Come on Lula, let’s go party

When President Lula first became Brazil’s head of state ten years ago, the world was different. 

There were no social media networks to guide public debate, the concept of “viral” was still in its infancy, and access to information was much more restricted. But things are different now — and keeping up with what is happening outside of politics can often bear fruit for leaders who incorporate this into their communication strategy. 

Considering that Lula catapulted himself to becoming the most popular person in Brazil during his first spell as president, many have been critical of the way his current administration has been handling social media and issues of public image. For some of his supporters, Lula’s media plan is a bit outdated, with many gaps still to be filled and some other mistakes that could have been avoided in its first seven months. 

So here is some advice. Instead of using old-fashioned communication, how about consulting Twitter’s trending topics for a change? This July, for example, one of the topics that became the talk of the town was the long-awaited Barbie movie. 

Here’s an idea: when Lula was elected in the early 2000s, along with a list of other left-wing Latin American leaders, political science coined the term “pink tide” to describe the period, referring to the massive regional victory of left and center-left leaders — hence the pink, not red. 

Well, with Barbie pink everywhere, this could have been somewhat of an open goal for the government. With that, the government could easily surf viral hashtags, make a meme or two to convey important messages, and last but not least, cheer up many voters who can’t wait to grab some popcorn and watch the movie of the year. 

• Read more here, and check out the full creation of this cartoon on The Brazilian Report’s TikTok (@brazilianreport) account! 

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