Content Marketing Fires Up FairTax Support
Americans for Fair Taxation (AFFT) is an organization that believes the American tax system is broken. The group supports The FairTax Plan as the only tax plan that replaces the current income tax system with a simple, fair national consumption tax. The group has been promoting this concept since the mid-1990s and has aggregated an activist base of around 300,000 people nationwide.
With legislation pending in Congress to address FairTax, it is imperative for the group leaders to re-energize supporters and rally behind the adoption of FairTax legislation. To help do this AFFT produced a video designed to rekindle the “can-do” spirit of supporters and bring national attention to tax revolution and the FairTax as the only solution for the country.
How We Told the Story
Our goal was to bring national attention to the efficacy of The FairTax Plan and spark conversation about the new video. We started with a communications campaign that blended traditional media relations, social media and grassroots mobilization to activate AFFT’s strong supporters, attract the attention of new supporters using the video and educate American voters about the need for a tax revolution and The FairTax Plan.
Media Relations
Our pitch to the media detailed a public outcry for support from young voters between the ages of 18-29, over 1.7 million of whom have been unemployed for more than one year. We helped to further deliver this message through guest editorial articles in top-tier newspapers and business publications across the country including Chicago, Houston, and New Orleans.
Social Media
We built anticipation for the video and its message by promoting the launch date with AFFT’s online following via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube. To continue interest and momentum, we shared facts on taxation and The FairTax Plan to post online for weeks after the video went live. We monitored and generated online conversation surrounding the FairTax issue and the upcoming election, using these conversations to spread information and support for the FairTax bill in Congress.
Grassroots Mobilization
Much of the campaign depended on efforts to empower current FairTax supporters so they might rally around the video and share its message among their constituents and regional networks. Supporters were invited to a live, online launch party to watch the video and hear from AFFT leaders a day before it went live on YouTube and www.fairtax.org. Many regional leaders participated in an online spokesperson and message training, which we led, to confidently deliver FairTax talking points and approach media in their cities. Further, we created a portfolio of media resources for grassroots teams that included talking points, facts and statistics, interview tips and even sample tweets.
The Result
Within two months, “FairTax: Fire Up Our Economic Engine” received over 85,000 views, 1,222 likes and 840 comments on YouTube (as of Oct. 31, 2012). On Facebook, AFFT grew to over 104,000 likes (as of Oct. 31, 2012). The PR team secured print and online coverage in the Dallas Morning News, WSJ.com, Houston Chronicle and Crain’s Chicago Business.