TOP guy’s take on the ‘orange guy’
A late entry to the Mt Roskill electorate race says a long running Electoral Commission marketing campaign is ‘‘emblematic of the broader issues behind voter inertia’’.
The Electoral Commission rolled out the Orange Guy campaign eight years ago to try and appeal to young voters and remind people about enrolling.
The Opportunities Party (TOP) Mt Roskill candidate Clint Ulyatt said he had more than 20-years of advertising experience, including work on the National Party campaign in 2008. He said the Orange Guy needed more investment to become relevant again.
‘‘Orange Guy is really emblematic of the broader issues behind voter inertia,’’ Ulyatt said.
Things had changed since Orange Guy was first launched, he said.
‘‘A decade is a long time in the digital age, and it’s no surprise that Orange Guy’s relevance has been left behind in a bygone age.’’
He wanted to play an role in getting people interested in voting, which would include rethinking electorates so they reflect their constituents
‘‘People are just not being engaged and informed in the ways they should be.’’
Questions around the orange guy’s relevance were raised in August when 20-year-old Tayla Wright, student of the AUT art and design school, said she didn’t hate it but it didn’t motivate her to vote.
‘‘I feel like the orange man is outdated and doesn’t represent anything,’’ Wright said.
When the Orange Guy first hit screens he was dynamic and engaging, but animation had since moved on, Ulyatt said.
Ulyatt was also a late addition to the Mt Roskill electorate race, putting his hand up four weeks from the election.
Earlier in the year, there was talk TOP wouldn’t have a candidate in any of the electorates, he said.
When asked how he rated his chances in Mt Roskill, a traditional Labour stronghold currently held by incumbent Michael Wood, Ulyatt said his mission was more to introduce ‘‘fresh thinking’’ to the area, rather than win votes.
‘‘I’m signalling an entry to politics in the area and an intent. It’s about shifting the goalposts,’’ he said. Ulyatt is number 15 on the list, meaning TOP would need 10 per cent of the vote in order for him to get into Parliament.