The South African Electoral Commission partnered with Facebook to remind users to register to vote this past weekend.
The campaign was in an effort to get younger South Africans to register to vote in the upcoming municipal elections.
"Our records show that about 80% of eligible voters who are not yet registered are under 30 years old," says Marco Granelli, the Electoral Commission's senior manager for communications.
"Facebook is a great way for us to be able to get a message directly to young people who may otherwise be hard to reach and to engage with young people around the importance of voting."
"Millennials are digitally savvy, and prefer being communicated with on their terms," says Mike Wronski, director at Digital Flow. "Digital channels such as instant messaging and social media are highly effective if used correctly without being too intrusive."
People over the age of 18 who logged onto Facebook after noon on Saturday will have seen a message at the top of their newsfeed reminding them to register to vote. By clicking a link in the message, users were directed to the Electoral Commission Web site.
There was also an option that allowed users to share with their friends that they had registered. The social network says studies have found that voters who see more of their Facebook friends talking about voting are more likely to vote themselves.
"With more than 13 million people in South Africa using Facebook, our platform is where many South Africans discuss their hopes for South Africa's future," says Facebook's head of public policy for Africa, Ebele Okobi, who hopes the notification and conversations around it on Facebook will lead to higher turnout on 3 August.
This was the first time Facebook has used its 'register to vote' reminder in Africa. It has been used before in the US and Europe.
"The tech giant has a vested interest in emerging markets, since that is where most of their growth is currently coming from," says Wronski. "There have been several social and governmental collaborations in the past, including Facebook's Free Basics and Safety Check features."
Share