MANILA, MAY 24, 2013 – Aside from recognizing the catchy jingles and the advertisements, do you really know your candidates?
Wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and social news network Rappler posed this question to Filipino voters as the two industry leaders come together for the election advocacy campaign #votesmart.
Leading up to May 13, the joint project enabled voters to easily access all the information they need to know about national candidates on a dedicated platform hosted by the Rappler site. There, each candidate had an individual profile page, an interactive timeline and links to background stories. Netizens were encouraged to use the hash tag #votesmart on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to directly ask questions and discuss issues with candidates.
“As voters, we have a collective power to affect positive change but only if we vote smart," said Smart brand equity management head Carlo Endaya. "The campaign is essentially about arming the voting public with information that they need to make smart choices on election day.”
Celebrities like siblings Maxene and Elmo Magalona, funny man Ramon Bautista, actor-host Luis Manzano and musician Barbie Almalbis signified their commitment and support to the advocacy while DDB Philippines lends its creative and communications expertise to the campaign.
Changing landscape
“For once an advertiser and an ad agency are telling people to go beyond the advertising,” DDB Philippines creative director Bobby Vito said. “Go beyond the campaign jingles, the election posters and commercials, and instead get to know the real senatorial candidates.”
This is where social media and a reputable online news organization like Rappler comes in.
"Change begins with the ballot, and while our mood meter and mood navigator capture how Filipinos feel, we need to go beyond feelings and vote smart. Studies show that if you identify how you feel, you’re more prone to be rational. Now voters have all the information they need – interactive timeline, track record, positions on issues, plus many more – to make a rational choice for a better future," said Rappler chief executive officer and executive editor, Maria Ressa.
The Philippines is considered as one of the world’s most socially active nations online, ranking eighth overall based on number of Facebook users, according to statistics from social media analytics company Socialbakers. Paris-based analytics firm Semiocast also placed the Philippines in tenth spot in a top 20 list of countries with the most number of Twitter users in a research published in mid-2012.
In the last US presidential elections, social media became a pivotal battleground for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Obama, who is now on his second term, was notable for actively utilizing social media sites to generate grassroots support as early as 2008 when he first ran for the presidency.
In the Philippines, more politicians are recognizing the value of engaging voters, especially the youth, through social media because of its cost-efficiency and continuously growing popularity.
“Advertisements dazzle but they don’t give you the whole picture. This is where #votesmart comes in,” DDB Philippines managing director John Lucas noted. “It’s leveling the field for candidates. It’s stripping down to the essentials, to the information that you really need to know before you make that vote.”
#votesmart was used over 4,000 times from the launch of the campaign to election day. Information is still available at www.rappler.com/votesmart. To watch Ramon Bautista’s Scandal, log on to http://youtu.be/sIU2pJZSCwQ. For Maxene Magalona’s Cat, log on to http://youtu.be/mJPDLRL2zPI.
