Bonds

– Integrated Campaign

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Situation

RLF was engaged by a private committee to develop and execute a campaign that urged voter support of the 2016 City of Greensboro bond referendum. The bond referendum included four individual bonds that totaled $126 million: $28 million for transportation; $38.5 million for community and economic development; $25 million for housing; and $34.5 million for parks and recreation.

Strategy

Through preliminary research, RLF found that the four bonds were well below majority approval, with the parks and recreation bond receiving the least support. The “Yes 4 Greensboro Bonds” campaign was then created to inform voters about the benefits of the bonds to current and future residents, and the positive impact the bonds would have on the entire community. RLF developed key messaging that honed in on the bonds’ ability to provide critical improvements to Greensboro’s infrastructure and quality of life, which was consistent in all campaign collateral and promotional efforts. Over the course of 12 weeks, RLF implemented a strategy that combined paid advertising, public relations, thought leadership, social media and grassroots outreach to disseminate information about the bonds and promote their passage.

Results

The “Yes 4 Greensboro Bonds” campaign proved to be a success, with all four bonds passing by an overwhelming majority – transportation with 72% approval; community and economic development with 70%; housing with 68%; and parks and recreation with 71%.