Like many countries recently, Argentina just elected a self-described radical outsider – Javier Milei – as its new president. Part of a wave of public disaffection with politics and the establishment? Certainly.

But the Argentine case stands apart for a few key reasons. Chief among them is the power of strategic communications, or “stratcomms”.

Plenty of disrupters and change agents only get the second part of it right. They can communicate, especially through bombastic statements and clever use of social media. Often, those who are most adept at putting technology and high volume together can appear the most different, the most disruptive and the only “change” agent in a political race among many establishment candidates. But mere communication ultimately only gets them noticed.

Often, they will win elections by very narrow margins, or be more driven by the daily attention they can command rather than turning it into real political power to deliver on the promise of change. They lack a strategy driving those communications, one that balances the daring and the possible and sees many steps ahead in the task of governing. In most cases, they don’t last in office.

For his part, Milei showed in the 2023 Argentine elections that he gets this. His fast political trajectory was launched on bombastic messaging set against an increasingly dire economic and financial crisis engulfing the country. Without a party infrastructure under him, he used the skills of the most successful YouTubers and TikTok influencers – go big, go loud and go wild in your communications. He not only proposed the radical step of dollarizing Argentina, but dramatized it by promising to burn down the Central Bank headquarters. He didn’t just call himself a libertarian, but an “anarcho-capitalist”. He didn’t just trumpet the concept of individual freedom against a massive, corrupt state, but added a comically profane tag line at the end of his speeches: “Long live freedom, [expletive]!”

This messaging led to a shocking first place finish in the primary election against all the other candidates, and then a second place result in the first round of the general election. That was when strategy kicked in. Milei saw the center-right coalition’s third place finish, understood he needed all those votes to win the runoff, and pivoted on the spot. His rhetoric changed dramatically – and effortlessly – away from big, loud and wild. He absorbed the center-right messaging, embraced their defeated candidate and began playing to a much larger electorate that clearly wanted real and lasting change. Best of all, he was animated, passionate and very comfortable with the new messaging and drew larger and more enthusiastic crowds all throughout the country.

In the end, Milei won the biggest landslide since Argentina’s return to democracy 40 years ago. But he will have to govern with a very small minority in Congress against the coalitions he defeated. So, he’s widened his strategic messaging and sought to unify everyone committed to reform and change, not just his loyalists. Best of all, he recognizes that the 14 million voters who embraced him – a record for Argentina – are the source of all his power when he is sworn in. He will have to leverage that power to get major legislative reforms through Congress. Not to blow things up, burn things down or get even with enemies to please his base – but to fundamentally change the Argentine state, economy and political culture that keeps faith with the vast majority of Argentines who voted for him.

Milei’s next stratcomms idea: move the inauguration out of the congressional chamber and onto the steps of the Capitol and fill the square outside with ordinary citizens. Instead of the political establishment inside the chamber all staring him down, Milei wants them outside being stared up at by the people. Why? He plans on introducing an ambitious omnibus reform bill to kick off his presidency and he’ll need the bully pulpit to get it passed. For a country run by political machines and patronage for decades, this represents a major break in how things are done.

It remains to be seen if Milei stays on course, keeping the strategy and communications firmly wedded together as Argentina’s president. From my experience and history as a guide, if he does, he has the best chance of succeeding.

For more insights on what we’re seeing around the world, what is underneath and our take on what it means, visit our substack StratComms.