Let’s Vote, Nova: Campaign Analysis
Go Vote! We’ve all heard and seen that saying before, whether it is in the news or on a poster in the grocery store. In the past few years, we have probably seen it most on our Instagram and Twitter feeds. Voting initiatives have become an incredibly popular campaign. Most of these organizations use social media as their number one outreach tool. I have to recognize that this is a smart strategy because through these platforms, they can target their top audience: America’s youth.
Throughout history, younger Americans have always had one of the lowest turnouts rates when it came to voting. These voting initiative campaigns were created in hopes of increasing this number. A smart strategy I saw was how college campuses became a location for activating these campaigns. At Villanova University, my college recently began a campaign called “Let’s Vote Nova.” The Villanova Student Government Association, Office of Student Involvement, Office of Government Relations, and a few other groups banded together to create a movement to promote voter education.
Through this program, students learned about the importance of voting, how to register to vote, and where their local voting site is located. Some of the ways they accomplished this goal were through tabling on campus in front of popular spots, presenting PowerPoints about their mission to different classes, and using social media accounts to spread the word. The classroom presentations were one of the most influential tactics used. These presentations went through several slides about why one vote matters. They even provided links to learn about candidates running for positions, as well as links to websites where students can go to register to vote. If a student registered to vote in the state of their university, they could learn where the closest voting site was to them. The campaign even provided transportation to these voting sites. If a student registered to vote in their home state, they were taught how to submit an absentee ballot. From an outside perspective, those who worked with “Let’s Vote Nova,” seemed to have all the bases covered.
One of the most successful elements of the campaign involves who delivered it. Students of Villanova were the main voices and faces of the movement. They were the ones posting on social media and giving presentations to classes of other students. Some students were required to work on the campaign as a course requirement. In my opinion, this is the element that drove success for “Let’s Vote Nova.” Having people your own age telling you what to do can be much more influential than any commercial, professor, or older person. Instead of a boring presentation, these slides more closely resembled college students talking to their peers.
Although this campaign was a simple idea, it was wonderfully executed. The campaign had a mission and was able to reach its target audience by the end of it. “Let’s Vote Nova,” used effective channels to educate their audience on an extremely important topic for our country. The strategies used within this campaign are a great basis to create any successful PR campaign.
Rowan Fossella, a member of the PRSSA 2022–2023 Publications Committee, is a sophomore at Villanova University majoring in communications with a public relations concentration. In high school, Rowan interned at the Staten Island District Attorney’s office, where she began to explore the field of public relations. Here, she realized the importance of PR and its ability to help others. Rowan has also gained public relations experience through her time at the Villanova Student-run Firm. If you are interested in contacting Rowan, you may reach her via LinkedIn.
