Boing Boing reports on a recent campaign by Chicago advertising giant, Leo Burnett Worldwide, to defeat a Tea Party campaign against a proposed 0.7% tax increase to support the Troy Michigan public library. The campaign’s major feature was a hoax designed to change the narrative. Burnett won an Effie Award in the Good Works category with the campaign, and produced a slick video about it:
I am only familiar with the literature on campaign spending and turnout from drinking beer with a colleague who studies ballot initiatives in California, and I will spare you my alcohol addled beliefs based upon such conversation. Suffice it to say that Leo Burnett makes some intriguing claims about turning out Yes voters in local elections. Perhaps I can entice someone with actual knowledge to comment somewhere. In the interim, what should we take from this little nugget of a present day Mad Men agency executing a hoax to influence elections?
Mobilizing Ideas 
I teach Arts and Social Change at my college. This is way better than anything I’ve seen or done!
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This is BRILLIANT!
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Amazing. Local Tea Party activities against my public library caused me to pull all support. The library has the best return on tax dollars ($5-8 return on each $) saving citizens millions each year. Libraries should be getting our support not scorn.
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