Discovery
In the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as candidates shaped their platforms on national security and foreign policy, One Sun Media identified a critical blind spot in the public discourse: the threat posed by Cuba’s authoritarian regime to U.S. national interests. With growing concerns over unchecked migration, Havana’s alliances with hostile foreign powers, and the ongoing repression of civil society, the urgency to place Cuba back on the political radar was clear. One Sun Media responded by launching a strategic awareness campaign aimed at sparking dialogue among presidential hopefuls and their constituents through the most potent platforms of the era—Facebook, Twitter, email, and paid media.
Branding
Expertise
The campaign combined striking visual storytelling with a data-informed targeting strategy. Each image featured a side-by-side composition: the face of a presidential candidate juxtaposed with a stark representation of a Cuban crisis—whether mass migration at sea, state-led violence against dissidents, or Cuba’s entanglement with adversarial regimes. Each post paraphrased the candidate’s signature campaign slogan, weaving their core message into a call to recognize Cuba’s rising threat. One Sun Media led every aspect of execution, from concept to delivery—writing all copy for social media posts and email campaigns, producing graphics, and building an ad set tailored for Meta Ads. The campaign was geographically targeted to key political battlegrounds and cities with significant Cuban-American populations, ensuring relevance and high resonance.
Social Images
Quantification
The campaign delivered tangible and sustained impact. Engagement across platforms grew by 84% month over month, a surge driven by the visually-driven, slogan-adapted creative and strategic message targeting. High-profile engagement from political figures and media outlets amplified visibility beyond the digital space, drawing press attention and elevating Cuba as a national security issue in the 2016 election cycle. The effort not only inserted a neglected topic into the political conversation—it also demonstrated how smart design and message alignment can bridge policy urgency with voter sentiment in the digital age.
