In a time when the country is so divided and political--it’s easy to forget about what young people really care about and what’s important. Society tries to find ways to put these youth in a box, and we wanted a way to help them fight against the labels society tries to force upon them. Elevate them, and listen to what they have to say beyond just asking them to vote.

Youth have strong opinions about the current state of the country, but they needed a way to express it. So, inspired by hip-hop, we birthed a movement of self-expression entitled Get Vocal. The Get Vocal campaign served as a call to action aimed at increasing the voices of young African Americans by encouraging them to speak out about issues that matter to them.

As African American youth feel the impact of today’s political climate, they are increasingly engaged in conversation, asking tough questions and forming their own opinions. While they do have the potential to be a powerful force of change, African American teens don’t feel like their individual voices matter.

To show teens the power of their collective voice, Sprite returned to the genre that has continually ignited conversation around social issues and provoked change— hip-hop. By leveraging freestyle rap, Sprite could inspire youth to express themselves freely while providing a platform that could amplify their perspectives.

The execution was simple: Using the #GETVOCAL on social, youth were offered the chance to record and share their own unique 60-second cyphers on a custom beat made by Izze The Producer. The campaign, launched around the midterm elections, garnered plenty of user interaction. Teens poured in with a variety of submissions on issues such as police brutality, racism, politics, the minimum wage, as well as on positive subjects, including optimism, mentorship, and female empowerment.

Get Vocal garnered 27,200,000 impressions, 2235 unique mentions, and led to a 135% increase in Sprite followers and mentions.