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Proposition 87 was a controversial California ballot initiative that would have created a potentially harmful $4 billion tax on oil produced in the state, therefore attracting a great deal of attention from business, environmental and political interests, including Al Gore and Bill Clinton. In May of 2006, Adfero was engaged by the advocacy group Californians Against Higher Taxes (CAHT) to design a major online program to oppose “Proposition 87.”
Through the e.matching of key voter files, Adfero was able to create targeted lists of California voters with email addresses, combining them with coalition network lists to effectively spread the organization’s message. Through various advocacy techniques, Adfero also developed a sizable opt-in subscriber list in support of the campaign.
In addition to its email program, the campaign maintained a strong web presence on key California web sites and blogs, delivering advertising impressions through a program that combined targeted online banner advertising, blog advertising pre-roll advertising, and paid search word advertising.
Adfero’s interactive campaign on behalf of CAHT included the creation of “A Recipe for Waste,” a humorous online animation that earned media attention and attracted over 20,000 YouTube viewers in less than two weeks.
The proposition was soundly defeated in November 2006. A combined total of over $153 million was spent on the initiative by both sides, making Proposition 87 one of the largest ballot initiatives in history. While the online elements developed by the Adfero Group were a small part of the overall budget, they had a disproportionately large impact on the campaign, with numerous Californians reporting that they had taken notice of the online effort. |
The Challenge
