U.S. midterms—see how Snapchat, NFL and more brands are getting involved this election season

U.S. midterm campaign ad spending has surpassed $2.1 billion this election season, according to Ad Age’s Datacenter. Along with politicians, brands ranging from Snapchat to the NFL have also been putting some of their dollars toward election-focused campaigns, creating tools and ads to encourage voter turnout on Nov. 8.

“If we were talking 20 years ago, brands would not touch this space,” said Jacqueline Babb, a senior lecturer in integrated marketing communications at Northwestern University. But now, with increasing pressure from socially conscious consumers—particularly millennials and Gen Z—brands are more likely to jump in, she said. 

Voting is a less controversial issue for brands to take a stand on, Babb noted. But it’s also more common for consumer-facing brands to get involved “because the consumer will take a stand,” while less consumer-facing brands such as those in financial services are less likely to get involved, said Babb.

Below, see how brands have activated this election season.

Clothing and shoe companies 

Apparel brands have taken a stance with products and influencer partnerships.

Clothing company Levi’s partnered with Hailey Bieber for a Nov. 1 video called “Levi’s 2022 Vote with Hailey Bieber,” in which the celebrity and others provide tips on how to vote.

Spotify launched “Play Your Part,” a campaign originally made during the 2020 election, that includes a “Civic Engagement Hub” resource center directing people where to vote. The music platform also created a playlist called “Focus on the Midterms,” which directs listeners in its description to a website created by the nonprofit HeadCount that offers more information on voting. It has also highlighted podcasts and artists who are encouraging people to vote such as the podcast “Call Her Daddy.” 

Sports

The NBA launched a “Get in the game: Vote" campaign on Sept. 30 that includes offering voting information over text, having in-game messages and signs and voter registration events. It also partnered with the nonprofit When We All Vote to create a platform where people can register or check their registration status and other polling place details. On Nov. 7, all 30 NBA teams will play a game as part of its “Civic Engagement Night.” No games will take place on Election Day.

The NFL is continuing its NFL Votes initiative, which began in August 2020, that focuses on educating and registering voters. It released a third spot for the campaign with Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Geno Smith and Denver Broncos Safety Justin Simmons that explained the importance of Election Day.

The metaverse, electric vehicles and gaming

Frozen steak company Steak-umm is turning to the metaverse to educate people about disinformation and misinformation during elections. The company is launching a world on Decentraland called “Meataversity of Steak-umm” that includes a lecture hall where users can watch videos on misinformation, a bookstore where people can find NFTs for their avatars to wear and a cafeteria that gives users a QR code to get a free box of Steak-umm. The campaign was created by Tombras with its Chief Technology Officer Juan Tubert.

On a similar digital front, mobile gaming platform Atlas Earth (written as ATLAS: EARTH) has partnered with voting platform TurboVote to put banners in games showing information on where to vote.

Electric vehicle charging company Volta launched a “Get Out the Vote” campaign that will broadcast across its network of screens placed above charging stations. The screens will show a countdown to voting day, QR codes leading to resources such as information on how to cast a ballot, and signs telling people to vote.