US Midterm Elections: Brands Get Active
Published 13 October 2022
US brands are increasingly championing voter participation – a role that roughly half of American consumers want to see them embrace (Dentsu, 2022). As the mid-term elections approach (November 8), we spotlight notable strategies – including more localised voter support and an attention-grabbing music video – from dating apps, retailers and brands, representing sectors as diverse as apparel and food.
Key Stats
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Millennials Most Favourable to Brand Participation
Around half of Americans (see Key Stats) say they are more likely to purchase from brands that promote voting, while the remainder are largely neutral (Dentsu, 2022). And while the gap between generations is small, the survey found that millennials are the cohort most supportive of businesses that work to protect voting rights (59%), encourage voting (51%), and provide employees with time off to cast their ballots (51%).
The generations split more significantly when it comes to brands expressing their political values. As many as 65% of millennials would rather buy from a company that shares its political beliefs than one with no stated values, compared to just 28% of boomers (the other generations fall in between).
Brands Focus on Black & Student Voters (with a Distinctly Local Focus)
Several brands are going beyond creating online information hubs, backing on-the-ground activations focused on energising Black voters and community college students.
- US ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s – famous for its activist stance – is focusing on Georgia, where a key Senate contest and tight governor’s race are playing out. As explained on Ben & Jerry’s’ blog, the state recently passed voter suppression laws, which disproportionately affect voters of colour (a third of Georgia’s population is Black). Partnering with US non-profit Black Voters Matter, Ben & Jerry’s is sponsoring a seven-week Scoop Truck tour across the state. Dispensing free ice cream alongside information needed to ensure one’s vote is counted, the activation is visiting cities and rural communities, as well as historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
More broadly, a brand campaign encompassing digital and social media, radio and outdoor advertising is promoting the brand’s online Voter Resource Center, which provides registration and ballot information. As another avenue for raising consumer awareness, it redesigned the packaging for Change is Brewing a racial-justice-themed flavour launched in 2021 – highlighting Black voters in the illustration.
See Connecting with Black Voters in US Elections 2020: Brand Activations for previous campaign examples. - Levi’s supported voter registration initiatives across 150-plus community colleges, pointing out that these students are less likely to register and vote than undergraduates at four-year universities. On National Voter Registration Day (September 19), the company invested in key locations by ‘adopting’ several campuses, including Florida’s Miami Dade College and the Austin Community College District in Texas. Additionally, it partnered with non-profit Pizza to the Polls to deliver food as part of activations at another 30 colleges.
Dating Apps Become Civic Hot Spots
Some US dating apps have been creatively urging members to engage with the election – most notably, Black dating service BLK, via its saucy pro-voting music video – and helping them access ballot information.
- This month, BLK released a music video featuring American rappers Trina and Saucy Santana, in the mould of its popular 2021 pro-vaccination rap Vax That Thang Up. Warning that non-voters will get no love – “No voting, no loving; no voting, no ‘vucking’” – the video sends viewers to a voter registration page run by When We All Vote, a non-profit launched by former first lady Michelle Obama in 2018. Within its first week, the video collected 625,000 views on YouTube.
- US dating platform Tinder has partnered with non-partisan organisation BallotReady to launch an in-app election centre, helping users register, find polling stations and access voting information. The brand noted that “many young singles [its audience] don’t feel properly informed on key issues” – 63% of 18- to 25-year-olds (who represent over half of its user base) say ballot information is overwhelming (Tinder, 2022).
Limiting Store Hours to Support Employee Voting
As we discussed in US Elections 2020: Brand Activations, businesses are nurturing civic engagement internally, responding to both increasingly values-led workforces and consumers’ growing appreciation of companies that support their employees.
- In 2020, several major US retailers including Patagonia (outdoors), J. Crew (fashion) and Best Buy (tech) reduced store hours to encourage employee voting. This year, outdoors brand REI announced it will delay Election Day store openings by two hours, a decision stemming from employee feedback. The company also created information resource hub Your Vote Can’t Wait for both employees and customers.
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