Ryobi and McCann Birmingham are extending one of the year’s stranger brand campaigns into documentary territory.
The pair have released the first trailer for Swifty for Mayor, a film chronicling the real-world campaign in which Swifty, a Ryobi spot cleaner, stood as an independent candidate in local elections in Staines, 17 miles west of London.
The campaign, titled “Taking Care of Staines,” turned the usual political playbook on its head. Rather than promising sweeping change, Swifty’s platform focused on something more literal: showing up, cleaning up, and supporting the people already working to care for the town.
Over the course of the campaign, Swifty’s Ryobi clean squad moved across Staines, offering free cleaning support to charities and community groups, freshening public spaces and leaving behind the tools they used. OOH, radio, PR, TV interviews and geotargeted media supported the effort.
The documentary follows the campaign from launch through election day, capturing the volunteers behind it, local reaction and the absurdity of seeing a power tool treated like a genuine political candidate. Watch below:
McCann says the idea stemmed from Ryobi’s proximity to Staines. The brand is based less than 20 minutes away, allowing the campaign to frame the town as a neighbor rather than simply a media market.
“The truth is that people in Staines were bored of politics and looking for something new,” said Adam Bodfish, executive creative director at McCann Birmingham. “We took that truth and instead of the ‘dirty politics’ we often see, we tried a different approach — and were honest enough to let the cameras follow it all the way to polling day.”
Ryobi director Tom Leather added: “RYOBI is based 20 minutes up the road from Staines, so we consider them our neighbors and wanted to help. It’s quite normal to lend your neighbours your tools, in this case, we’ve done just that on an epic scale.”
Comedian Ben Fogg directed the film, and Shaven Ape produced it. Fogg followed the campaign across the three-month election period, even continuing after breaking his arm during production.
The campaign itself was designed as both a product demonstration and a piece of brand behavior. Swifty’s cleaning activity let Ryobi show the spot cleaner in action while tying the work to a broader community-service message.
That balance between absurdity and usefulness is what gives the idea its appeal. The joke is obvious – a spot cleaner running for mayor – but the campaign only works because Ryobi actually did something tangible while making it.
The teaser is live now on Ryobi’s YouTube channels. The full documentary will premiere in November, with additional release details still to come.
Can. Not. Wait.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on LinkedIn.
