As the US November election approaches in a special year where the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many aspects of the race into uncertainty, brands have also been taking a stand in the elections. Americans are used to what they call the "October surprise", but this is the first time in history that a major presidential candidate will be hospitalized less than a month away from the final ballots. This also follows a presidential debate that some have described as the worst in history with the level personal attacks and insults.
Brands like Patagonia know for its activism and strong stance on environmentalism have been using various platforms to send out messages on its position on the election. The brand included a special message on the labels of its recent range of shorts that read "Vote the Assholes Out". Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard, had explained previously that by “assholes,” they mean “politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science.” So by bringing up the line again in 2020, we don't need to search too far to know who Patagonia is referring to.
Under Amour has also come up with a campaign called "Run to Vote". This is the first time Under Amour will be taking a stand on the election. Under Amour has perhaps been drawn into this campaign as its president and chief executive officer, Patrik Frisk has voted for the first time in this election since becoming a US citizen. The process motivated him to leverage his brand's voice towards making the process easier for everyone.
On their website, Under Armour has stated that they "make a simple promise: to make you better. This commitment isn’t just to our athletes but also extends to our community. We know democracy is the ultimate team sport, but too many are blocked from playing."
Also taking a stand in the US election is Reddit with a campaign tagged "Up the Vote". This is actually Reddit's first brand marketing campaign. Reddit says it receives about 165 million votes each day on content posted on its platform. However, the last US presidential election only got 128.8 million votes. The campaign is therefore urging Americans to bring the same passion they show with content on a platform like Reddit to real-life issues and vote in this year's presidential election.
