TORONTO (May 9, 2014) — For those who like to mix a little fantasy sports with their political prognosticating, Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has just launched an updated version of its popular interactive election predictor for the 2014 Ontario provincial election. The predictor puts your knowledge of Ontario provincial politics to the test by allowing you to see how voting outcomes will shift landscapes across the province.
“One of the inevitable aspects of any election campaign is debating with colleagues, friends and family about how the votes will be tallied and the election will play out,” says Cathy Worden, vice-president of public affairs at H+K. “Our predictor helps shift those conversations from the water cooler to your computer, tablet or smartphone. Not only can you run your own predictions in real time, the tool also allows you to easily share your forecast through social media or see how you stack up against leading political experts.”
The first of its kind in Canada, H+K first launched its predictor in 2004. In the years since, the tool has received widespread media coverage across Canada and helped attract thousands of visitors to the H+K website with every election. With several federal and provincial elections now under its virtual belt, the 2014 election predictor is the most robust yet in terms of interactivity. The redesigned site is now fully optimized for iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android devices, bringing new levels of portability and access to connected Canadians.
Other improvements for users include:
- An increased level of precision with the 2014 tool, ensuring predictions accurately reflect users’ opinions. Namely, users can now predict who will win in specific ridings, lock in these predictions and play the percentages in the other ridings
- The chance for users to add their own bite-sized political discourse now that each prediction comes equipped with a commentary panel
- Integrated social media shareability—easily broadcast your predictions through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
“Whether you’re looking to match your political savvy against the experts—or the guy in the next cubicle—the new election predictor is designed to be fun and interactive” says Corey Hogan, an H+K account director and one of the technical masterminds behind the predictor revamp. “We took a look at how the predictor was being used in the past and, across the board, aimed to broaden the experience and bring more insight to our tool overall. This is the first predictor to be fully mobile-optimized, which means you can test your skills and get that political fix no matter where you are. We’re excited to get it into the hands of passionate politicos and see what they think.”
The predictor will be available until the June 12, 2014—election day in Ontario. Follow H+K on Twitter or Facebook for more predictor news and updates.