By FP1 Strategies
In recognition of National New Jersey Day, FP1 is looking back at an award-winning ballot initiative campaign we ran in the Garden State in 2016.
Governor Chris Christie led the entire political establishment of New Jersey in a push to expand casino gaming in North Jersey to generate more revenue for the state. This powerful coalition of political, business and labor leaders put an initiative on the November ballot to authorize four new casinos in New Jersey. With the proponents of Question One promising to spend $35 million, FP1 was hired by casino operators in Atlantic City and New York City to defeat this ballot measure.
Our team managed an integrated campaign, including grassroots, earned media and a $10.5 million advertising blitz in the New York and Philadelphia media markets to defeat Question One. After conducting extensive public opinion research, we developed a message strategy that was laser focused on the strong negative feelings that New Jersey voters had towards Trenton politicians and their broken promises on core economic issues like property taxes and pensions. We effectively attached voters’ distrust of the Trenton establishment to the North Jersey casinos and succeeded in driving strong opposition to the ballot measure. By early October, it was clear there was no pathway to victory for the proponents of Question One and they pulled their funding for the ballot initiative’s television ads.
On Election Day, New Jersey voters rejected Question One by a margin of 78% to 22%, the largest defeat of a ballot initiative in state history. Our campaign for Trenton’s Bad Bet won five Pollie Awards and three Reed Awards, including the honor of Best Ballot Initiative TV Ad of the Year.
Watch some of our award-winning ads from the Trenton’s Bad Bet campaign:
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