The right to vote is one of the backbones that our country was founded on. Different groups have protested, struggled and fought to get the right to vote; yet too many of us squander that right on a regular basis when we don’t go to the polls and cast our ballots.
With one of the most contentious elections on the horizon this November, one person wanted to do something about this. Warren Buffett, arguably one of the most well-known figures in Nebraska, knew that to really address the problem, he needed to know what the real problem was. After doing further investigation, he realized that many people did not go to the polls for a simple reason: they had no way to get there. And, Warren being Warren, he wasn’t going to let that problem stand in the way. He was going to do something about it.
Warren Buffett
With the help of Secret Penguin, a branding agency that developed the website and Katie Weitz, who helped with creative elements and direction, Warren and Susie Buffett developed the Drive2Vote initiative and we got the opportunity to film videos to help explain the project.
Being a persuasive and incredibly likable speaker, we knew that the best way to get people excited and onboard was to film Warren himself. We developed one longer (two minute) video with Warren describing the project and a series of shorter videos to send to those who signed up for a ride or to volunteer.
Warren did an excellent job of getting the message out that he wasn’t telling anyone how to vote, he simply wanted them to have the chance to get out there and exercise their right to do so. This was also a call to action to others: instead of worrying about (or complaining about) a lack of voter turnout, why not get involved instead and offer a ride to the polls to someone who would otherwise be unable to go?
We love using the power of video to illustrate projects that are meant to help us be better people and a better society. Of course, having the star power of Warren Buffett behind the message never hurt, either! We truly enjoyed this shoot and, as you can hear in the end of the video when he cracked us all up, all had a great time interacting with Mr. Buffett and his team.
Frost Media Group is an Omaha video production company.