In a time when new election controversies seem to come out daily and members of all political parties throw out derogatory terms, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is launching a social media and mobile video campaign to take back the word ?circus? to its original meaning.

Ringling Bros.? Take Back the Circus campaign is making use of mobile video, social media and a mobile-optimized microsite to reclaim the word circus back to its rightful place, rather than as a descriptor for the 2016 presidential election.

We know that when moms hear about our shows on TV and radio, the first thing they do is search," said Tim Hinz, director of digital marketing at Ringling Bros. "Today, 70 percent of our website traffic comes from mobile devices.  

"We also recently launched a Ringling Bros. mobile app (Ringling.com/app) to enhance the in-show experience and drive social amplification during our shows."

The political circus

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is taking advantage of the daily controversies and growing weariness of the American people with the election process ? which has now gone on for well over a year.

The storied circus brand is taking umbrage with the use of the terms circus and clown to describe this year?s election and the participants, saying that it devalues the true meaning of the words. To fix this, Ringling Bros. is launching a social media and video campaign with an accompanying microsite to Take Back the Circus and insist that media outlets stop calling this election a circus.

Along the way, consumers are encouraged to come see a real circus at a Ringling Bros? event, as well as share the promoted hashtag #TakeBackTheCircus.

To support the campaign, Ringling Bros. will be debuting video content comparing ?clowns? in political circles to real clowns and other such comparisons. The video content will be hosted on the brand?s social media pages as well as on a dedicated mobile-optimized microsite at ringling.com/TakeBackTheCircus.

The microsite will be updated with new video content in the weeks leading up to the election on November 8. Over the course of the campaign, Ringling Bros. is reworking its slogan of ?The Greatest Show on Earth? to be the greatest show on earth that is not political.

Taking it back
As the election season has dragged on, many Americans have become increasingly worn down by the constant stream of negativity and controversy. Brands face the difficult position of wanting to capitalize on something as attention-grabbing and newsworthy as the election without adding to the weariness that is affecting many of voters.

Most have done so by framing their campaigns as a neutral, lighthearted alternative to the dreariness of real-life election politics. StarKist Tuna ran such a campaign, encouraging users to nominate a vice-president to be a running mate for the brand?s mascot, Charlie the Tuna (see story).

The campaign offered an alternative to election-season doldrums while still remaining timely and relevant.

Other brands have appealed more directly to the partisanship that has consumed the election process this year. Seven-Eleven ran a campaign in which customers could purchase one of two specially branded cups labeled Democrat in blue or Republican in red (see story).

Ringling Bros. is opting for the former route, outright rejecting the seriousness of this year?s campaign in favor of an apolitical campaign and encouraging users to share and interact with the brand through social media.

"A high percentage of the shares and engagement happens on mobile, which drives the overall reach and thus success via brand awareness," Mr. Hinz said. "That awareness can then lead ultimately to a ticket purchase, which occurs mostly on desktop.  

"So one platform drives the other."