongest platform in the world, but if your lead spokesperson isn’t connecting emotionally, that message might never land.
Room for improvement: Voters don’t just vote for policy – they vote for people. The leader is the campaign, and it’s worth treating that appointment with the same thought you’d give to choosing a spokesperson for a national brand. If the perception isn’t right, the rest becomes a harder sell.
Yes! Some creativity!
Let’s talk about the Greens’ Grindr ads.
“You always come first with the Greens.”
“Spice up Canberra with a third.”
The headlines were cheeky. Slightly absurd. But they got attention.
When I say I want to see more creativity in election marketing, this is what I mean. I don’t think anyone’s voting policy based purely on a punchline, but if a well-timed, well-targeted ad leads someone to click, explore, and learn more… I reckon that’s a solid campaign!
It did still felt a bit like a one-liner without a strong follow-up – but it started something at least. And in a media environment where most voters are tuning out traditional formats, that’s worth giving a round of applause to!
Room for improvement: Be bold, but build a second step. Make the funny, weird, unexpected ad – but make sure that click leads to clarity, not confusion. That’s where trust is built.
Please get rid of the scare tactics
One final thought. This might be more of a cultural read than a marketing one, but it’s worth saying: it feels like we’re exhausted by negativity.
Post-COVID, post-climate crisis headlines, post everything, there’s only so much fear people are willing to absorb. And yet – so many political ads still relied on the same formula: “Here’s what you’ll lose if you vote for them.”
Maybe that worked once. But in 2025? People want a future they can feel excited about. They want to see what’s possible. Not just what’s at risk.
We talk a lot about vision in brand marketing. Maybe it’s time political marketing borrowed that lens too.
Room for improvement: Show us the future. Paint the picture. Inspire us to choose something – not just to avoid something else.
That’s the wrap. An election full of learnings, missed opportunities, and a few glimmers of innovation. Marketing a political campaign isn’t easy – but maybe that’s all the more reason to raise the bar.
P.S. No, I didn’t dedicate a whole paragraph to Clive Palmer’s text messages. I figured we’re all aligned on our feelings there. If you missed them, consider yourself one of the lucky ones.
