CLIENT: Keep Thornton Strong
SITUATION:
A major retail developer’s multi-million dollar big-box retail center project had stalled. A group of vocal citizens from nearby neighborhoods had successfully petitioned the Thornton City Council to give the public a chance to vote on the previously-approved zoning required for their large mixed-use redevelopment project. Some opponents feared that the new retail center would be anchored by a Wal-Mart and that the new development would not be beneficial to Thornton residents and businesses.
At the same time, playing out on the national scene and in cities and towns across America, increasingly large numbers of citizens were speaking out against the big-box retailer, Wal-Mart, for the company’s purported aggressive business practices and unsatisfactory working conditions.
V&A CONTRIBUTION:
V&A was hired by the developer to establish and run a campaign to defeat this November ballot question which sought to repeal the zoning needed for this project. V&A hired a campaign team, recruited citizens from the neighborhood and designed and executed a customized campaign strategy. V&A conducted research, voter identification, direct-mail, earned media and the internet to communicate the facts about the proposed development, and to reframe the debate from one about Wal-Mart (which had not, in fact, been chosen as the anchor store), to one about the need for revitalization of the area and new amenities for residents.
OUTCOME:
The campaign won a 56% opposition to the repeal, enabling the developer to move forward with its project.
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