Some might say the election on November 3 was one of the most consequential of our lifetime. There was evidence of this in the record-breaking voter turnout on Election Day and the vast amount of engagement we saw leading up to it through donations, volunteering, and creative expression. People around the country were inspired by the moment, including many of our own Wieden+Kennedy employees. Whether through client work or passion projects, the following is a roundup of the election-related work from our offices in the US.
Brought to you by a few concerned brothas and sistas, “This Is Black Utopia” is a series of messages created to get out the vote among Black voters. While the project started with a small passionate team in Portland, Oregon, one of the whitest cities in the country, the experiences transcend any one place, and the goal to inspire 100% Black voter turnout across Oregon transformed into a national get-out-the-vote endeavor.
See more @ThisIsBlackUtopia.
Another get-out-the-vote campaign born in our (virtual) halls is “Mueve El Pom Pom,” a reggaeton music video all about getting out the Latinx vote in 2020. It was created by the WKLatinx affinity group out of W+K Portland.
With a goal of empowering the Latinx community to vote, the music video was created with Ugly Primo, Zairah, and Sapo.
A passion project that takes a decidedly darker turn in its get-out-the-vote message is “Trash Eagle.” The side project, created by a few committed W+K Portlanders, has America’s majestic mascot, the bald eagle, devouring scraps of trash from a landfill to show the urgency with which we must “emerge from this dystopian hellscape ASAP.” #TrashEagle raises the question: Do you want to live in an America infested with mangy trash eagles or do you want to live in an America full of screeching, badass eagles that fly in front of a giant American flag while red, white, and blue fireworks explode next to the Statue of Liberty?
"Never Underestimate,” an official campaign video made for Joe Biden for President 2020, was a side project for a small group of W+K employees. The ad ran in the final lead-up to Election Day across paid media in the key battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The spot features 13-year-old Brayden Harrington, the teen with a stutter who stumped for Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August.
On the client side, Sprite’s “Create Your Future” showcases a partnership with six young Black artists who created six bespoke pieces of art that express why they chose to vote this year. It’s a part of Sprite’s #CreateYourFuture campaign, which is focused on inspiring more young people to vote by starting a conversation about why we vote. Along with the six artists’ creations, six TV ads also ran during the BET Hip Hop Awards.
Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Our Voice” illustrates how you don’t have to be a global superstar to make an impact. Directed by Hiro Murai and narrated by actress Regina King, the film features athletes LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Odell Beckham Jr., Sue Bird, Ja Morant, A’ja Wilson, and Tim Anderson. See more here from Nike News.
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