Inspiring Europeans with real stories of democracy

The European elections (EE24) are a unique opportunity for EU citizens to shape the direction of Europe’s future. Two European Parliament (EP) communication campaigns—the non-partisan Go-to-vote campaign, and Together.eu (a pan-European community of citizens, civil society groups and organizations)—aim to remind citizens of the value of democracy.

ICF Next was asked by the EP’s DG COMM Directorate for Campaigns, Concept and Design Unit to produce two inspirational, awareness-raising films as we approach the elections.

Challenge

The brief for the Together.eu film was to create emotionally resonant and shareable content for the campaign. We were asked to highlight the strength of collective action and the value of democracy, conveying a universal message about togetherness and empowerment, while positioning the EP as a champion of democracy. The film needed to speak poetically yet realistically, engaging through its authenticity. It should inspire viewers, depicting everyday moments where people, regardless of background or age, play a vital role in shaping democracy's future.

For the Go-to-vote campaign, the film needed to inform and engage as many citizens as possible. It had to capture attention and spark curiosity and excitement, initiating conversations about voting. The target audience was those who were at risk of not voting, totaling 53 million individuals across the 27 EU Member States.

Solution

For both films, we knew that only an authentic film style would truly resonate.

For the concept and execution of the Together.eu film, we worked with director Sidney Van Wichelen who chose to film real people in everyday situations and locations, while leaving room for spontaneity. We made the film accessible in the 24 EU languages, as well as using subtitles.

For the Go-to-vote film, we collaborated with the Danish creative agency &Co and director Mette Carla Albrechtsen on scriptwriting, storyboarding, director scouting, filming, and editing. We made the film available in the 24 EU languages and 10 additional regional languages (Galician, Valencian, Basque, Catalan, Swedish with Finnish-Swedish accent, German with Austrian tonality, Luxembourgish, Flemish, Gaelic, and Turkish).

The Go-to-vote film also uses Interntional Sign Language to emphasize the importance of voting to prevent others from making decisions for you. The tone is accessible, authentic, and focused on people—reinforcing the value of democracy through personal stories.

Results

We delivered 162 assets for the Together.eu film, including 90-second and 30-second film versions, along with various social media adaptations in different screen sizes. We used the film to create significant engagement across a wide demographic, and with women in particular. The paid media campaign, focusing on video views and traffic, targeted politically interested adults ages 18 to 44 across 27 Member States. The campaign assets received 474,636 clicks, 13,685,609 completed views, and reached 99,225,513 impressions across Meta, YouTube, and Teads over a period of four weeks.

For the Go-to-vote film we produced a short 4’ documentary and associated materials in 34 languages. This included non-lip-sync dubbing, subtitling, audio description, and international sign language interpretation to ensure accessibility across diverse audiences. We also created, a 30-second video, six 15-second videos, a 6-second video, 10 frame grabs, still portraits, and a 20-second radio spot. The film launched in late April, so results are currently limited. However, the aim was to make the content inclusive and comprehensible to a wide range of viewers—enhancing its impact and reach.