Continuing its emphasis on providing news coverage to its millennial audience under MTV President Sean Atkins’ new stewardship, MTV launched “Elect This” today, joining the 2016 election fray.
Rather than focusing on Trump, Clinton or Sanders, MTV is focusing on the issues that matter to MTV’s viewers. The network’s research found that nine out of 10 people in MTV’s target audience want election coverage to focus on issues like student debt, racial injustice and healthcare, rather than specific candidates, according to Broadcasting & Cable.
The campaign debuted today with a slew of videos, including the Elect This Anthem (above) created by Lost Planet that acts as the enterprise’s manifesto.
Elect This features a bevy of initiatives, including Infographica, a number-crunching series accompanied by quick animated videos.
There’s also the Robo-Roundtable, where animatronic robots (meet RoboParrot, RoboDino, RoboRobot and RoboBear) debate issues like marijuana legalization and gun control using opinions voiced on social media.
The Elect This online hub provides users with even more information on the issues, and ways to get involved, like “Elect This Generation,” a meme-generator, and “Spend This,” a digital calculator that converts election costs into perhaps more important funds, like salaries for teachers or a burrito budget.
MTV has partnered with Tumblr for the campaign, with Issue Time, a monthly series that provides a direct link from MTV viewers to activists, celebrities and young people.
In addition to its splashy launch, Elect This is an ongoing initiative, with MTV’s Insights Group performing weekly research to uncover young voters’ sentiments throughout the election season circus. Given how election coverage increasingly feels more like MTV’s reality programming, it’s interesting (and smart) to see MTV focus on what’s important, capitalizing on a election that has inspired more engagement with young voters than many previous.
Elect This joins previous MTV election coverage The Racket and The Stakes, a weekly political podcast, and is supported by organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, Anti-Defamation League, GLAAD, NAACP, Planned Parenthood, Rock the Vote and many more.
READ MORE: Broadcasting & Cable
[Cube image courtesy of Bustle via MTV]
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