Tag Archive for: Campaign Management

Driving a Ballot Reform Measure to Success

Yes on 129: Make it Simple, Arizona:

Driving a ballot reform measure to success

Overview



Proposition 129: Make it Simple, Arizona was a ballot measure in 2022 that aimed to ensure all future ballot measures in Arizona would consist of a single subject. Pac/West Strategies was retained by the Yes on 129 coalition to conduct public opinion polling, and subsequently build a marketing campaign to grow support for the proposition.

Multi-subject ballot measures can be used by lawmakers to bait voters into voting for policies which may be unpopular by packaging them into measures containing more favorable policies. A strong coalition led by Arizona Farm Bureau, Arizona Pork Council, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, and National Pork Producers Council, came together to run the yes campaign—Make it Simple, Arizona—to support Proposition 129.

Our Work


Pac/West Strategies worked to bring in a team uniquely suited to tackle the challenges of pushing a ballot measure over the finish line with less than three months of runway. In mid-September, a ballot measure committee was formed to advocate for the passage of Proposition 129.

Pac/West Strategies conducted public opinion research to establish a baseline of support and used those findings to inform the subsequent media outreach campaign. The campaign included the construction of media infrastructure (website, social media) and the execution of message dissemination (digital ad spends, broadcast media buys). From there, the campaign launched external infrastructure, including:

  • Flagship website for news and donations
  • Portfolio of social media accounts
  • Digital advertising campaigns
  • Broadcast media buys

The advertising campaign was managed by the Pac/West Strategies communications team, and all aspects of the project, from initial strategy to content creation to media buys, were completed in-house at Pac/West Strategies. The campaign proved successful, with Proposition 129 passing comfortably—55% Yes to 45% No.


Social media post for voter outreach




30 Sec Video Advertisement




Digital advertisement for voter outreach

Defeating a Harmful Tax Reform Ballot Measure

Know the Consequences: No on CI-121:

Defeating a harmful tax reform ballot measure

Overview



Know the Consequences: No on CI-121 was an opposition campaign formed in response to CI-121, a citizen-led ballot initiative aimed to cap property taxes for homeowners in Montana. While the intent of CI-121 was to reduce tax burdens on homeowners’, the impacts of such a policy would have had crippling effects on Montana’s economy for years to come.

The Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) and Montana Association of REALTORS (MAR) anchored a coalition of organizations against CI-121 and retained Pac/West Strategies and its signature collection expert, Black Diamond Outreach (BDO), for oversight and implementation of the opposition campaign.

Our Work


Pac/West Strategies worked with stakeholders to incorporate ideas and align objectives to inform the development of the opposition campaign, which was coined Know the Consequences: No on CI-121. The coalition, led by Pac/West Strategies, moved quickly to erect campaign infrastructure and establish the campaign’s Executive and Steering Committees. Pac/West Strategies then deployed an action plan to prevent CI-121 from qualifying for the ballot, known as Phase 1: Decline to Sign, which consisted of:

  • Developing necessary communications tools, including a website and social media
  • Deploying robust multi-channel outreach campaign to Montanans about the dangers of CI-121
  • Tracking opposition activities towards qualifying CI-121 for the ballot
  • Forecasting strategy for potential Phase 2: Fall Campaign, if necessary

The success of the Phase 1 action plan was palpable. The coalition to oppose CI-121 grew, and public sentiment against the proposed measure followed suit. Deterred by the tremendous wave of public opposition, CI-121 proponents opted not to mobilize paid circulators. Their website and social media presence dropped off throughout the spring, and the signature collection deadline came and went without incident.

The Know the Consequences campaign declared victory in June prior to the November election, and CI-121 proponent Matthew Monforton admitted defeat shortly thereafter. By keeping CI-121 from qualifying for the ballot, Pac/West Strategies delivered a win ahead of schedule and saved the Know the Consequences Coalition hundreds of thousands in potential spending on a fall voter outreach campaign.



“Pac/West Strategies coordinated the most diverse Montana ballot issue campaign coalition in recent memory with careful thought and expertise. We selected Pac/West based on their background in keeping measures off the ballot and effectively coordinating coalitions of groups. Pac/West delivered on both ¬— in a big way. The Pac/West team went above and beyond to prove that they were the right choice to manage our campaign. They seamlessly coordinated all aspects of our fight — from social media and digital ads to radio spots, media relations and campaign planning and budgeting. We needed a team of pros — and they were just that.”



“From day one, Pac/West Strategies was professional, efficient, and aggressive in ensuring success for our campaign. They helped us engage organizations from across Montana to be part of the coalition against CI-121. They successfully developed and implemented a successful multi-faceted Decline to Sign campaign. This was no small feat considering the wide political spectrum of the coalition members, but the Pac/West Strategies team remained neutral leaders that everyone could trust.”


Front and back side of rack card




Social media post for CI-121 voter outreach




Digital advertisement

Increasing Awareness for the New Mexico Agriculture Industry

New Mexico Agriculture:

Increasing Awareness for the New Mexico Agriculture Industry

Overview

Link to: Strategic Communications


Strategic Communications

Link to: Campaign Management


Campaign Management

New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau (NMFLB) saw the need to increase awareness and favorability of agriculture in the state. They turned to Pac/West Strategies to develop and implement a statewide messaging program focused on increasing awareness and understanding of the New Mexico agriculture industry. To accomplish this, Pac/West Strategies successfully established the brand, New Mexico Agriculture, a statewide brand that captures their diverse agriculture network and strategically presents it to our target audience. It has since been sustained through proactive messaging, digital engagement, and targeted outreach.

The Campaign


From the beginning of the New Mexico Agriculture program, our aim has been to increase awareness among New Mexicans about their state’s agriculture industry. Through increased awareness and understanding of issues facing the industry, public support of agriculture has continued to increase among our target audience.

As with all our projects, New Mexico Agriculture began with research. Working closely with NMFLB leadership, Pac/West Strategies commissioned a public opinion survey that determined there was need for statewide broad-based messaging regarding New Mexico’s agriculture industry. Armed with information, including key messages on different aspects of the industry, the Pac/West Strategies team went to work and developed New Mexico Agriculture as the brand for a statewide, targeted comprehensive messaging program.

This program has been all-encompassing, primarily focusing on digital advertising through social media as well as targeted event outreach throughout the state. In addition, New Mexico Agriculture has a fully maintained, up-to-date website. Based on our success so far, the scope of work is expanding to include television advertising.

An ongoing public outreach and messaging campaign is a proven way to drive awareness and understanding on complex issues, such as agriculture. This sustained, multi-year messaging program has seen tremendous reach across New Mexico and continues to help shape a positive narrative around the local agriculture industry.



“Pac/West Strategies has led our effort for New Mexico Agriculture from the beginning. Their ability to manage a wide-reaching program to showcase the positive aspects of agriculture in New Mexico is a testament to their capability  to develop and implement a multi-faceted communications and outreach program.  We appreciate the work Pac/West Strategies has put into New Mexico Agriculture and the team achieving the success the program has seen to date.”


Graphic designed for New Mexico Agriculture social media engagement. Click here to see more.