Goal
Willie for Somerville
In the summer of 2021 Launch Partners was introduced to Willie Burnley Jr. Willie was a "writer, activist, union member, and electoral organizer" running for Somerville City Councilor at Large. Willie shared that he was running because "I’ve always tried to live my values through pushing forward people-powered movements for social and economic justice. Now, I’m running for Somerville City Council because I believe we can do more to deal with the crises of affordability, accessibility, and accountability in our government and create a city where residents shape the future rather than developers" (Willie Burnley, 2021).
Challenge
Voter Confusion
The city of Somerville is only 13 minutes from Boston and is home to 81,000 individuals, the city is also home to seven separate wards. Each ward is represented by one ward city councilor with four city councilors at large representing the entire city. A common problem Willie was facing while canvassing was a lack of understanding surrounding the structure of the election. For example someone would tell Willie, "I'd love to vote for you but I'm already supporting JT Scott. When in reality the individual could vote for Willie, JT, and three other at large candidates.
Strategy
Creative Solutions
After hearing about this problem Launch Partners developed a series of informational graphics. The idea was that other candidates would likely be facing a similar problem regarding the understanding of the election's structure. To solve this problem Launch Partners developed a graphic using Willie's branding that visualized how many candidates and in what races they could vote for. The graphics were then outfitted with the names of candidates that Willie had aligned himself with. This then encouraged candidates to share the graphic with their followers, clarifying the structure and simultaneously promoting Willie's campaign.
Strategy pt. 2
META Advertising
Launch Partners also developed two digital advertisement campaigns for Willie. These campaigns focused on encouraging community members to volunteer and donate to Willie's cause. Launch Partners developed the creative, wrote copy, and outlined the appropriate metrics for each of these campaigns.
Results
City Councilor Burnley
On January 4th 2022 Willie Burnley Jr. was sworn in as a City Councilor at Large for the city of Somerville. Willie was endorsed by Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and was supported by a driven team. The graphics designed by Launch Partners were reshared by candidates across the race, and his advertisements ran through the duration of the election. In the end many factors contributed to Willie's campaign victory but it was the cultivation of everything that has given him the chance to make change for the good as City Councilor Burnley.
Bonus: Launch Partners designed official campaign pins for Willie for Somerville volunteers and supporters.
