- The EU bubble’s top 50 influencers were announced at the yearly ZN #EUinfluencer ranking in Brussels on September 20th. This year, Sari Arho Havrén, PhD, a Futurist, Geopolitics, Great Power Competition and China analyst, and Senior Advisor to Business Finland, secured the top spot in our unified ranking across all key digital channels (X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Threads).
- Eddy Wax, POLITICO Brussels Playbook co-author, was crowned as the EU Bubble’s most influential social media figure on X. He takes the prize from Dave Keating, Brussels Correspondent at France 24 who takes second place in the ranking this time. Alberto Alemanno, an academic, author, public interest lawyer, and civic entrepreneur took the top spot on the LinkedIn ranking.
- The #EUinfluencer ranking, currently on its eighth edition, looks at the impact of Brussels-based EU influencers on social media including on X and LinkedIn as well as honorable mentions on Threads, TikTok and Instagram. This year’s competition was dominated by journalists, with 22 of the top 50 ranked being part of the press corps, as they continue to increasingly make use of the tool to find, develop and share news.
- The event, hosted by ZN CEO Phil Weiss, comes amid an increasing use of social media by politicians and a slowing of change on the social media scene in Europe, with X, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram remaining firmly in place while alternatives such as Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads failed to achieve a solid foothold in the EU Brussels Bubble at this time. In fact, recent research by ZN, mapping out social media usage by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and this year’s #EUInfluencers, has confirmed that X remains highly relevant and the most used channel, despite popular opinion. However, this could change rapidly as demonstrated by the recent rise of Bluesky in Brazil.
- Increased regulations, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which came into force in 2023 and have increased the pressure on the social landscape to act more responsibly. More aggressive action against social channels, such as the arrest of Telegram’s CEO in France, the banning of TikTok in India and Brazil blocking X could all be precursors to further actions globally. Not hedging all your bets on a single social channel is therefore not unwise.
Increased dynamism but no fundamental platform shifts
Over the past year, the social media landscape in Europe has evolved. With recent elections in mind, social platforms have become crucial battlegrounds for political discourse but also increased regulation and control.
With political parties spending significantly higher budgets on social media engagement, and with a strong focus on targeted advertising, it is quickly becoming a focal point for political messaging.
In fact, recent reports have shown that Belgian political parties spent an astounding €5 million on advertising on Facebook in 2022, according to the RTBF, while Irish political parties spent around €500,000 on social media advertising (Facebook and Instagram) prior to the elections (Irish Times) and in Hungary, Orban’s Fidesz party spent a total of €230,000 on Google ads alone to boost their European and local ambitions (Politico). Results have shown that such spending, however, does not always guarantee an electoral win but it does firmly place the internet and social media in the limelight as the channel of choice. Digital communication has firmly stepped out of its niche position over the past years and has become mainstream, underscored by increased expenditure in the US, where Kamala Harris announced she would spend USD 200 million on digital advertising alone during her campaign (FT).
Add to that the increasing regulatory measures that have, and will, come into play and growing concerns around misinformation and data privacy, and we see that the interaction between social media, the internet and politics in Europe is more dynamic than ever.
We have also seen social media platforms becoming more politicized in Europe, as political leaders and parties increasingly use them to communicate directly with citizens and bypass traditional media. This trend is not new, but in the past year, it has intensified and become increasingly standardized.
Political leaders across Europe, from Emmanuel Macron and Jordan Bardella in France to Giorgia Meloni in Italy have embraced platforms like Instagram, X, and TikTok as crucial tools for reaching younger demographics. The shift in tone from formal press releases to more casual, relatable social media content reflects an evolving political communications strategy. In countries like Italy and France, TikTok has emerged as a surprising platform for political engagement, especially among younger voters, who view it as more authentic than traditional campaign methods. It’s been a strategy that has delivered significant success for far-right movements across Europe as they embrace social platforms to drive their often-polarized messaging and buzz.
Research underscores a diversified channel mix
What has not fundamentally changed however is the choice for mainstream social platforms. Elon Musk’s X, despite being widely challenged and threatened by the rise of new platforms such as Mastodon, Bluesky and Threads, still reigns supreme in Brussels. None of the newcomers have managed to gain a significant foothold in Europe (or in EU politics) to date.
The continued prominence of X is exemplified by recent news surrounding Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union, who chose to share his resignation letter first on X rather than any other platform. One thing is clear, X remains the go-to place for making a splash in the political scene.
