The brand winners and losers on Election Day

This election may have been anything but predictable. Fortunately for those seeking solace in the foreseeable, brands have been up to their creaky old tricks.

On Election Day in the United States, millions of citizens turned out to vote. And seemingly just as many social media managers logged in to practice their patriotic brand duty — er, put out some tweets.

Here are the winners and losers.

Winners

Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole probably didn’t plan for this, but Glamour magazine surfaced a 1996 ad today boldly predicting that by 2016, there would be a woman in the White House is a certain winner. (It was part of a larger campaign that featured other “fantasies,” in Cole’s own words, including that by 2020, all sex would be safe and guns would be only seen in museums.) Here is the ad.

Foursquare
OK, service-y and smart. Foursquare has the drinking holes and places to eat near your polling place. Bottom’s up.

 

Votecastr
Data startup Votecastr is working with publishers like Slate and Vice to create real-time projections of which presidential candidate is winning at any given moment in seven swing states. Here’s why it’s different: Until now, media outlets have traditionally never released voting information before polls close, a collusion designed, ostensibly, in order to prevent affecting voter turnout on the day itself. As a media experiment, it appears to be a winner.

 

Pizza to the Polls
Not technically a brand, but a nonpartisan group called Pizza to the Polls is delivering pizzas to those waiting in long voting lines. It finds the closest pizza place and delivers pies to those voters.

Losers

Izod
Ken Bone is back! Bone is teaming up with Izod for a campaign called #MyVote2016, which includes an ad called “Fifteenth Minute.” The get-out-the-vote effort features Bone talking about being internet famous and asking Americans to not lose hope in the political process. The brand also sponsored a Twitter campaign asking users to share their thoughts on the election. Fifteen minutes of Bone has already been fifteen too many.

Seamless
Seamless can always be counted on for a topical tweet. Unfortunately, taking pride in taking part in a democratic process doesn’t quite pack the same punch as sharing your pho order from your couch.

Chipotle
Chipotle’s Snapchat account features people approaching voters waiting in long lines — who are probably pretty hungry — to ask if they’re voting for tacos or burritos. Leave the man-on-the-street stuff Bill Eichner.

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Spotify
Spotify seemed to get it right at first with its Election Day playlist that included a get out the vote message from President Barack Obama. But,it neglected to include any female artists in its 27-song-mix. Oops. Once the backlash began, Spotify then went in and added a bunch of songs by women, including Beyoncé, Katy Perry and M.I.A.

Patagonia
Preachy brands are the worst.

Burlington
Contouring is not on the ballot.

Pizza Hut
Neither’s pizza.

Hostess
Hostess is the person you never want at your party.

Wait… there’s more.

https://digiday.com/?p=209014

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