The day Lula took his first ‘selfie’

Lula’s decision to record his first selfie video, three days after losing Brazil’s first-round presidential vote, marked a turning point in his campaign. It mattered because his team used social media to reach voters and mobilise supporters, helping him win a fourth term despite trailing Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round.

Lula’s posts initially drew far less engagement: Bolsonaro’s averaged 448,000 interactions, compared with 102,000 for Lula’s, according to Bites. After the setback, Governor Rafael Fonteles took charge of communications, young lawmakers and campaigners helped reshape the strategy, and Lula’s WhatsApp channel grew from 53,000 followers to 10.5 million. On 25 October, Lula won 51.7% of the vote to Bolsonaro’s 48.2%.