By Jamie Geller, JNS
The real story isn’t that the Jewish state is using influencers. It’s that they could be doing it much more effectively.
Israel found itself on the defensive recently about its “Esther Project,” a campaign to recruit influencers to promote pro-Israel messages. Critics have framed it as some kind of nefarious plot, but as someone who has spent years in Israeli advocacy and digital marketing, I see something different: a standard government communication strategy executed with suboptimal tactics.
When the COVID-19 pandemic ended, and benefits like Medicaid and food assistance were changing, state governments in the United States needed to quickly educate residents. The New Mexico Health Care Authority hired 89 local influencers from Spanish-speaking, tribal and rural communities to spread awareness about the renewal processes. The campaign reached 84% of adults in the state.
Government reliance on social-media influencers began even before the pandemic and has accelerated ever since. According to a report published in March by Maud Reveilhac for the University of Zurich and Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology in Finland, by 2022, about 5% of all state and local marketing RFPs (requests for proposals) in the United States specifically called for influencers, a dramatic increase from just seven such requests the year before.
This isn’t unique to America. The same report, as well as others, shows that governments worldwide, including in France, the United Kingdom and Canada, have strategically used social-media influencers for public communication. They’ve deployed campaigns in areas such as health, election participation, climate action advocacy and tourism promotion.
The practice has become so mainstream that the city of Detroit recently released an RFP seeking a coordinator for social-media influencers to amplify key initiatives, programs and events, as well as strengthen its image. New York City worked with 92 parent influencers to raise awareness about child-care assistance in 10 different languages, reaching more than 4 million people.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promoted government-sponsored posts for the Republic of Srpska, a political entity in Bosnia, and other social-media influencers are paid by their own governments or foreign ones to post content promoting agendas online.
So why the selective outrage when Israel does the same?
The real story isn’t that Israel is using influencers. It’s that they could be doing it much more effectively. Having observed the campaign, I see several strategic missteps.
First, there’s no centralized narrative. Hiring multiple firms and onboarding various influencers without a unified message creates inconsistency. Israel would benefit from establishing a small department to craft cohesive digital messaging before distributing it.
Second, they’re preaching to the choir. By seemingly focusing on Jewish influencers, they’re creating another echo chamber. The strategy should involve recruiting authentic voices from target audiences, people who are influential within groups Israel needs to reach, not just those already sympathetic to Israeli positions.
Third, there’s insufficient transparency. While the campaign itself is legal and routine for governments worldwide, influencers receiving compensation from foreign governments need to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and disclose sponsored content. Clearer guidelines would prevent unnecessary controversy.
Fourth, the implementation lacks nuance. Effective advocacy requires more than just broadcasting talking points. It demands engagement with critics, addressing concerns thoughtfully and building bridges to skeptical communities.
A successful government-influencer collaboration program should balance influencer independence with coordinated messaging. What often works best is when influencers maintain relative autonomy while still promoting government-aligned narratives. This creates authenticity while achieving strategic goals.
Different countries employ different approaches. Canada tends to prioritize informational content with mid-level influencers. France leverages celebrity status with varied narrative styles. The United States emphasizes government collaboration through visible personalities. Israel could learn from these models while developing its own.
Israel needs to switch from defensive posturing to smarter implementation and execution. It can transform the controversy regarding the Esther Project into an opportunity to genuinely connect with new audiences. But it needs to do so soon and effectively, or it will run the risk of actualizing what Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk, may he rest in peace, warned about, namely: “Israel risks losing not only the next generation, but the political cover it depends on in Washington.”
