Leonardo DiCaprio Wants You to Vote

If the Jonas Brothers told you to do something, would you do it? The use of celebrity endorsement to sell products has been used for decades, but a more recent phenomenon is the presence of celebrities in political and other public service announcement spots. Last fall, a sarcastic PSA featuring big-name celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dustin Hoffman urged viewers to vote by aggressively talking down to them, making you feel like an idiot if you don’t vote:



The ad also uses humor to lighten the mood and make it seem like it’s the simplest thing in the world to vote. The approach of this particular PSA is different than many like it; usually, celebrity PSAs feature earnest, smiling celebs talking about how easy or important it is to get involved, such as this PSA for DoSomething.org. :




The contrast between these two clips is remarkable: everything from color, sound, and style to content and tone is different. I think that the dramatic approach of the “Don’t Vote” PSA is a sign of the political times; it uses an old tactic—celebrity endorsement—in a new way, shocking its viewers into thinking differently. We can read the changing approach in these types of announcements as an indication of the urgency surrounding last fall’s election that was not present before. Another notable thing about this voting PSA is that it was not the only one of its kind: many different PSAs featuring celebrities appeared around election time last fall, all encouraging viewers to vote. This one, for example, has a happier and more hopeful tone but the same message:




Perhaps the level of celebrity activism surrounding the 2009 election impacted the voter turnout, and perhaps it didn’t, but what is more important here is the fact these PSAs even exist. Their sheer creation and attitude are a testament to both the urgency of the political situation and the perceived power of celebrity.

-Miranda