Since 2003, the Voter Participation Center (VPC) has helped six million voters register and get to the polls. However, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than a quarter of Americans are not registered to vote, which is one reason the United States has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed nations. Our good friends and partners at the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) conducted research to understand the messages and messengers that could encourage voter registration among Black Americans.
AARC found that Black college professors were the most effective messengers to promote voter registration in Black communities, so we worked with AARC and VPC to develop a series of videos using the messages and themes from the research for online ad testing.
Services Provided
Motion Graphic Design
Copywriting
Videography and Video Production
Insight.
AARC’s research confirmed much of what we expected: Black Americans were concerned about the high costs of housing and groceries, attacks on voting rights, the stability of American democracy, and discrimination.
We also relied on our team’s diversity and experience to consider the range of connections and aspirations related to whether and where Black folks attend college. For example, many Black Americans have an affinity for and awareness of HBCUs, even if they didn’t attend one. In addition, Black Americans also take pride in being represented in some of the country’s most prestigious colleges and universities. We used what we knew and what we learned to find college professors who could connect with Black Americans who were not yet registered to vote.
Innovation.
With a tight timeline and lean budget, we had to be creative with how we managed four shoots in four different cities–a few weeks before the 2024 election. We worked with a team of skilled videographers from across the country to capture and collect footage that we edited into a series of spots that emphasized why registering to vote matters, from “stand[ing] up to politicians who insult Black voters and discriminate against our communities” to “push[ing] America to live up to its founding principle of democracy.”