Poll position

London – Why have a phone-in vote when you can do the real thing? asks Channel 4, as it prepares to close E4 for the general election.

• E4 reaches 8.7m 16–34-year-olds every month
• Schedule will be suspended from 7:00am, when polls open, until 7:00pm, although polling closes at 10:00pm

UK – On 7 May, as millions flock to polling stations around the country, E4 hopes its shock and awe tactic will encourage even the laziest of couch potatoes to cast their vote. ‘Fewer than half of under-25s voted at the last election, so we’ve engaged the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to try and boost that number – switching off their favourite tv channel for the day,’ says Channel 4 chief marketing and communications officer Dan Brooke.

The Big Picture: Brands are responding to the tumultuous political landscape by taking a stronger stand and jumping off the fence. Read our Brandstanding microtrend for more.