Why trolling is winning the battle for attention
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Trolling is the social media strategy du jour, with governors, sports teams and top American brands engaging in online snark.
Why it matters: It's a risky tactic, but if done right, it can be an effective way to grab attention and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Driving the news: Texas Christian University took to social media after its win Monday, mocking the University of North Carolina's football program and head coach Bill Belichick.
- In the political arena, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made waves by mimicking President Trump's social media style, writing in all caps, posting AI-generated memes and signing his posts with his initials, "GCN."
- Newsom is also trolling Trump's merchandise, encouraging his supporters to purchase gear from his "PATRIOT SHOP."
Zoom in: In August, Newsom's press team's X account, @GovPressOffice, has gained more than 500,000 followers, and its engagement rate is up 35%.
- The account has received more than 2.5 million profile visits in the last 30 days, according to Newsom's office.
- Over the past two weeks, posts on Newsom's individual account, @GavinNewsom, received 271 million total views and 6.3 million interactions, according to Peak Metrics data shared with Axios.
- Newsom's most-viewed X post was in response to Bed, Bath and Beyond, which garnered 16.5 million views and 354,000 interactions.
Yes, but: There's a difference between capturing attention and saying something useful, says Bradley Akubuiro, partner at Bully Pulpit International.
- "Trolling isn't actually a strategy. It's theater," he says. "However, what a lot of these folks, including Newsom, have realized is that the smart move is to grab attention and then follow it up with content or policies that actually move people."
- Newsom did this by using satire to point to the nationwide redistricting battle.
The big picture: Beyond X, public figures, politicians and brands continue to flock to vertical video across TikTok and LinkedIn to grab attention and drive audiences to key messages.
- Trump's TikTok account has amassed a whopping 15.2 million followers, while the newly launched White House account has about 665,000 followers and features videos like the "MAGA Minute."
- And New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has taken a TikTok-first approach throughout his campaign, garnering over 1.4 million followers.
- Meanwhile, executives who have embraced the video feature across LinkedIn have seen a 30% increase in views year over year, according to LinkedIn data shared with Axios.
What to watch: TikTok's future remains to be seen.
- The platform has until Sept. 17 to change its ownership structure amid national security concerns.
Of note, Trump has extended this deadline three times since taking office and, given the White House's embrace of the platform, he is expected to delay the ban again.
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect TCU beat UNC on Monday (not Saturday).
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