The original influencer: Eva Perón wrote the rules of political PR
Argentina’s divisive first lady understood what it means to build a brand. Had she been alive today she would have thrived on TikTok and mastered the social media algorithm.
Last week, I went to see the highly publicised revival of Evita at the London Palladium. This new production, directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Rachel Zegler, has been widely praised for reimagining the story of Eva Perón for a new generation – one shaped by TikTok, Instagram and influencer culture. And while that may sound like a gimmick, it struck me as something else entirely: a surprisingly faithful way to tell the story of one of history’s most remarkable self-made public figures.
Because long before social media existed, Eva understood – intuitively and strategically – how to build a brand.
If she were alive today, she’d have mastered the algorithm. Instead, she used the tools of her time: theatre, fashion, photography, international diplomacy, and a meticulous command of narrative. As the first lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952, she conducted her public life like an ongoing campaign. She knew the power of imagery, audience targeting, and message discipline. And she built a following – loyal, passionate, and often emotional – by combining policy with performance, and authenticity with spectacle.
Evita’s stage management
For those of us in PR, Evita offers more than just a story – it offers a blueprint.
Take the Rainbow Tour, for example. In 1947, Eva Perón embarked on a multi-country European visit, ostensibly a diplomatic “goodwill” trip. But it was far more than that. Her advisors positioned it carefully: a high-profile, highly photographed campaign to rebrand Argentina on the world stage and consolidate her image back home. She met Franco in Spain, Pope Pius XII at the Vatican, and Charles de Gaulle in France. She gave out money to hungry children. She was mobbed in the streets. She wore Dior. She made the cover of Time magazine – the first South American first lady to do so, and alone. Every moment was stage-managed to enhance her narrative: a woman of the people who could also dazzle world leaders.
It was PR of the highest order – emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and aligned with political objectives.
PR and messaging
Eva also mastered what we now call message segmentation. To the poor, she was Evita – emotional, relatable, glamorous yet grounded. To international observers, she was Eva Duarte de Perón – stately, dignified, modern. To her critics, she was polarising – and she didn’t seem to mind. She knew that standing for something meant standing apart. She leaned into contrast, even contradiction, and used her wardrobe, her voice, and her carefully chosen public appearances to control how she was seen. She understood that you can’t control the message unless you control the image.
Juan Torres Barry, senior public affairs consultant at Infomedia in Buenos Aires and an expert in Argentine political history, told me:
“Eva Perón didn’t let her role define her – she redefined the role itself. In Argentina, the first lady was meant to be symbolic, almost ornamental. Eva turned it into a political force. That’s one of the most powerful lessons she left us: that you can transcend your institutional role and make it mean something.”
He sees her legacy reflected in Argentina’s most charismatic modern leaders: “You still see echoes of her today in figures like Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and even Javier Milei. Whatever their politics, they’re both powerful communicators – they show who they are. Eva mastered that decades ago. She understood that being carefully crafted and genuinely felt don’t have to be opposites.
Her connection to Argentine identity, he explains, went deeper than politics: “There’s a word we use in Argentina – la argentinidad – a kind of cheeky, contradictory way of being. Eva captured that. She was tough and soft, glamorous and grounded, for the people but unapologetically herself. That’s why she resonated: she didn’t just represent Argentines, she embodied how we see ourselves.”
A matter of image
Fashion, too, was central to her strategy – not vanity, but visual storytelling. “The poor like to see me beautiful,” she once said. “They dream about me, and I cannot disappoint them”. That quote encapsulates the way she treated image not as decoration but as duty. Her team worked with Dior, Cartier, and Ferragamo to construct a wardrobe that spoke to power, possibility, and transformation – not just for her, but for the people she represented. Today, we call that “aspirational marketing.” Eva lived it.
Eva’s story is a reminder that great PR isn’t just about managing crises or drafting press releases. It’s about narrative architecture – crafting stories that captivate, symbols that resonate, and images that endure. Whether you’re a campaign, or a cause, or a CEO trying to raise your profile, the lesson from Eva is simple: attention is earned through performance, trust is built through consistency, and influence comes from embodying the values you represent.
The Evita revival may stylise her story through the lens of digital culture, but that’s not a distortion – it’s a translation. And it works because the real Eva Perón would have thrived on today’s platforms. She’d be on TikTok, live-streaming from the Rainbow Tour. She’d be speaking to followers in a carefully lit, emotionally charged video, calling them her “descamisados” with a tear in her eye and a Cartier bracelet on her wrist. Which is why this production doesn’t feel like historical revisionism but recognition.
In a media landscape defined by speed, saturation, and scepticism, the story of Eva Perón is a crash course in image-making – and one that remains startlingly relevant. This Evita reminds us that while the tools of communication have changed, the fundamentals of PR have not. If modern PR is about shaping perception, building trust, and creating narrative resonance, then Eva Perón was ahead of her time – not by accident, but by strategy.
She’s not just “high flying, adored.” She’s calculated, compelling, and unforgettable.
So if you’re a public figure or a brand looking to build trust, command attention, or leave a legacy, there are lessons worth learning from the original influencer.
- Evita is at the London Palladium until 6 September.
Oli Foster is senior media consultant at PLMR.
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