How brand managers are encouraging consumers to vote
It’s Election Day, and some companies are using incentives—ranging from discounted rides to free coffee—to get people to the polls. Laws about such giveaways bear notice, however.
Would a free cookie persuade you to vote in the 2018 midterm elections?
Many brand managers are going online to excite people to exercise their franchise and cast a vote. Some are offering freebies and discounts; others are just giving words of encouragement.
It’s a fine line to walk: Experts warn that it is illegal to offer anything of value in exchange for a vote, so businesses are encouraged to make their offers broad.
On social media, hashtags such as #GOTV and #Elections2018 are helping consumers find election-themed offers. Shake Shack is offering free fries through its app. Potbelly will give a cookie to customers who ask for one. Corner Bakery is doling out complimentary coffee.
This #ElectionDay, we encourage you to stand for something + vote! After hitting the polls on 11/6, score free fries with any purchase by adding crinkle cuts to your order + using the code “ivoted” on the app or by showing your “I Voted” sticker to a Team Member at the Shack. ð pic.twitter.com/40NV0mDsoS
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) November 5, 2018
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