During a pandemic that has made in-person campaigning a public health hazard, campaigning through digital means has become more important than ever.

What’s more, young voter turnout expected to reach an all-time high in 2020 - so connecting with this group is absolutely essential. According to Chegg’s 2019 "State of the Student" report, 80% of US college students intend to vote in 2020. In contrast, the college student voter turnout in 2016 was just 48.3%.

To mobilize the youth, many candidates have forged strategic partnerships with influencers. Most recently, the Michael Bloomberg campaign partnered with a number of popular meme accounts in mid-February. Early on in the election cycle, this buzz from Bloomberg had increased interest from political candidates in paid influencer marketing strategies.

In addition, many brands are subtly inserting themselves into democracy by nudging consumers to vote.

In this article, we’re discussing how candidates have begun tapping into the power of brands and influencers to get their platforms noticed.

The Challenge Candidates Face

Getting out the vote in America is very difficult. As past elections have only proven, a large number of Americans simply don’t come out to the polls.

This year, the stakes are even higher. Low voter turnout, coupled with a predicted shortage of election poll workers due to the COVID-19 crisis, has done little to guarantee that voter turnout will be any higher this election year.

The Value of Influencers

Influencers benefit political candidates the same way they benefit brands: they provide candidates an avenue to build bonds with different audiences on the basis of shared histories, thoughts, values, and other commonalities.

The most effective approach may be rallying small-scale influencers due to their political appeal; they are normal individuals whose primary occupations are not being influencers, but rather being active members of their local communities. There’s a large chance many partisan, paid nanoinfluencers flood your social media feeds, and you may not even be fully aware of it.

Nanoinfluencers - accounts with fewer than 5,000 followers - are extremely powerful as a political tool. Why? Their relatively small fan bases are composed of everyday people who are active on a community level. Unlike celebrities or macroinfluencers, they can spearhead political campaigns at more of a peer-to-peer level.

In many cases, these influencers may not even publicly support a specific candidate. They could simply be advocating for a certain cause, like climate control or police reform. Candidates -- and brands -- are hiring influencers to reach a segment of the population they may otherwise not be able to easily reach.

Influencers may be particularly powerful at engaging young people to get out and vote. In recent months, the Biden campaign has engaged many influencers including Elle Walker, a YouTuber with a 3 million-subscriber-strong channel called WhatsUpMoms and Dulce Candy, who is a veteran and beauty vlogger with over 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

Brands are also utilizing influencers to promote voting merchandise, call attention to issues they care about, and increase voter turnout rates. For instance, Gap and Urban Outfitters have used a slew of influencers and celebrities to promote their “vote” t-shirts.

The Value of Brands

Influencers aren’t the only individuals partnering with voter registration groups to encourage people to vote this year.

As a consumer, you’re probably recognizing that you’re being told to vote more than any other election year. From candidates, local officials, civic and political organizations, but also from the very brands you frequently buy from. Brands are going to greater lengths to get people to the polls this year. Voting merchandise has quickly become a trend, and messaging is being developed with inclusivity and diversity in mind.

While 49% of Americans said branded efforts tied to voting do not impact their purchasing decisions, many said they’d view these companies in a more positive light.

The Issues Brands Are Standing For

Voting advocacy from people outside of traditional politics isn’t necessarily new, but it has definitely reached new heights in 2020. The trend seems to be a logical extension from the widespread activist marketing that reached a fever pitch this year. After the killing of George Floyd this summer, brands that sell everything from makeup to technology have weighed in on racism and political violence.

The most pressing issues aside, the primary goal of most brands seems to be getting Americans out to the polls. Below, we are discussing the different approaches brands have taken to encourage consumers to vote.

Using Real Estate to Boost Voter Turnout

Some retailers are transforming their physical offices into voter registration hubs ahead of the election. This approach of looking at people as constituents -- not just consumers -- has proved to be successful in increasing the amount of registered voters.

By teaming with nonpartisan organizations like Vote.org and HeadCount, brands have the goal to improve historically low voter turnout rates in the US.

Steve Madden was one of the first brands to turn their stores into voter registration hubs. Back in January, the brand teamed up with Voto Latino for a 2020 voter registration campaign with the goal to educate and encourage young people to turn out to the polls.

