Facebook Embarks on Huge Voter Registration Drive, Anchored by This Droga5 Ad

Nothing should stop Americans from registering to vote—and actually casting ballots—by Nov. 3. Not concerns about staying safe amid the pandemic, or questions over mail-in and absentee options, or even broken legs.

Such notions inform this lively, cinematic short film from Facebook, which puts the tech giant’s Voting Information Center, a storehouse of constantly updated information, into fun perspective:

Really, though, if you’re on crutches and need to get to a polling station, just take the bus.

Prettybird directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schneider—the team behind Swiss Army Man and the uber-popular “Turn Down For What” video from DJ Snake and Lil John—strove to depict voters as heroes, harnessing the quick tempo and (mildly) irreverent vibe of sports commercials. Indeed, the spot succeeds on those terms, de-mystifying complex concerns to the funky—and at times epic—beat of “Go Up” from Gizzle.

The ad debuted this week, along with several other Facebook election initiatives timed to National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday.

Dubbed “More Questions, More Answers,” the campaign aims to help 4 million people register and vote this year. That’s an admirable goal, especially for Facebook, which has come under fire since 2016 over its handling of misinformation, political trolls and other election-related issues.

In a blog post, Facebook, which says it has helped 2.5 million Americans register so far, describes its 2020 election activities as “a nonpartisan effort that’s available to everyone,” adding: “With many states making changes to the voting process because of the pandemic, the center is also designed to help people navigate a confusing election process. It is based on lessons from our Covid-19 Information Center, which has been providing accurate and authoritative information from health authorities about the pandemic since March. This will do the same for voting.”

Along with the center—launched last month and featuring input from election authorities and experts nationwide, as well personalized reminders to register and vote—Facebook’s initiative includes:

• A multilingual early-voting hub with details about vote-by-mail options in each state.
• A #PledgeToVoteChallenge on Facebook, which lets people show and share their commitment through stories, photos and videos.
• Bringing the International Fact-Checking Network into WhatsApp to boost accuracy.
• Register to Vote stickers on Instagram, designed by diverse artists and celebrating the Democratic process.

CREDITS

Facebook :: More Questions, More Answers

Agency Droga5 NY
Co-Chief Creative Officer Felix Richter
Co-Chief Creative Officer Tim Gordon
Executive Creative Director Karen Short
Creative Director Lauren Ferreira
Senior Art Director Bastien Grisolet
Senior Art Director Jason Gold
Senior Copywriter Ted Meyer
Copywriter Chris Brailey
Copywriter Curtis McDonald
Executive Design Director Rich Greco
Senior Designer Eli Hochberg
Designer Daniel Seong
Motion Graphics Designer JungEun Han
Executive Producer, Film Mike Hasinoff
Senior Producer, Film Liliana Vega
Producer, Film Sophie Paton
Associate Producer, Film Andres Riveros
Senior Producer, Interactive Ian Graetzer
Senior Music Supervisor Mike Ladman
Director of Business Affairs Dan Simonetti
Senior Business Manager Paul Van Dorpe
Traffic Manager Wendy Kaplan
Head of Strategy Harry Román-Torres
Strategy Director Diana González
Senior Strategist Emily Pfitzinger
Group Communications Strategy Director Yan Wang
Communications Strategy Director Patrick Fahey
Senior Communications Strategist Christin Wiegand
Senior Data Strategist Daria Koren
Group Account Director Jessica Kingsbery
Account Director Gabrielle Barbuto
Account Supervisor Chelsea Elliott
Account Manager Roxanne Alberts
Group Project Manager Tessa Muchura
Senior Project Manager Theresa Ganchorre

Client Facebook
CMO Antonio Lucio
Vice President, Corporate Brand Marketing Kate Rouch
Director, Brand Strategy Andrew Stirk
Head of Creative Thomas Markham
Director, Design Zach Stubenvoll
Brand Marketing Manager Kaitlin Giannetti
Brand Marketing Manager Katie Secrest
Brand Strategist Josh Cleveland
Marketing Insights Director Rick Malins
Marketing Research Manager Jenn Dahm
Marketing Researcher Lia Breunig
Director, Communications Planning Radhika Narang
Communication Planning Director Jessica Lewis
Communication Planning Manager Nick Mejia
Brand Communications Lead Lisa Stratton
Executive Producer, Creative X Julian Katz
Paralegal Blaine May
Associate General Council Varty Hindoyan

Production Company Prettybird
Director Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schneider
DOP Larkin Seiple
President / Executive Producer Ali Brown
Producer Jonathan Wang
Director of Production Tracy Hauser
Production Designer Jason Kisvarday
Wardrobe Stylist Jessica Loria

Editorial Parallax
Editor Paul Rogers
Editor Lucas Lynch
Editor Grason Caldwell
Editor Ben Rodriguez
Editor Chassidy Jade
Executive Producer Graham Zeller
Producer Kirstin Zastrow
Producer Dustin LaForce

Post Production Framestore
Executive Producer Dez Macleod-Veilleux
Senior Producer Anna Borysewicz
Senior Producer Andrew McLintock
Production Coordinator Nathaniel Cabral
Senior Flame Artist Kieran Walsh
Compositor Avery Herzog
Compositor Greg Gaskins
Colorist Beau Leon
Colour Assistant Nabil Moo

Music
Song Go Up
Artist Gizzle

Sound design Sonic Union
Studio Director Justine Cortale
Mix Engineer Steve Rosen
Mix Engineer Paul Weiss