Strategic Assessment & Planning
Initial Campaign Assessments
Winner & Mandabach uses a methodical process for assessing the chances for success of a potential or existing ballot measure campaign and determining the strategic options available for victory. These detailed assessments allow the firm’s clients to make informed decisions before committing funds for a campaign and provide a strong foundation to increase the chances of winning if a campaign is necessary or recommended.
Measure Design
W&M provides in-depth guidance on designing ballot measures that will achieve the clients’ objectives and have the maximum potential to be approved by voters. The firm’s close involvement in designing ballot measures has been a major factor in the firm’s unparalleled success in winning “YES” campaigns.
Strategic Campaign Planning
W&M employs a rigorous process for developing Campaign Plans, budgets, and timetables addressing all aspects of ballot measure campaigns, including framing and message strategies, paid communications, earned media, digital/social media, and grassroots activities.
Issue Management
Many industries require long- and short-term issue management services to assess and plan for public policy matters. In addition to working in the ballot measure field, W&M works with clients to address key challenges they’re facing or may face – be those in legislative, regulatory, or legal arenas.
Campaign Management
W&M serves in various roles in ballot measure campaigns, ranging from overall management of all campaign staff and activities to a more focused consulting role in strategy and paid media. The firm’s approach involves working collaboratively with clients and the campaign team in a given state or locality to combine the firm’s unique ballot measure experience with local knowledge and relationships.
Earned Media, Grassroots, and Fundraising Activities
The firm develops strategies and plans for earned media, third-party recruitment, field and fundraising activities for ballot measure campaigns, and provides management oversight in those areas. W&M applies its unique knowledge of ballot measure dynamics to tailor the right earned media and grassroots strategies for each individual campaign.
Signature Gathering
Working closely with a variety of effective signature gathering firms, W&M oversees signature gathering activities for initiative campaigns and has maintained a perfect 100% track record in overseeing the qualification of measures for dozens of statewide and local ballots. The firm’s signature gathering phases are also designed to oversee activities that lay a strong foundation for the ballot measure campaigns to follow while maintaining the credibility of our clients.
Public Opinion Research
Polling
One of the keys to W&M’s 90% win record is its “hands-on” engagement in opinion research, and the firm has developed specialized approaches to opinion research that reflect the unique dynamics of ballot measure campaigns. W&M works closely with leading independent opinion research firms to design and analyze all survey research, including in-depth telephone and online surveys, or a combination of both.
Focus Groups & Qualitative Research
The firm works with leading opinion research firms to bring its unique expertise in the design and interpretation of focus groups and other qualitative research related to ballot measures and issue management campaigns. In W&M’s methodology, focus groups are used to complement quantitative polling research by providing unique psychological insights into the underlying voter attitudes surrounding an issue, and uncover potential approaches to framing and messaging.
Paid Media Testing
W&M uses state-of-the-art techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of ads and direct mail before they are utilized in campaigns and to track their reach and effectiveness on an ongoing basis. The firm was the first in the nation to use dial tests for ballot measure campaigns and has worked with leading opinion research firms to develop methodologies for testing campaign advertising in the digital space with highly predictive outcomes.
Data Modeling & Segmentation
W&M has been in the forefront of developing and utilizing data, predictive modeling and segmentation in issue and ballot measure campaigns.
The use of data and sophisticated voter modeling is a critical tool used for targeting multiple aspects of a campaign, including broadcast, satellite and cable, digital advertising, direct mail, text messaging, and other voter contact activities, outreach, voter ID, and GOTV.
Voter segmentation models are developed through advanced analysis of survey, commercial and demographic data to find statistically significant trends among supporters, opponents and swing voters.
In many respects, modeling and segmentation function as the lens through which most campaign spending, metrics and other activities are evaluated.
Advertising & Voter Contact
Advertising Production and Placement
The firm oversees conceptualization, scripting and production of paid advertising. Using sophisticated databases, W&M also oversees the placement of television, digital, radio and print advertising—carefully designing the media mix and targeting that will be most effective for each campaign. The firm has produced, tested and placed more than 3,000 television, digital, radio and print advertisements and mail pieces for ballot measure campaigns.
Direct Mail and Phone
Mail is often part of the overall media mix to deliver credible, targeted messaging. W&M oversees the formulation and execution of multi-faceted direct mail programs, including the use of refined microtargeting. The firm also uses both traditional phone contact and text messaging for voter identification, persuasion and GOTV.
Digital Development, Acquistion & Advocacy
The firm oversees the design and implementation of an array of online campaign tools, including campaign websites, social media pages, targeted email programs and digital advertising.
Development
The firm focuses on establishing a strong digital presence for our clients and campaigns. This includes the development of a wide variety of digital platforms including website properties, social media pages and mobile applications.
Acquisition
All strong digital campaigns require an investment in acquiring a variety of assets that will assist in the overall campaign effort. While each campaign is different, this asset acquisition might include building coalition groups online, developing email lists, building social media followings and even online fundraising if required.
Advocacy
Today, digital advocacy can be one of the most important tools to informing and persuading voters. W&M specializes in using the digital space to inform and persuade voters. Through paid advertising, search and social, W&M has proven that persuading voters in the digital space is a key component of any victory.