Many brands mimicked Steve Madden’s approach. In an effort to increase youth voter turnout this November, Foot Locker is transforming more than 2,000 of its retail stores across the U.S. into voter registration sites. Each store will house a kiosk with a special website where visitors can check their voter status, register to vote or sign up for election reminders. According to CEO Richard Johnson, Foot Locker is particularly focused on registering eligible Gen Z voters in the 18-24 age bracket, which is one of the brand’s core demographic segments.

Warby Parker put up QR codes across all of its retail locations so customers can easily access voting information.

Engaging Young Voters

Young voters require assistance this year more than ever before. Between the pandemic, racial injustice and a stalled economy, there are many issues characterizing our current political climate that younger generations have stances on -- and this is where brands and influencers come into play.

Whereas typical partisan voter engagement initiatives typically target those who are already politically active, influencers and brands have the unique opportunity to reach those who are less likely to receive information about voting from political groups.

Millennials and Gen Zers who will vote in this year’s election expect brands and politicians to address issues that matter to consumers, employees, and society as a whole. These issues include student loan debt, affordable housing, climate change, racial equality, women’s rights, and health care.

Many brand and influencer initiatives are aimed at younger generations due to their potential for swaying the election result. Data from Tufts University indicates there are already more young registered voters than at this point in 2016.

In partnership with When We All Vote, dating site OKCupid launched an initiative aimed at younger voters. They released a new Voter 2020 badge for users to include on their profiles, along with plenty of state-level data about how members feel about key issues in the upcoming election.

Gap, the clothing retailer, has lined up campaigns around climate activism, racial justice, and election day.

In August on International Youth Day, Gap introduced the BE THE FUTURE GapKids campaign -- a collective call-to-action to youth, led by youth. This campaign was Gap’s attempt to amplify the voices of young activists on issues important to them, including sustainability, climate justice, and inclusivity.

In fact, Gap tapped into the power of influencers by partnering with young leaders on Instagram who are creating positive societal transformations in their communities. These activists include Alexandria Villaseñor, 15-year-old climate activist, organizer and founder of Earth Uprising, a youth climate organization.

Recently, Coca-Cola launched a campaign centered around one of its product lines to empower young Americans to vote. Through a partnership with Vote.org, the beverage line, Peace Tea, is encouraging consumers to “Speak Your Peace” in the upcoming election. Coca-Cola transformed the traditional flavor to one called “Speak Your Peach” on a limited number of promotional cans that they distributed to social media influencers and journalists.

Removing Barriers to Voting

Voting should be as easy and convenient as possible, but significant barriers exist that hamper many people from casting a ballot. Fortunately, companies have recognized these barriers and are working to remove them.

Athletic-wear brand Under Armour has created a microsite called “Run to Vote”, a first-ever program for the company to make voting less of a struggle for their US employees and the communities in which they live.

What’s even more significant about this initiative? It’s very personal to the company. When Under Armour CEO Patrik Frisk votes in November’s presidential election, it will be his first time voting in a U.S. general election since he became a citizen last year. Frisk was inspired to begin this initiative due to the challenges he faced voting in the primaries.

In addition to brand led actions, nonpartisan, business-led actions are aiming to increase voter participation this year. Many companies have made public commitments to give their employees time off to go out and vote. A coalition of hundreds of companies have come together for a nonpartisan movement called Time to Vote that strives to remove barriers to voting.

Along with PayPal and Levi Strauss, Patagonia is one of the founding members of Time to Vote. The coalition aims to increase voter turnout by giving workers flexibility to cast their ballots. Business owners are making accommodations for their employees to enable them to vote, like paying their employees to go to the polls, making Election Day a day without meetings, and providing resources for mail-in ballots and early voting. Now, more than 1,300 companies have joined the "Time to Vote" movement this year, including Ben & Jerry’s, Bank of America, Nike, Macy’s, Lego, and Unilever.

Saks Fifth Avenue confirmed that it would make Election Day a paid holiday for all U.S. corporate associates, following announcements from other brands, including Birkenstock, Buck Mason, H&M, and Nordstrom. Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's is making Election Day an official day off for workers at headquarters and at its two manufacturing facilities in Vermont.

Earlier in September, Old Navy and Tory Burch announced they would grant a paid day off to any employee who volunteers as a poll worker on Election Day. Target, Warby Parker, Patagonia, and Gap Inc. mimicked this effort soon after.

Conclusion

In an election year bolstered by the COVID-19 pandemic, brands and influencers have taken in upon themselves to get Americans voting. While brand involvement in politics may entail some risk in a charged political climate, there are many meaningful ways brands can get involved.

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