Yes on Proposal 1 to Limit Casino Expansion

When state governments run into financial trouble these days, policymakers often turn to gaming to fill the coffers. Michigan already has plenty of gaming opportunities, but state leaders wanted to add casinos at the state’s nine racetracks. A coalition was formed to give voters a say, amending the state constitution to require voter approval for any expansion of gaming. The campaign, however, was failing. The advertising produced by another agency focused on esoteric process issues and it just wasn’t connecting with voters. We produced new spots for the campaign, which spoke to voters who had become very cynical about political double-talk on the subject of gambling, and reminded voters why it’s always a bad idea to trust politicians around the money that comes from gambling. Our direct mail campaign recruited an enormous grassroots coalition and helped to educate voters about the details of the proposal, while refuting the attacks from the opposition. Though the polls had shown the proposal falling far behind just a few weeks before Election Day, our strategy and creative turned the campaign around and delivered a 16 point victory.