MTV launches 'Rock the Vote' initiative aimed at the youth

The campaign kicks off this week and is aimed at enlightening first-time voters about the power of their vote

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | December 9, 2013

MTV has undertaken a new initiative, 'Hero MTV Rock the Vote', to remind the youth of the power they have: their vote. The initiative is a wake-up call for all those who are above 18 years of age and have an opinion on things around them. In a tongue-in-cheek tagline, 'Dabaona ...button', MTV puns on the voting button to urge first time voters to vote.

The campaign has kicked off this week and will run till a month after the General Elections 2014.

Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India, said, “Apart from playing a huge role in pop culture, MTV has always led young people in the area of social activism. Young people have the power more than ever to make a difference. 'Hero MTV Rock the Vote' is a movement that aims to make young people aware of this power, and to act on their right to be heard. Our partnership with Hero is truly special as both brands are genuinely committed to working with the youth to build an even more incredible India.”

When asked how brand MTV will leverage the campaign, Swamy said, “As one of the most followed youth brands, MTV has always created initiatives that allow the generation to collaborate on issues and causes. Last year, we launched 'MTV Act' in India as a pro-social platform where every month we highlight key youth causes and they (the youth) bring in their action to work on the causes. 'Rock the Vote' is a non-partisan initiative where we are integrating on-air, on-ground, online media to connect with the youth in their language to urge them to step out and vote. We are leveraging our reach across 19 million members on social media and 140+ million on TV to remind them to register to vote.”

MTV will take this campaign across multiple cities through college festivals, concerts and panel discussions with policy makers. But, it is not all that serious always. Hero MTV Rock the Vote will also include Polt 101, a series of short films, animations and web-series that will educate the youth about election facts and the voting process with a fun twist.

Sumeli Chatterjee, Head - Marketing & Insights, MTV India, said, “Election is the biggest event happening in India in 2014, and whether you understand politics or not, it still affects you. Breaking the usual monotony of long speeches, MTV will draw heavily from the three pillars of popular culture – Bollywood, humour and music – to connect with the youth. We will underline the need to vote through short films, college concerts, animation videos, music anthem, comedy sketches, blogs, infographics, and a whole host of crowd-sourced videos.”

MTV has partnered with Rock the Vote (USA), a non profit, non partisan organisation which pushes political awareness amongst youth across many countries including the USA, Canada and Chile. Founded 21 years ago, Rock the Vote (USA) has registered more than 5 million young people to vote and has become a trusted source of information for young people about registering to vote and casting a ballot.

Commenting on the partnership, Swamy, said, “'Rock the Vote' is a non-profit organisation based in the US that has been engaged in the field of voter education and driving participation across election. We certainly treasure our partnership with them as through the years they have registered over 5 million votes in the USA. They do bring sound expertise and learnings in this field, and we certainly believe it will enrich the campaign in India.”

Heather Smith, President, Rock the Vote (USA), said, "Rock the Vote is thrilled to be partnering with MTV India in this effort to encourage young people to get engaged in the upcoming elections. Rock the Vote has a longstanding history with MTV and has worked to elevate the voice and concerns of young people in the United States for over 20 years. We are excited to bring this partnership to India to ensure that young people in this country are being heard by those they elect."

The campaign is supported by youth icons Rannvijay Singh and YoYo Honey Singh to encourage young people to get to their nearest voting booths and vote. No force unites the generation as music – and music resides at the heart of MTV. MTV is closely working with YoYo Honey Singh to create a music anthem to support Hero MTV Rock the Vote.

'Hero MTV Rock the Vote' will be supported by a 360 degree marketing campaign to create awareness and engagement amongst the youth. With debates and discussions with young policy makers, concerts across four cities, 300+ college connects, interactive videos, a massive digital push across platforms and college festival partnerships, MTV will go all out to motivate and mobilise the 120 million first-time voters to register and vote in General Elections 2014.

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