#WITHLOVE

A Case Study on HUMAN’s 2020 Cultural Campaign to Inspire Voting Through Empathy and Artistry

Overview

Amid the chaos of the 2020 U.S. election cycle—marked by a global pandemic, racial justice uprisings, and deepening political polarization—HUMAN launched #WithLove, a bold civic campaign designed to meet voters in a different frequency: empathy. Instead of fear-driven messaging or partisan division, #WithLove used music, visual art, and personal storytelling to inspire millions to engage with democracy through love, vulnerability, and connection.

Built as a collective of artists, musicians, designers, and cultural influencers, the campaign was not about telling people who to vote for—but why to vote at all. Whether it was grief, hope, rage, or care, #WithLove gave voice to the emotional truths that fuel participation, and used beauty as a vehicle to awaken civic engagement.

Challenge

Voter outreach efforts in 2020 were saturated with urgency but lacked emotional diversity. Much of the public—especially young voters and marginalized communities—felt alienated by traditional GOTV messaging that leaned heavily on fear, statistics, or policy jargon.

Objectives

• Reframe Voting as an Act of Love: Inspire civic participation through emotional connection, not fear or shame.
• Mobilize Cultural Influencers: Leverage the reach of artists, musicians, and creatives to make voting feel personal, expressive, and healing.
• Center Marginalized Voices: Elevate the emotional realities of those most impacted by political decisions—Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ communities.
• Create a Multi-Platform Ecosystem: Build a campaign that could live across social media, video, live events, digital tools, and street culture.

Creative Strategy

HUMAN’s Narrative Design™ methodology led to a storytelling framework centered on love as a radical civic act.

• Emotion-Led Messaging: Every post, video, and design began not with a political agenda—but with a human feeling.
• Cultural Fluency: Collaborations with beloved artists like Moses Sumney, Adeline, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, and activists like Paola Mendoza ensured authenticity and reach.
• Cross-Media Creativity: From short films and animations to downloadable posters and healing rituals, the campaign offered multiple entry points into participation.
• Digital + Grassroots Fusion: Designed for viral social engagement, but grounded in real-world community organizing and partnerships with local voter initiatives.

Campaign Elements

1. Short Films & Music Videos

• Original pieces like “Make a Plan” featuring Moses Sumney and “Reclaim Your Power” created evocative visual journeys through music and message.

2. Social Media Toolkit

• A vibrant campaign of downloadable art, animations, quotes, and voter guides that flooded Instagram feeds and Stories during early voting and election week.

3. Collaborative Posters & Street Art

• Distributed physical art drops in major cities with works from rising BIPOC artists—transforming public spaces into canvases of empowerment.

4. Digital Hub: withlove.vote

• A microsite offering tools to register, make a plan to vote, and explore stories of why people vote—with each page signed “With Love.”

5. Influencer + Partner Engagement

• Shared by cultural icons and aligned with grassroots partners like When We All Vote, Harness, and local organizers—amplifying reach in frontline communities.

Impact

Massive Organic Reach:

• Campaign content reached millions across platforms during the 2020 election cycle, with videos, songs, and artworks shared widely by celebrities and activists.

Emotional Engagement:

• Voters responded with personal stories, using the #WithLove tag to post their own reasons for voting—turning the campaign into a living archive of civic feeling.

Cultural Recognition:

• Recognized by outlets as one of the most emotionally intelligent and creatively distinct GOTV campaigns of 2020.

Movement Alignment:

• Served as a connective tissue between the cultural, artistic, and activist worlds—showing that political participation can be poetic, messy, and full of heart.

Outcome

#WithLove helped reshape the language of civic engagement. By inviting people to vote not out of fear, but out of feeling, the campaign marked a shift in how activism could look—and sound—in the 21st century. It became a template for empathy-first campaigns, rooted in cultural expression, community care, and deep emotional honesty.

‍