Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Magparehistroka.com (RegisterToVote) is a piece of direct marketing because it elicits people to make the ultimate direct response – the act of voter registration. Its critical path helped visitors plan HOW to register to vote and walked them through the process so their likelihood to follow through increases. This resulted in 3.4 million unique visits and 1.25 million registration site map uses, of which 64% converted into people who accessed their registration forms. By end of registration period, the Philippine Commission on Elections achieved a 300% increase in new voter registrations versus 2016 elections. All during a pandemic.

Background

The 2022 Philippine presidential elections is shaping up to be one of the most critical in the country's history. But the current voter registration process is painfully analog, time-consuming and inefficient. All during a Covid lockdown. Magparehistroka.com (Registertovote.com) was designed to overcome the critical barriers to registering, using the ghosts of our national heroes to remind users that registering to vote is relatively easy, compared to, um, other patriotic acts. The website’s experience allowed users to plan their registration process more easily, leading to 3.4 million unique visits and a 64% conversion rate.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

The 2022 Philippine presidential elections is shaping up to be one of the most critical in the country's history. Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) wanted to encourage as many as people as possible – especially youths – to register to vote. Using behavioral science learnings, we created magparehistroka.com, a website designed to overcome the critical barriers of the country’s time-consuming and inefficient system of analog voter registration. With its edgy and quirky visual illustrations, the website struck a chord among the youth that the COMELEC is courting – achieving a 300% increase in new voter registrations vs 2016 elections, X number of unique visitors, and garnering USD400,000 in PR value.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Filipinos wanted to vote. The barrier wasn’t apathy. It’s a painfully analog government process. Nickerson and Rogers (2008) found that helping people PLAN how to vote increased higher voter turnout. We used this insight in creating magparehistroka.com (registertovote.com). We crafted a critical path based on real-life analog barriers people faced. We then created a simplified process online on how to PLAN their registration – searching their electorate office, which requirements to bring, Covid-19 protocols to expect, and note important dates. The experience naturally nudged users from one task to the next, priming them to complete the act of registration in their heads.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

After creating an easy, attractive, and timely interface, we made the experience fun by transforming voter registration into something lighter and digestible. We guilt-tripped users into completing the journey by calling on the ghosts of Philippine national heroes – the martyrs who sacrificed everything for Filipinos. The site employed an animated comics style, where our dead heroes alternately guided and reminded users that registering to vote is relatively easy, compared to being a hero. Employing a mix of gentle barbs, puns and modern Filipino and English speak, the heroes humorously nudged our users to plan for their voter registration.

List the results (30% of vote)

The website launched on June 12, 2021 – Philippines’ Independence Day – to coincide a seasonal peak in patriotism, optimizing chances of conversion into the iRehistro portal, the first step of voter registration. It ran until the registration deadline, helping even last-minute registrants. • 3.4 MILLION UNIQUE VISITS • 1.2 MILLION USED OUR REGISTRATION SITE MAP • 797,000 ACCESSED REGISTRATION FORMS • 64% CONVERSION RATE • 5.4 MILLION NEW REGISTRANTS • 300% INCREASE VERSUS 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (1.7M) • $400,000 PR Value • All on a $105,000 budget