After the U.S. presidential election, people had a lot to say. At a time when many Americans felt their votes weren’t being heard on the issues that matter, VICELAND wanted to make sure their voices were. Thus, we created THINGS.

THINGS used objects as symbols for social and political issues, but removed all color and context and allowed people to reflect on what these items meant to them. It was a provocative way of engaging with Americans that was unfiltered, authentic and unscripted. It provided a platform for expression that was self-sustaining and shareable across all channels, and was shortlisted for a Cannes Lion in 2018.

With the 2018 midterm elections approaching, it became clear that the midterms would be one of the most important in American history. The power to shape the trajectory of the nation sat with young people, and with it, we felt the need to do something. We wanted to amplify their voices, and let people's real feelings and opinions drive the conversation again.

While most voting campaigns bombard viewers with the same old cliche, we went a different route, and adapted THINGS to become a voting campaign for VICE Media as a whole. We built on our existing series of politically charged blank objects, and asked people why they’re voting. We opened up our phone line to the public, and heard from people all over the country on every side of every issue. Again, we let young people speak on the issues that matter to them, ultimately motivating others to make their voices heard by voting.

As part of the initiative to get young people to the polls, we decided to get out of the way even further, and shut down all of VICE on one of the most important days of the year — National Voter Registration Day. Our creative was spread across social, broadcast, and online, repurposing our platforms to remind people to stop what they’re doing and go and register. Then we shut down on voting day, hijacking our own platforms again and foregoing our content for a bigger, better cause — voting.

Ultimately, we took the spirit of THINGS and turned the platform for sharing frustrations and opinions into a rally cry for the public to take action. We drove nearly 18,000 new voter registrations, and helped take part in the largest voter turnout since 1914. The campaign moved awareness and conversation forward, proving that simple executions can make a big impact. It was a natural adaptation of an existing campaign that found new purpose and life for an important moment in our Nation's history.