RYOBI® SPOT CLEANER STANDS FOR MAYOR OF STAINES

Meet Swifty; the spot cleaner running to take ‘Take Care of Staines’ during local elections

Coinciding with the Spelthorne local elections, McCann’s latest campaign with RYOBI® is reimagining what it means to run a clean campaign focused on community action.

McCann Birmingham has launched a UK-first integrated campaign for RYOBI® that reimagines a local election as a platform for action. Introducing Swifty, not a spokesperson, mascot or character, actually a RYOBI® spot cleaner, who is standing as an independent “candidate” in the upcoming Spelthorne local elections on 7^th May 2026 and running on a platform of ‘Taking Care of Staines.’

With no speeches, Swifty’s campaign flips political theatre on its head by focusing on something refreshingly simple: showing up and cleaning up. Swifty’s manifesto is built around doing something useful and supporting the people and community groups already working hard to keep Staines clean, cared for and connected.

Designed as an earned-first idea, ‘Taking Care of Staines’ blends a local Mayoral campaign with local activation, PR and social storytelling, using humour and cultural relevance to make a serious point: sometimes the most effective brand behaviour isn’t taking a side, but taking responsibility. Rather than campaigning for votes, Swifty’s entire platform is built around helping existing community groups access cleaning tools and products and support from Swifty’s dedicated RYOBI® cleaning squad. 

Throughout the election period, the Swifty clean squad will be on the ground across Staines – quite literally – delivering free cleaning tools and support to the incredible charities, volunteers, community groups and local projects that are already doing important work across Staines. From freshening up community spaces to cleaning halls, public areas, and gardens, every organisation visited keeps the RYOBI® tools after the job is done. No forms, no lengthy approvals, and no strings attached.

The idea was inspired by the scale of grassroots activity in the area, including litter-picking groups and volunteer-led clean-up initiatives, and reflects McCann’s belief in the power of creating work that plays a meaningful role in communities and earning attention by doing something useful in the real world.

Ben Fogg, Swifty’s Campaign Manager, said: “We were inspired by seeing the amazing work of the Spelthorne (Staines) Litter Pickers and wondered if we might be able to do our bit. We have the tools and the manpower to help with any cleaning or tidying project – inside and out. Just get in touch.”

Tom Leather, Director at RYOBI®, added: “We’re based just 20 minutes up the road, so we’re neighbours really. When we heard about all the great community and clean-up initiatives in Staines we wondered if we could help. That’s what neighbours do isn’t it? Lend each other tools and an extra pair of hands!”

Throughout the campaign, Swifty will appear at community projects, local events and shared spaces, campaigning not with leaflets or placards, but armed with a flexible hose, powerful suction and a full set of attachments to suit the job in hand to get stuck in.

Adam Bodfish, Executive Creative Director at McCann Birmingham, said: “Local elections are one of the few moments when attention naturally turns to community, responsibility, and participation – and we wanted to focus on this cleaner approach rather that the ‘dirty politics’ we often see nowadays. Swifty isn’t about commentary – it’s about action; showing up, helping out, and championing the people who are already doing the work that keeps the town running.”

The campaign’s emphasis on sharing resources, rather than owning attention, also mirrors RYOBI®’s ONE+™ system, which uses one battery to power over 200 tools for the home and garden and by leaving the tools with the community groups Swifty supports, RYOBI® is ensuring that the support offered continues long after the election results are announced. 

Although Swifty is not affiliated with any political party or campaign, it does want to remind residents of the importance of civic participation and is encouraging everyone in Staines to turn out to vote. RYOBI®’s Swifty activation will run across OOH, social, radio and more until the Spelthorne election on Thursday 7^th May. 

Whatever the outcome, Swifty’s campaign is about one thing: showing up and taking care of Staines. Find out more at swiftyforstains.com

Source: McCann Birmingham

  Advertising, Campaign, Marketing, McCann, McCann Birmingham, RYOBI, UK