WhatsApp: The Last Horoscope
Walter Mercado’s archive guides Latino voters to reliable election information.
For the 2020 US election, WhatsApp used archival footage of astrologer Walter Mercado to encourage Latino voters to take part. His family supported the use of his voice and image. The films adapted the familiar horoscope format into a message about people’s ability to shape their future through voting.
The campaign, also called The Power Is in Your Hands, directed viewers to WhatsApp bots from Vote.org and the International Fact-Checking Network. These offered voting information and help checking claims.
My contribution
I led central media planning for the wider US elections initiative, including the Vote.org and FactChat campaign. As the approach changed, I worked with media and research partners to revise audience estimates and plan scenarios, and with the product team to understand what was possible within WhatsApp.
My role was to make those choices clear: who we could reach, what each change meant for the plan, and what the team needed to deliver it. That work informed the final election campaign approach and helped bring useful voting and fact-checking resources to WhatsApp users.
Campaign case film
From the film to voter information
The creative team assembled a film for each zodiac sign from Mercado’s archive. The One Club’s campaign entry includes additional video examples and production credits.
The destination was a bilingual service people could use inside WhatsApp. It answered common voting questions and linked to Vote.org’s tools to complete tasks outside the chat. Turn.io’s account describes the service design and identifies the Walter Mercado campaign as a major source of traffic in 2020. IFCN’s FactChat page explains the separate English and Spanish fact-checking service.
Campaign recognition
- The One Show 2021: two Merit Awards, in Creative Use of Data / Targeting and Direct Marketing / Data-Driven Personalization.
- London International Awards 2021: three finalist entries in Creative Use of Data, covering Data Collection and Research, Data-Led Creativity, and Data-Led Targeting.
Coverage and further reading
- Telemundo — a television news segment about the Walter Mercado campaign, aired in September 2020.
- El Nuevo Herald — launch reporting on the family’s involvement and the connection to Vote.org.
Sources and credits
The One Club’s entry credits GUT, WhatsApp, and Unicorns & Unicorns. Its 2021 award date refers to recognition of work made for the 2020 election.