“Since I know that most of you here are young people and one of the problems you face is the roof, I must tell you about the My Home program because it may concern you.” Holding your cell phone and looking at the camera, mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed through him tik tak young people from 25 to 39 years old to inform them about the new program to subsidize a loan from the state for the purchase of housing.

On the same platform Alexis Tsipras publishes a video from his tour of Corinth. “Do you know how important it is to vote for the first time?” he seems to be asking two young girls who will be standing in front of the ballot box for the first time this year, only to get the answer, “That’s why we’re going to vote for you.”

OUR Nikos Androulakis in one of his latest Tik Tok posts, he chooses a snapshot of his participation in the Star Forum. When asked by a journalist about what the “color” is that expresses it in the post-election landscape, he replies: “You know, there are some colors, historically, that may not have won the championship for several years, but they have heavy jerseys. . . That’s why I brought you a heavy Democratic faction shirt as a gift.

Through short videos, sometimes humorous and sweet, sometimes personal and spontaneous, but always focused on a political message, parties’ election campaign finds space on Tik Tok for the first time. And this is quite logical, given that this year more than 430,000 boys and girls get the right to vote in Greece. In the hands of political leaders, the China platform is becoming a modern means of reaching out to Gen Z, and the communications strategy, in view of national elections, is now built around (and) this means. But can Tik Tok wake up the youth and send them to the polls next month?

“Of course, provided it’s used correctly,” answers “K” n Anastasia Veneti, Associate Professor of Political Communications, Bournemouth University, UK. And he explains: “Yes, the video should provide information, but it should be “dressed” taking into account the features of the platform. Tik Tok is a visual medium, so it is mostly based on images. Music also plays a very big role. If the right video is created, it can lead to the virality that is Tik Tok’s staple, getting a large number of new people to take surveys. Of course, what they end up voting for is another story.”

@kyriakosmitsotakis_ From today the minimum wage increases to 780 euros #fyp #tiktokgreece ♬ original sound – Kyriakos Mitsotakis

On April Fool’s Day, the Prime Minister announced an increase in the minimum wage to 780 euros. A video on Tik Tok has broken all previous records of 2.4 million views since Kyriakos Mitsotakis opened an account on the platform in May 2022. “We don’t know if they were impressed with the prime minister turning to the camera and talking to them, or if they were so interested in the matter! Even we are learning…”, employees of his communications headquarters told K.

Tik Tok Party Strategy

In the past year, the three largest parties in parliament have increasingly “invested” in the power of the media, trying through “experiments” to approach its young audience, which is also a potential voter.

“We have been trying for a long time to find the right way to make the presence of the Prime Minister make sense through Tik Tok. At first we posted excerpts from speeches during the tours, but it did not gain the popularity we needed. We soon decided to experiment: the prime minister addressed directly to the camera on various occasions we were given, whether humorous or promoting our policies. All of a sudden, we saw that it resonated.” New Democracy communications team leaders report to “K”.. As they point out, Tik Tok is a medium that is currently gaining a lot of traction, so they cannot ignore it. “This, of course, does not decide the outcome of the elections, but it is a new tool in this confrontation.”

They add that the goal of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to reach out through his personal Tik Tok account to age groups and audiences who are not necessarily interested in politics or follow political figures and current events so that the message reaches them every time. ., in a simple and direct way.

For the President of SYRIZA, – employees of the communications headquarters of Alexei Tsipras told K.a particular environment – to a large extent – offers itself to hear the voice of society. “Our strategy is to present both the initiatives and the governance program for the next four years, as well as Alexis Tsipras’ daily contact with citizens,” they elaborate, adding that Tik Tok is an important “weapon” in the battle for the pre-election period, which is used by the leader official opposition, as early as April 2022.

@atsipras #Φσίπρας #συνέντευξη #betarades #mundial #fyp #tiktokgreece ♬ original sound – Alexis Tsipras

In December 2022, Alexis Tsipras gives an interview to the Beterades show, in which he talks about the World Cup and Messi. The video on Tik Tok has over 548,000 views.

For PASOK, Tik Tok is a cleaner communication tool, the heads of the communications department Harilou Trikoupi sayemphasizing that his account Nikos Androulakis on this platform is still “built”. “On Tik Tok, we decided to put ‘vox-pop’ or snippets of speeches that we think a young person can click on and listen to what the PASOK leader has to say. In any case, we believe that the content should “touch” the audience of a particular platform. This is a tool that you need to have open, but use it correctly, speaking the language of its users, ”the same leaders at K explain.

Advantages of the platform in the “battle” of votes

The fact that Tik Tok is aimed at young people an audience that is difficult to “catch” in public opinion polls, is in itself a significant advantage for a candidate who may consider using it, communication experts say.

“Through short videos, a politician can inform Tik Toker users about complex political and social issues in a simpler and more direct way, which is visual storytelling, i.e. visual storytelling on a topic,” emphasizes Ms. Veneti, adding that when used correctly, the tool enables the politician to “create” his image.. Added to all this, she says, is the benefit of interaction, as well as the opportunity that Tik Tok gives, so that a video that goes viral can be transferred to one of the other social media platforms and shown there as is.