Dennis Mathu and Stephanie Gordon first started posting financial-advice videos on YouTube three years ago 91裸聊视频� a side hustle that helped to scratch a creative itch.
They never imagined it would lead them down some of the most powerful political corridors in Canada.
Mathu and Gordon 91裸聊视频� Steph & Den, as they91裸聊视频檙e known online 91裸聊视频� were among several content creators invited to Tuesday91裸聊视频檚 federal budget lockup, where they got early access to Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 new spending blueprint.
It91裸聊视频檚 an invitation typically reserved for experts, stakeholders and mainstream media. But the federal Liberals are embracing influencers as they seek to win back disillusioned millennials, gen-Z voters and others who consume information through social media.
91裸聊视频淭hey are seeing we are building this audience and they want to tap into that,91裸聊视频� said Gordon, 27.
Steph & Den has a target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds and 750,000 followers across multiple platforms. That includes TikTok, a popular video app that has been banned on federal government devices under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over privacy and cybersecurity concerns.
91裸聊视频淭hey realize that a lot of young people do not watch the news anymore. They don91裸聊视频檛 consume traditional media,91裸聊视频� said Reni Odetoyinbo, 27, who was invited to attend the last two federal budgets by the finance minister91裸聊视频檚 office.
91裸聊视频淓specially for people my age. This is their main source of news.91裸聊视频�
Neither the office of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland nor the Prime Minister91裸聊视频檚 Office were willing to answer questions about the strategy.
But they did say that influencers are not paid when invited to government events, which included housing announcements in Toronto in the weeks before the budget.
It91裸聊视频檚 about connecting with Canadians where they are, said Mohammad Hussain, a spokesman for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
91裸聊视频淐anadians are consuming digital content more and more,91裸聊视频� Hussain said in a statement. 91裸聊视频淎s the media landscape grows, so does our approach to how we communicate.91裸聊视频�
When the budget landed Tuesday, Danica Nelson, 33, documented the day on her Instagram account. She has 24,000 collective followers with a core audience between the ages of 25 to 45.
Nelson and the six other financial content creators reviewed the budget before it was tabled in the House of Commons.
They also met with several ministers, including Housing Minister Sean Fraser, Youth Minister Marci Ien and Freeland, where they were able to ask questions.
91裸聊视频淲hat I appreciated about this convo is that they really wanted to ensure we (as millennials and generation Z) saw ourselves in it, and if we didn91裸聊视频檛 they wanted to dig deeper,91裸聊视频� Nelson posted on Instagram alongside behind-the-scenes videos and photos.
It was more political access than the mainstream media received that day.
As they spend the coming days going through the budget, the creators will develop content around it, focusing on topics of interest and answering questions from followers.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 so easy in the online world to see headlines and high-level information but not actually know how it applies to you,91裸聊视频� Gordon said.
91裸聊视频淚t almost creates some angst in people, because they91裸聊视频檙e like, 91裸聊视频榃hat is the actual information I need to know?91裸聊视频� That91裸聊视频檚 the piece that needs to be communicated more clearly to people.91裸聊视频�
The Canadian government isn91裸聊视频檛 alone. For years the White House has been briefing influencers on topics such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and has invited them to events like the state of the union address.
And when U.S. President Joe Biden visited Ottawa last year, YouTube helped connect First Lady Jill Biden and Sophie Gr茅goire Trudeau with The Sorry Girls for a sit-down interview about design. The resulting interview was uploaded to The Sorry Girls91裸聊视频� YouTube page, which has more than 2.2 million followers.
It91裸聊视频檚 common for the tech company to facilitate introductions between governments and content creators, YouTube said. Last year91裸聊视频檚 federal budget is an example of that, when Freeland91裸聊视频檚 office asked the company to connect them to Canadian content creators who focus on money.
That91裸聊视频檚 how Odetoyinbo got invited to last year91裸聊视频檚 budget, where she ultimately made about six videos breaking down the document to her 150,000 collective social media followers.
91裸聊视频淚 think it91裸聊视频檚 a really good effort on the government91裸聊视频檚 part to reach people in a language they understand,91裸聊视频� she said.
And despite their followers admitting they don91裸聊视频檛 read or watch traditional news, the content creators say they still have a thirst for what91裸聊视频檚 happening 91裸聊视频� as long as it91裸聊视频檚 delivered via social media.
91裸聊视频淭raditionally this is one of the things where people tend to tread lightly,91裸聊视频� said Mathu, 28. 91裸聊视频淏ut I think it91裸聊视频檚 one of those things that are going to become more of a norm.91裸聊视频�
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Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press
