Arizona Cardinals seek stadium in anti-tax Maricopa County
Problem:
Voters in the suburb of Mesa had previously rejected taxing themselves for a package, which included a new stadium for the Cardinals. In the fast-growing Phoenix area, the strength of the economy negated typically the most effective pro-stadium message -- economic growth and revitalization.
What we did:
Our research showed the best chance to win voter approval of the project was to link the stadium project into a larger package of improvements including community recreation facilities and youth sports fields.
This strategy accomplished two important goals. First, it created a grassroots network of parents who were willing to work for new fields and parks. Second, we appealed to older voters (always the most skeptical group for a stadium) who were concerned about gangs and youth violence and saw this as a way of giving kids something positive to do.
The Result:
The referendum passed 52%-48%
This campaign reinforced one of the key "lessons learned" of initiative campaigns: As much time and effort should be spent in designing the package as in figuring out how to sell it to the voters.
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