How do we use the introduction of a “Registered Voter” profile badge to create buzz for OKCupid (and increase voting registration)?

OKCupid’s mission is to help people connect on what matters. Clients answer a robust set of questions to create a much more in-depth personal profile that reflects what’s truly important to them. And it turns out voting really matters to them. Like, a lot.

The approach of the 2020 election created the perfect opportunity for OkCupid to spark buzz and drive account activations while driving young people to polling stations.

Its "Registered Voter" badge had launched, but with little celebration. The brand needed to spice up interest and engaged our creative agency to light a fire under the initiative.

The objectives were simple:

Drive buzz, brand awareness/affinity

Breakthrough the noisiest category at the noisiest time (politics during the US election)

Drive account reactivations

Drive voter registrations

Be a #VILF

Show that flexing your democratic right is the hottest thing you can do this 2020 election by calling on the American public to register to vote and Be A #VILF (Yes, it stands for what you think it stands for).

In the space of eight business days, we rolled out branded VILF merch

to influencers, launched a two-day public activation in Washington D.C. and aired a digital spot across social. An additional OLV followed—a fake influencer make-up tutorial, along with organic and paid social content. An OOH layer

of geo-targeted activity was specifically created for New York and Los Angeles—two cities with the lowest percentage of registered voters.

We made this media work hard by marrying our creative to culture moments surrounding the election to optimize performance post launch, including a digital OOH boat activation as many arrived in Miami for the second presidential debate.

Our insight that voting makes you sexy is grounded in some seriously hardcore data.

OKCupid’s internal stats showed that registered voters are 85% more likely to get a message from other users, and 63% more likely to get a match. So voting

is hot, statistically speaking.

Our message was crafted to reach young, savvy individual voters in the Gen Z and Millennial demographics.

And the approach was to hit 'em everywhere they live: On social media via the brand's most popular channels Twitter and Instagram with bespoke assets and influencer engagement; On YouTube with compelling and humorous online videos; IRL around America's political hub of Washington D.C. with an experiential activation and merchandise handout; At consumers' homes with merch deliveries; in the cities of urban, give-a-fuck young people with wildpostings (NY & LA) and; Those passionately attending the second presidential debate in Miami with an immersive digital OOH boat experience.

The core components to this multiple-executions campaign launched just TEN DAYS after green light.

On September 17 2020, we went live with 20+ social assets crafted for Instagram and Twitter, an online video on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, OOH wildpostings in NYC and LA (five locations in each city), branded merchandise activation in Washington D.C., and an influencer/press merch engagement. An additional OLV and a digital OOH boat experience (in Miami) went live in the days that followed.

The launch was strategically designed to leverage the four/five week lead up to the states' average deadline for registering to vote (mid-October).

Our placements were far-reaching: 30+ digital assets with a global audience, 50+ influencer content, 15+ OOH across three states, activation in an additional state.

The scale was intended to reach as many young Americans as possible.

+600M in earned media, capturing headlines and press/news show attention across the country.

Thousands of account reactivations (a major success metric for OkCupid).

2X Twitter mentions compared to average benchmark—HIGHEST brand mentions on platform for entire year of 2020.

+60% increase in mentions of OkCupid on Instagram—smashing average benchmarks.

x3 (a solid tripling) of mentions of voting language (voting, vote, voter registration) on OkCupid profiles—a clear indicator of a change in behavior to amplify users' intent to register to vote and encourage others to do the same.

Majorly positive social sentiment.

Huge spike in brand affinity.

Melissa Hobley, CMO at OkCupid: "I’ve worked with many world class agencies, but this might be the most nimble and powerful at once. Their ability to enable a brand to be culturally relevant and cut through is incredible. The group of incredible creative talent will work hard and bring humanity to a brand."