Case Study: Passing a $576 million bond referendum for flood protection

In 2021, The City of Virginia Beach Communications Department was tasked by City Council with developing an educational campaign for a $567 million flood protection program that would be placed on the election ballot. Below is an overview* of the campaign and how staff strategically brought partners to the table to develop an award-winning, memorable message to reach and educate 450,000 residents in just five short months. As a key member of the campaign team, I was specifically responsible for developing the campaign theme “The Ripple Effect, ” managing paid media strategy, social media strategy and creative review.

BACKGROUND
In 2016, Hurricane Matthew and two other tropical storms hit the City of Virginia Beach causing severe damage throughout the area. These events exposed the city’s outdated stormwater infrastructure and caused major flooding in several neighborhoods.
The city conducted extensive research evaluating the most critical needs. It identified seven priority areas comprised of 21 projects. The required funding ($567.5 Million) for these “Phase I” projects far exceeded the amount that the City Council could authorize ($74 Million) without first putting the issue before voters. In June 2021, the Virginia Beach City Council did just that, voting to put a Flood Protection Program bond referendum on the November 2nd general election ballot.
To ensure voters understood the Flood Protection Program ahead of election day, The City of Virginia Beach partnered with S.E. Wells Communications, LLC with collaborating on the development and execution of an integrated communications strategy that included public outreach and content marketing campaign.

INSIGHTS & ANALYSIS
The purpose for conducting research was to gauge awareness, understanding and sentiment about the Flood Protection Program (FPP) and to guide content message development. To do this, the City of Virginia Beach and S.E. Wells Communications created two primary research instruments based on their secondary research looking at bond referendums and outreach efforts in other coastal communities.

The first research instrument was an online survey open only to residents via the city’s Public Input platform. The second was a statistically reliable and valid telephone survey of registered voters in the City of Virginia Beach, conducted by a third party polling firm. In addition to awareness and understanding questions, the survey also asked where residents consume news and information regarding public services.

Secondary research that informed the primary research intruments included a review of recent statewide coastal resilience surveys, literature review on bond referendums, and content analysis of public outreach efforts for stormwater, recurrent flooding, and sea-level rise issues in other coastal municipalities.

Key Primary Research Findings:
 Only 40% of survey respondents were willing to pay the required level of rate increase.
 The majority (53%) of respondents felt existing funds were sufficient to manage flood control.
 49% of residents were misinformed about documented flood risks and trends in Virginia Beach.

The results of preliminary research demonstrated that residents had neither accurate information nor a clear understanding about the severity of flooding in the City of Virginia Beach. It appeared highly unlikely that 50% or more of registered voters would support the bond referendum.

Findings from secondary research played a key role in message strategy. The literature review uncovered a message framework that proved useful in related bond referendums for other municipalities. It would be instrumental in shaping the vast majority of content to be developed and distributed for Virginia Beach.

PLANNING
The team followed with a four-step process entailing research, planning, implementation, and evaluation (RPIE). Based on the insights gleaned from primary research it was clear that communicating the facts about flooding in the City of Virginia Beach should be a priority. The plan’s end Goal: To increase public knowledge and understanding about the facts about flooding, allowing them to make a more informed decision.

Objectives: By targeting city residents, the content marketing and public outreach campaign aimed to:

Increase the FPP website’s page views by more than 30% vs previous 3 months.

Secure at least one influential public commentary for the FPP by October 8, 2021.

See a minimum of 65% of voters cast a “yes” vote in the November 2, 2021 general election.

The Strategy: Using a mulitmodal communications and public outreach approach that would:

Develop a branded content marketing campaign and microsite called “The Ripple Effect”;
Commission Old Dominion University (ODU) to produce and present an economic analysis study;
Develop a message framework based on “An Information Model to Present Proposals to Increase” by the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resiliency.

EXECUTION
Beginning in mid-July 2021 and running through November 1, 2021 content was developed and distributed by the city’s internal resources including multimedia services and social media teams. S.E. Wells Communications managed research efforts, media relations and video production. External vendors supported media buys, direct mail, and signage.

Content focused on informing residents about how flooding impacts homeowners, businesses, tourism, local industry, retention of local military bases, and jobs. Tactics included:
-Producing a branded website and video to show and describe the citywide impacts of flooding
-Using social media to share public meeting notices, infographics, owned and earned media.
-Sharing digital display content within city libraries, public buildings, and parks & rec facilities.
-Creating research-based fact sheets, brochures, FAQs, and long-form pillar content.
-Creating presentations and hosting more than 30 virtual and in-person stakeholder meetings.
-Placing bylined articles by community and business leaders in local and regional papers.
-Using digital and broadcast advertising, service bill inserts, car magnets, and yard signs.

Budget: In weighing the benefits of gaining a $567.5M Flood Protection Program vs inaction, it was important to adequately fund the integrated communications, content marketing, and public outreach effort. The total budget was $408,280, with $84,975 in consulting fees, $79,305 for video production and collateral materials, $144,000 for an economic analysis study, and $100,000 in paid media.

EVALUATION
The campaign had an uphill climb from the beginning, with a start that began in late June of 2021 and ended November 1, 2021. In fact, early voting commenced in mid-September. In several earlier proposals on different issues, the City Council had tried and failed to pass bond referendums—each of them for a fraction of the amount asked here. Despite the odds, the outcomes of the Ripple Effect’s integrated communications, public outreach, and content marketing campaign not only met, but exceeded every one of its objectives where:
-Google Analytics showed a 2,140% increase in page views, with an average view time of 2 minutes 40 seconds, indicting strong engagement with the content.
-ODU’s Director of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience spoke about the economic implications of the Flood Protection Program before the Virginia Beach City Council on Oct. 5, 2021. In addition, three placed opinion pieces by members of City Council were published, arguing for support of the program.

OUTCOME

Ultimately the city saw the passage of the Flood Protection Program bond referendum by 73% during the November 2, 2021 general election in Virginia Beach. With the approval of the FY2022-23 budget, the City ultimately absorbed the full cost of the $567.5 million Flood Protection Program with no change in the current real estate tax rate.  

*The contents of this article were developed by S.E. Wells Communications for the City of Virginia Beach as part of several award submissions. At the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA) Annual Conference, Virginia Beach won the first place Savvy Award in the Communications or Marketing Plan category. The City also received 3CMA’s highest honor, the Diamond Award, which is given to the best overall entry of more than 640 submitted across all categories. The Savvy Awards recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing, and resident-government relationships. The City of Virginia Beach had the only submission to receive a perfect score from the panel of judges. This Ripple Effect campaign also won the Communications Award from the Virginia Municipal League 2022 Innovation Awards in Local Government. This statewide competition recognizes innovative problem-solving, excellence in management, citizen participation, and improved services to citizens.