The fact that Breton has first shared his resignation letter right on X is quite telling that the the EU bubble is still addicted to the platform, in spite of everything – and it surely remains the place where to make a scene!#EUinfluencer @ZNConsulting
— Gerardo Fortuna (@gerardofortuna) September 16, 2024
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues in the College, Commission services, MEPs, Member States, and my team.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) September 16, 2024
Together, we have worked tirelessly to advance an ambitious EU agenda.
It has been an honour & privilege to serve the common European interest🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/wQ4eeHUnYu
In fact, recent research by ZN, which mapped out social media usage by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and this year’s #EUInfluencers has confirmed that X remains highly relevant and the most used channel. The study also concluded that very few MEPs are using an effective channel mix, often focusing all their social efforts on X alone (despite most MEP’s having 4 social channels on average) and, as a result, alienating themselves from their constituents who are often more active on Facebook and Instagram – and where they should therefore be focusing their efforts. The few that have jumped to LinkedIn have quickly discovered that it is not a key channel for political discourse, with very low interaction on their posts as a result.
What next?
As political entities and politicians continue to grow their presence on social media platforms, ensuring that they do this effectively to achieve their goals has become a focal point.
It is an increasingly critical way to reach out to the population at large as well as target individual interest groups. However, more regular and ongoing communications will be a requirement. EU organizations and political leaders often focus significant efforts around key events, such as elections, but then fail throughout their day-to-day work to effectively communicate about their efforts and results.
Here are a few take-aways, building on decades of experience, that could be key in improving the overall impact of your communication:
- Content is king and is core to building and sustaining an online presence. It helps parties and individuals communicate their message, connect with their audience, and foster engagement. Quality content can educate, entertain, or inspire, driving user interaction and loyalty as well as increasing overall visibility.
- Social media requires a regular and especially qualitative presence and a strong network to have an impact, such as growing your follower base. Ensure you invest time and resources effectively to achieve your goals.
- There is a necessity for political entities, associations and individuals to spend more time working around multiple social and web channels including publishing articles, newsletters, and making use of other digital channels for outreach and conversation. A good channel mix, both social, email-based and online, is crucial to delivering a solid message and reaching a more extensive target audience.
- Video is still the most watched content on the internet today. When you know that YouTube users globally watch over 1 billion hours of videos daily, which means roughly 5 billion videos, it’s a core channel that cannot be missed. Keeping videos short and to the point but ensuring you put out a lot of quality can transform your impact significantly!
Are you looking to get more impact? Here’s what you need to take into consideration:
1. Consider that meme culture has become increasingly influential in European politics, particularly among younger voters. Politicians and political movements across Europe have harnessed the power of memes to communicate complex ideas with humor and simplicity, making them more relatable and viral.
2. Stand out and differentiate. With a significant number of new MEPs and officials joining the EU after the elections, a strong online presence will help shape conversations. Build an emotional connection through visuals and messaging that relates to your audience and delivers a powerful and continuous storyline. Connect to the Zeitgeist and the meme cycle. Learn about ongoing trends and hot topics. If you have not heard of recent trends such as BRAT summer, the Coconut Tree and #Sayittomyface then you need to get started!
3. Work with a people first approach, but never forget your organization’s purpose and values. There is plenty of research out there that clearly shows that users connect with individuals, but there is a real risk that the organization behind those individuals becomes lost in the process. People and alliances come and go and focusing efforts through someone else’s channels leaves a risk of losing it all.
4. As always story and message are key, but tone is often overlooked! Your tone of voice is important – keep it simple, relevant and authentic.
5. Embrace diversification of your channels. Identify winning channels to increase your reach. Recent research by ZN has shown that, for political discourse, X, Facebook and Instagram remain highly relevant social channels. Ensuring you have your sights firmly set on a good social media channel mix is and remains a key strategic requirement. However, do not only build your house on a rented property. Maintain control over your messages through your organization’s channels (e.g. website, newsletters etc.) as a central point and use social channels for dissemination.
6. Recognize the importance of AI and its ongoing evolution. Observing, learning, and experimenting with new AI tools and practices can gradually enhance your communication efforts. However, while AI serves as a powerful accelerator of change, it should not be your central focus or only tool. Instead, view it as a complementary toolkit that, when used effectively, can add significant value, even if it hasn’t yet transformed the industry completely.
In Europe, social media is no longer just a tool for communication—it is the central force shaping the future of democracy and political influence. How governments, platforms, and users navigate this complex ecosystem will determine the role social media plays in European politics in the years to come.
Ensuring that you stay #OneStepAhead therefore requires help and guidance from experts with the right experience and expertise. At ZN, we are excited to provide that help, building on over 26 years of experience, creativity, market knowledge and extensive implementation capabilities.
Curious to find out more? Then get in touch today via solutions@znconsulting.com or reach us via our social channels!
