Election Day Generosity

Generous brands provide people with something of value. Increasingly, we’re seeing brands offering up more than just ads, messaging, and ‘fuzzy background noise’. We’ve begun to witness brands giving us ideas – things to get behind and care about. Today’s brands that give in such a way have the power to become bigger role players in their audiences’ lives because they offer value beyond plain old messaging. Branding becomes more than just the ad that gets put out in space for all or anyone to glaze over.

When this happens, generosity emerges and helps create more meaningful brand experiences.

One example of Generosity is Starbucks’ free coffee giveaway on Election Day.

To help bolster sales but also to encourage the ideal of good citizenship, Starbucks promised they’d give a free tall coffee to anyone who came in and said they voted.

Their spot that aired during Saturday Night Live asks: “What if we all cared enough to vote? Not just 54% of us, but 100% of us? What if we cared as much on Nov. 5 as we care on Nov. 4?....You and Starbucks. It’s bigger than coffee.”



Other examples of Election Day Generosity include Ben & Jerry's ice cream giveaway


and also Krispy Kreme's doughnut giveaway



It’s simple and makes sense: Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, and Krispy Kreme said they supported voting if their customers also cared. These brands served up more than just their product; they gave customers social value by encouraging democracy.