A vehicle registration fee measure was on the ballot for voters in Ada County, Idaho, on November 6, 2018. The funds generated by the proposed fee increase, matched with impact fees from development, would underwrite projects to reduce traffic congestion, build neighborhood-level improvements, and improve safety and walkability of routes to schools—all viewed as critical to keeping pace with growth demands.

The campaign faced an additional challenge in that the official language used in the ballot measure was criticized as being confusing to some voters.

Our multi-channel approach to supporting the campaign included:

• A web video with clear, concise language that pushed a call to action in the first 10 seconds.

• Leveraging sophisticated targeting strategies to identify voters online who likely supported the issue.

• Targeting these voters through multiple online channels.

• Supplementing online communications with mail and phone channels.

The web video served as a supporting media tool designed to reach voters on tablets and cell phones using iconic graphics and dynamic animation to catch and hold the viewers’ attention while delivering the campaign’s message. In clear, concise language, the video spells out the benefits of saying yes to the ballot measure while helping to clarify the verbiage used in the ballot so that voters had a clearer understanding of the issue and the solution.

We generated two rounds of phone calls and produced two mail pieces, web and pre-roll video, and online ads that delivered 1,657,089 impressions from October 11 to November 6.

Despite the ballot measure being defeated, it garnered 46.6% of the vote and helped generate much-needed local awareness of leveraging vehicle registration fees as an option for funding public safety and community improvement measures.