GETTING OUT THE VOTE
In an April poll conducted for the Observer, 52% of voters between 18-34 – the majority of which were in the ‘remain’ camp – said they would vote in the referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU on 23 June.
Britain Stronger in Europe thus launched a campaign today, alongside brand and communications agency venturethree, to encourage this age group to register to vote and hit the polls on the 23rd.
“It’s about a mindset,” said Sam Gyimah, MP for East Surrey at the launch event. “How do we engage with, communicate and get people involved in this decision?” He said the so-called ‘EasyJet Generation’ of young people had grown up with Britain’s membership in the EU as a given. Parts of its culture and the way it thinks about Europe is defined by this mindset. But, he said, most people in this age group don’t consider the changes that will impact them were Britain to leave Europe.
The #VOTIN campaign is designed to encourage people to register and to vote, but to also bring the consequences of the referendum closer to the issues that young people care about. One visual in particular highlights the fact that mobile roaming fees will be higher for Brits travelling in Europe were Britain to leave.
Venturethree intended the campaign to connect visually, lingually and emotionally with young people. The taglines and style are intentionally assertive to the point of being antagonistic. “It had to be that way, rather than this race to vanilla,” says TJ Rees, copywriter at venturethree. The loud messaging is intended to get people to share images and video from the campaign. “It needs to clearly grab you and interrupt your day,” designer Scott Townsin adds.
The language had to be recognisable to young people – one image has “Work work work work work” emblazoned across it, alluding to Rhianna’s earworm of a single. Townsin says the team wanted to avoid the educational and informational styles often preferred by political communications. Instead, #VOTIN is designed to celebrate life in Europe and encourage people to take ownership of the fight for the status quo – that is remaining in the EU.
Gyimah says #VOTIN is also a unique opportunity in political communications because it is outside of party politics. Thus it can engage people in the simple act of voting and being politically active without a bias toward any particular party.
The launch includes the first slew of visuals and a punchy video shown below.
