Homes are always at the top of our agenda.

Will they be for Rishi and Keir in tonight’s election debate?

This is the question posed in a press ad from the UK’s biggest property website Rightmove, ahead of tonight's head-to-head debate on ITV.

The press ad is part of a campaign from the brand to ensure that both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer asking them to make housing a key topic to focus on.

Placements appear in today’s Sun and Daily Mirror, while social messages will run across Instagram. Creative is by Neverland, and media buying by Wavemaker.

The campaign is also being backed up with practical support for consumers who will also be able to submit housing questions to Rightmove’s housing experts to answer on its platform this week. 

Rightmove’s CMO Matt Bushby, explained: “We’re using key national placements to try and encourage more conversation around housing on the campaign trail, starting with the high-profile debate tonight. Headlines about housing have been scarce so far, so we want to help agents and home-movers hear more about what could come down the line.

He continued: “We’ve also outlined some of the key priorities that home-movers, agents and our experts want to see from the next government. We’re pushing for long term solutions rather than short-term schemes, to help give more people the belief that they can make their move. Our suggestions include more support for first-time buyers, reforming the stamp duty system, speeding up house-building through a smoother planning process, and more green incentives for home-owners and landlords.”

Historically political advertising is often viewed as a separate game from other industries. Yet as this campaign underlines the trends and issues both set and ignored by campaigns ripple into the rest of the marketing ecosystems.

Brands that hope to shape and influence culture increasingly recognise that showing consumers that they are on their side means having a voice during an election cycle. A moment in the marketing calendar where historically brands have placed their marketing plans on pause. 

Yet as this campaign underlines, cultural relevancy demands being part of the conversation, rather than placing your marketing plans on mute.