An unpredictable election campaign in the United Kingdom kicked off last week. At the same time, its less than a year until the US electorate will decide the fate of presidential elections. Nowadays many commercial brands tend to use different political races to promote own product. The main task for such companies is to avoid associations with a certain political force (recent Nike and Gilette advertising). That is why companies are using humor in this kind of adverts or talk about things that could unite absolutely all voters. In this article, we will demonstrate the most vivid examples of both strategies.

Find the new job

For many leaders of British political parties, unsuccessful election results mean that very soon they are going to change the workplace. One of the largest job aggregators in the UK CV library decided to predict who might need a new job after the 2017 election.

Elect you favorite breakfast

Comically, companies offer their candidates and political programs. In 2016, manufacturers of baking soda and sweet baking ingredients (Bisquick) offered consumers a choice between a waffle and pancake candidates. The creators of this advertising campaign decided to use the famous slogan of the Donald Trump campaign to Make America great again. Both breakfast candidates attack a political opponent in different commercials and appeal to the viewer. Sweet candidates even launched own hashtags #VotePancakes and #VoteWaffles) to increase recognition on social networks.

New donut election

Lovers of donuts in the British branch of Dunkin Donuts were asked to vote in a new election between 4 donut candidates. Voters were able to choose between The Blue Donut, The Red Donut, The Green Donut, and The Orange Donut. Such color choice had a clear analogy to the colors oа the main parties. The donut variant with the highest number of votes automatically became the winner and launched into mass production. According to the creators of the ad: “With 24/7 media coverage and split opinions, Voting Day can get a little tense. So inspired by this year’s Snap Election, which took so many people by surprise, Dunkin ’Donuts is having a‘ Snack Election ’to lighten the nation’s mood.”

Berkowitz for president

Especially successful commercial advertising is practically indistinguishable from real political advertising. Some visitors to the American fish restaurant chain Legal Sea Foods were sure that the CEO of this chain (Roger Berkowitz) was seriously planning to compete for the presidency. Berkowitz has released several campaign videos and a series of posters. All this was part of the new fish restaurant advertising strategy.

Doritos and youngsters turnout

For the US election in 2016, Doritos (world-famous tortilla makers) have released a limited series of their snack. The new Doritos were tasteless and sold in faded packing. Doritos also sent several vending machines on college campuses. Before buying chips, the machine specifically asked students to register to vote in the next election. If a student clicked the no button, then the machine issued a tasteless package. This advertising story has become part of a collaboration with the non-profit organization Rock the Vote. The main objective was to attract the attention of a young audience to participate in elections. According to the latest statistics, 62% of youngsters aged 18-24 didn’t vote.

Power of compromise

In its advertising, Jetblue told the story about how a compromise might benefit everyone. Those travelers were given the chance to win a free round-trip trip to one of 20 domestic or international destinations served by the carrier. they’d get those travel certificates (worth about $300 each) only if they could decide on a single destination by unanimous vote before their six-hour flight from Boston landed in Phoenix. In the end, the passenger’s greed on Costa Rica.

Split-screen

The famous American automobile brand has decided to prove that its new advert might reconcile the politically divided country. The final US presidential debate coincided with the release of two new versions of the jeep (Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and luxury Grand Cherokee Summit). That is why the car manufacturing company bought an advertising slot during the presidential debate break. On two halves of the screen, the viewer can observe different people and their lifestyle. The purpose of the advertisement was to convince Americans that love for the country outweighs any political preferences. According to the Fiat Chrysler CMO Olivier Francois: «split-screen concept as a means to underscore that duality was one that intrigued us from the start, but we couldn’t do split-screen without purpose. The launch of the two new Jeep Grand Cherokee models was the perfect opportunity.»