For the first time ever, Reddit launched a brand marketing effort to appeal to voters—with the forum site partnering with creative agency R/GA San Francisco for the campaign.
The humorous ads spotlight popular posts on the site, along with phrases like "If Reddit votes counted in real like, this banana could have been elected to Congress in 2018." Through the campaign, the company encourages its users to get out and vote, where their real-life upvotes can help to create change in the divided country. In addition, the ads subtly speak to the need for voters to inform themselves on politics outside of social media and Internet forums, which as the ads show, aren't always reliable sources.
Election-Focused Forum Ads
Reddit Launched a Campaign to Encourage Voter Turnout
Trend Themes
1. Forum-based Voter Awareness - Forums and social media sites can raise awareness around voter education and turnout through creative advertising campaigns.
2. User-generated Political Advertisements - A shift towards user-generated political advertisements on online forums and platforms can increase civic engagement and participation.
3. Humor-based Political Campaigns - Humorous political advertising campaigns can encourage voter engagement while simultaneously highlighting key social and political issues.
Industry Implications
1. Politics/political Advertising - Political candidates and interest groups can utilize forum-based advertising campaigns to promote political participation and civic engagement.
2. Social Media/online Forums - Online forums and social media sites are well-positioned to raise awareness and engagement around political issues through creative advertising campaigns.
3. Creative Advertising/marketing - Creative advertising agencies can develop humorous campaigns that speak to important social and political issues in order to encourage voter education and to raise participation.