With the UK general election a month away, Saatchi & Saatchi has developed a new non-partisan campaign to get young people to the polling booths and register by June 18. The angle? Voting makes you more attractive.

It’s based on research commissioned specifically for the campaign, which found that 40% of 18-24 year-olds think people who vote regularly are more attractive. The study also revealed that people who voted regularly were considered more intelligent by over half of the respondents, and more trustworthy by more than a third.

Developed in partnership with Ecotricity founder Dale Vince and comms agency Borkowski, the campaign comprises OOH and social activity that adopt the language and iconography of online dating culture. Expect acronyms (the campaign is called Voting is Hot AF), pixellated graphics, and aubergines.

The campaign is part of the Just Vote initiative that aims to boost the number of young voters, which is gradually increasing, but still only approximately half of 18-34 year-olds voted at the 2019 general election, compared to nearly 80% of over-65s.

“Finding the right message, at the right moment, to influence real behaviour change is when advertising is at its most powerful,” says Saatchi & Saatchi’s Franki Goodwin. “It’s been extremely interesting mining dating and internet culture to find a real world upside to young people engaging in politics – a place that can often feel like the least attractive, least youthful place on earth and that’s not good for anyone.”

Credits:
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
CCO: Franki Goodwin
ECD: Will John
Creative Director: Chris Townsend
Creatives: Marie Jensen, Josephine Rasmussen, Will Blackburn, Avril Delaney, Molly Ohayon, Issie Peach
Executive Design Director: Nathan Crawford
Designers: Dani Wolf, Benny Yang
Chief Strategy Officer: Richard Huntington