Timothy Blotz

The presidential race has made the turn into its final lap. Both the Donald Trump and Joe Biden campaigns have spent millions to connect with voters and stake out their policies and political agenda. But in the end, voters will make their decisions on something less tangible, but perhaps more powerful. “Voters make their decision on how they make them feel,” said marketing executive Jason Voiovich. Decades of research back him up.

For the past three months of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors, epidemiologists and government leaders across the globe have tried to preach the necessity of social distancing. The State of Ohio just did it in thirty seconds. The Ohio Department of Health and Dayton marketing agency Real Art are using a ping-pong ball and mousetraps to send a striking message about how this virus spreads and the effectiveness of staying apart and flattening the infection curve.

From the time we were in middle school, adults pressured us not to be pressured by peer pressure. But in the midst of a public health crisis, peer pressure has become among the main communications strategies from government leaders and social media influencers in slowing the COVID-19 contagion. The message: save lives—stay home. Among the social media stars jumping on board is actress Emma Watson.