OkCupid Is Trying to Make ‘VILF’ Happen Ahead of the Election

You may be familiar with the term MILF and its counterpart, DILF. But what does it mean to be a VILF? If you don’t know, it’s Voter I’d Like to … well, we’ll let you finish the rest. It’s a term OkCupid is trying to add to our collective vocabulary to show that voting can…

The Election Is a Horror Show in Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s New Campaign

Samantha Bee wants you to vote–or face the bloody consequences. In a new campaign highlighting Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s upcoming election coverage, the late-night show host spoofs classic scenes from horror films like Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Silence of the Lambs to scare her correspondents into participating in the November…

Barack Obama Stars in Snapchat PSA Aimed at Younger and First-Time Voters

Former President Barack Obama is being featured in public-service announcements from Snapchat aimed at encouraging first-time and younger voters to register to vote via a new in-application tool that enables them to do so. Snap Inc. said it is a nonpartisan, multi-week public awareness effort that will also focus on helping younger voters learn about…

Twitter Begins Rolling Out 2020 U.S. Election Hub

The 2020 U.S. presidential election is less than 50 days away, and Twitter is kicking its efforts into high gear with the rollout of its 2020 U.S. Election Hub. People in the U.S. will see the hub at the top of their Explore tab, and clicking on it will give them access to: Election-related news…

Instagram Releases Stickers That Encourage Users to Vote

Ahead of National Voter Registration Day Sept. 22, Instagram began rolling out stickers that encourage users to vote. The Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing platform released these stickers as part of Facebook’s initiative to help 4 million Americans register to vote. There are six different sets of stickers that can be used on Instagram Stories, and…

How Brands and Agencies Are Trying to Increase Voter Turnout This Year

Key Insights: This election marks a shift away from humor used during the 2016 election to a more serious push to register people to vote. Despite integrating politics into messaging, brands are most successful when they remain nonpartisan. Brands and agencies are turning their focus to increasing voter turnout for this election cycle by reminding…

Keisha Lance Bottoms on Leading a Major City Through a Year of Crisis

The traditional model of leadership is one that doesn’t show weakness. But a new kind of leader is emerging for a new era: a leader that admits they are just as anxious and overwhelmed by the dire state of the world as anyone else. Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who gave the opening remarks at…

Reddit Considers New Political Ads Policy

At a time when social media companies are debating how best to deal with political advertising, Reddit is testing something new. While the “front page of the internet” is still accepting political ads–unlike Twitter and other competitors–it is tinkering with how users interact with them, and how comments are moderated. But many users are unsatisfied…

Facebook to Use Its Platform to Recruit Poll Workers for US Election

Facebook is taking steps to address the shortage of poll workers for the upcoming presidential election, due largely to the pandemic. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post Friday that users in the U.S. over the age of 18 will see messages atop their News Feeds this weekend, leading them to information on how…

Study: Social Platforms Help Raise Awareness of Issues, Create Sustained Movements

Social media platforms received mixed reviews in terms of political and social activism, with most respondents to a new study from Pew Research Center saying they are an effective tool for raising awareness and creating sustained movements, but also calling them a distraction and believing that they lull people into thinking they are making a…

Twitter Ramps Up Efforts to Protect U.S. Presidential Election

Twitter detailed updates to its civic integrity policy with the upcoming U.S. presidential election in mind. The social network said in a blog post that its existing policy covers the most directly harmful types of content: information or false claims on how to participate in civic processes; content with the potential to intimidate or suppress…

This Campaign Encourages Voters of Color to Cast Their Election Ballot From Home

A record number of people are expected to vote by mail in this year’s presidential election, as many states have expanded access to the option due to health and safety concerns related to Covid-19. In light of this, a progressive grassroots organization called Vote From Home 2020 is sending mail-in ballot applications to a particular…

Spotify to First-Time Voters: Play Your Part

Spotify kicked off Play Your Part Wednesday, describing it as a nonpartisan initiative to provide resources for first-time voters prior to November’s U.S. presidential election. The streaming platform teamed up with artists, creators and influencers including Alaina Castillo, Chloe x Halle, Conan Gray and King Princess on the initiative. Spotify’s Voter’s Booth hub will provide…

Pinterest Won’t Run Ads Next to Election-Related Content

Ahead of the U.S. elections this November, Pinterest is making some changes to boost civic engagement on its platform and tightening its policies on political ads. The company will not run ads against election-related search terms to “help ensure there’s a lower risk of ads appearing next to content that’s not inspiring (and therefore less…

Facebook Won’t Sell New Political Ads the Week Before the Election

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that the social network will not accept new political advertising in the week leading up to Election Day. It’s an effort, he said, to clamp down on misinformation and ensure voting isn’t suppressed. Political ads purchased before that final week will still be able to run on Facebook and…

WarnerMedia and Xandr Create Private Marketplace for Political Advertisers

Key insight: Political ad spend in digital is expected to reach $3 billion in 2020, according to GroupM. In a bid for political ad dollars, WarnerMedia and Xandr are taking another step closer together. Political and advocacy advertisers can now set up private marketplace deals through Xandr Invest, the ad-tech unit’s demand-side platform, to buy…

Reddit Sets Slate of Voting in America Ask Me Anything Sessions

Reddit is following up on its Up the Vote voter-registration initiative with Voting in America, a series of Ask Me Anything sessions leading up to Election Day in the U.S. Voting in America is aimed at giving Redditors access to information from experts on voting laws and voter rights, as well as clarity on the…

CNN Breathes New Life Into Political Cartoons Using Stop-Motion Animation

Advertising campaigns and candidates during an election season can often be complicated (and divisive), but marketing election coverage itself may leave some more room for creativity. In new ads, CNN is employing characters from classic political cartoons to help promote its live political coverage. In spots promoting the cable network’s coverage of events like the…

President Donald Trump Tries to Take Twitter Blocking Case to Supreme Court

President Donald Trump is seeking a U.S. Supreme Court Review of a lower court decision on whether blocking critics from his Twitter account is constitutional, and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is not happy. The Knight Institute filed a lawsuit against Trump in 2018, and U.S. District Court for the Southern District…

A Universal ID Won’t Work. It Could Jeopardize Election Integrity

As we approach November, media concern about election integrity grows. Of course, not all of that concern is genuine. Whether you are from the school of thought that has no issue with voter suppression if it protects your priorities, or are all for pushing for more voters to register at any cost, lines have been…