Élections Québec wants to reverse the trend

9/8/2022

Work

1 Elections Quebec Cossette Image den tete

by Cossette

With “reversing the trend” as the theme, Élections Québec’s new awareness campaign invites citizens to head to the polls in droves during the next provincial election in order to reverse the downward trend in voter participation.

There’s unquestionably been a decline in voter turnout in the last 30 years, and this phenomenon observed here and elsewhere seems to be getting worse over time as new generations of voters exercise their civic duty even less than their elders. Using a playful, self-deprecating tone, the campaign attempts to reverse this trend and generate maximum interest around the provincial election.

In 2018, nearly one in three Quebecers didn’t vote, and the ratio is even worse among younger generations. In collaboration with Cossette, we worked hard this year to reverse this trend and encourage people in the 18–44 age group to exercise their right to vote. We used a tone suitable for a wider audience too, since we want to reach as many voters as possible and get them to actively participate in this important democratic practice.

Suzanne Naud, Communications and Public Affairs Director at Élections Québec

To do so, the agency came up with a variety of tactics that saw Élections Québec break completely from its usual approach to get people out to vote. So instead of hiring a celebrity or influencer who’s popular with younger people, taking advantage of the latest trend, or focusing on civic action guided by common sense, the offensive did the complete opposite.

Democracy should never be taken for granted. We have to do everything we possibly can to get more people to vote. That’s why we went with a daring, out-of-the-box idea that raises the bar to make the 18–44 age group want to vote. The creative concept and tagline had to live up to our ambitions regarding interest and awareness around elections.

Richard Rochette-Villeneuve, Creative Director at Cossette

The campaign includes TV, radio and online spots, as well as outdoor signage. There’s also a social media component to reach a younger audience, including content for TikTok and an activation in the metaverse produced in collaboration with L’Effet Monstre.

5 Elections Quebec Cossette Extrait de Rince Creme le podcast des Denis Drolet

Credits

Advertiser

Élections Québec

Agency: Cossette

Creative: Anne-Claude Chénier, Richard Rochette-Villeneuve, Sébastien Forget, Nadine El-Whidi, Fabrice Poirier, Guillaume St-Hilaire, Nicolas Baillargeon, Jasmin Brochu, Camille Forget Strategy: Marie Vaillancourt, Hugo Fournier, Valérie Labonté-Côté Product: Nicole Laplante, Léa Breton, Louiza Aider

Production agency: Septième

Broadcast production: Joannie Roy Print production: France Laberge, Nathalie Boucher, Natalie Gadoua Digital production: Mario Lévesque, Maxime Bluteau, Josée Lévesque, Patrick Payeur, Annie Turcotte

Production house: Nova Film

Director: François Lallier Sound: Circonflex Shooting and retouching: Le Quartier – Martin Flamand, Rodolphe Beaulieu Metaverse activation: L’Effet Monstre and Martin Nolet

Media agency: Cossette Media

Media activation and planning: Amélie Lemieux, Karine Marquis, Alec Blondin-Stewart

PR agency: Citoyen

PR and influencer marketing: Fanny Laurin, Annie Robitaille