Dive Brief:

• Ancestry.com is celebrating International Women's Day by looking back at the history of women's suffrage in a new digital effort and TV spot, according to press materials shared with Marketing Dive.
• The "Make them Count" ad focuses on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which occurs on Aug. 26, and calls on consumers to "discover [their] connection to the women who shaped history." The campaign landing page features a number of articles on the history of women's voting rights, as well as a sign-up form for consumers to try out the site and find their connections to this historic event.​
• As part of the campaign, Ancestry made thousands of records available for free to help people trace their family's lineage and connection to early women's rights efforts.

Dive Insight:

Ancestry is connecting its family tree-building services with the 100-year anniversary of women's suffrage as a way to help people tie their personal family narratives to this historic event. By providing historical interest and content about the history of women winning the right to vote, the site could draw in potential new users for free services. Once they begin diving into Ancestry's resources, these consumers may be compelled to register for a paid account in the process.

This election year is predicted to see unprecedented voter turnout across the board, and women are projected to make up to 70% of overall voter turnout, according to a Brookings Institute study cited by Ancestry. The campaign looks to tap into this interest among female voters, especially as some question how the last major female candidate recently dropped out of the U.S. presidential race.

Last year, Ancestry worked with ad agency Anomaly on an integrated campaign that depicted several historical tales, including an interracial couple looking to go to Canada from the U.S.; a family leaving Ireland during the potato famine; and a young man with medical issues looking to join the military during World War I, Ad Age reported. As with its latest campaign, these efforts aim to trace modern day conversations to their historical roots as a means to get people curious about their personal family histories and potentially register for Ancestry's online lineage services.