Reelio partners with Rock the Vote to help digital stars tackle politics
Reelio wants to help digital talent tap into their political beliefs during the 2016 Election Season.
The New York-based company, which connects digital content creators with brands, announced a new initiative on Tuesday called Reelio VOTES.
"Reelio VOTES will work with digital talent across multiple platforms, providing the education and resources necessary to develop and integrate politically-centered content in an effort to drive discourse and action among today’s digitally savvy generation of voters," the company said in a statement.
You May Also Like
Additionally, the initiative will leverage the power of its platform to work with political organizations and agencies on both sides of the aisle that seek to inspire grassroots-political movements."There is an unprecedented need for digital influencers to be a part of the political conversation."
Founded in 2012 by Pete Borum, Ben Williams, Mark Borum, and Daniel McKenzie, Reelio connects brands with content partners using a patent-pending matching algorithm.
Now it has ramped up a roster of hundreds of brands -- including Clinique, Unilever and Visa -- that tap into the platform's user base of more than 10,000 influencers.
“We have designed this initiative to maintain the utmost legal and ethical standards while giving influencers and political organizations the opportunity to partner on the issues that are mutually relevant, transforming the paradigm from digital advertising to digital action," Reelio's statement continued.
Rock the Vote, an organization that aims to engage potential voters, serves as Reelio's first brand partner for the new initiative.
"To work with talent that can authentically communicate to their fans the importance of being civically engaged is key in getting young people out to the polls in November," Kiki Burger, director of marketing and events at Rock the Vote, said in a statement.
Reelio's announcement comes as more players in the political space boost their engagement with the "digital first" audience.
Google, for example, has partnered up with the major news networks to get audiences more engaged as they watch debates.
During a Republican presidential debate in January, three YouTube creators—Nabela Noor, Mark Watson, and Dulce Candy—joined moderators in asking the candidates a question on an issue that matters to them and their communities.
Creators Connor Franta, Marques Brownlee, MinuteEarth and Franchesca Ramsey had a similar opportunity during a Democratic debate, also in January.
And Mitú, a Latino digital network geared towards millennials, recently partnered with Hispanic civil rights organization National Council of La Raza to "engage and mobilize young Latino voters."
“We are entering a very unique era, where digital viewership is exploding and more and more Americans are ‘cutting the cord’ as they pull away from traditional platforms,” Ava Kelly, senior director of Reelio VOTES, said in a statement.
"While many agencies are creating digital content in efforts to reach these voters, Reelio VOTES offers an integrated solution that empowers political organizations and digital talent by connecting them to create relevant and authentic content that resonates and inspires action across a myriad of issues.”
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
