91% Campaign Success Rate
IWV enjoyed enormous success in races deemed tossup or worse, seeing opportunities in races others often dismissed as hopeless. We are proud to report a 91% success rate (11-1) in our major campaign initiatives over the last four years.
2013:
VA Governor – With only a month to go, Ken Cuccinelli switched his focus to Obamacare. IWV’s independent expenditure, also focused on Obamacare, helped close the gap to just over 2 points.
SC-01 House Special Election – Every outside group, including the NRCC, gave up Mark Sanford for dead. IWV saw an opportunity and used our innovative methods to get a win.
2012:
2012 WI Governor Recall – Our education program moved Independents +31 points in tests. We deployed the results and contributed to a Scott Walker win.
IN GOP Senate Primary – Challenger Richard Mourdock signed the Repeal Pledge, while Richard Lugar refused. Mourdock’s strategists later told us that they followed our lead and made Obamacare the distinction between the candidates.
NE GOP Senate Primary – Deb Fischer, outgunned by the sitting AG, signed our Repeal Pledge. After-action surveys indicated IWV’s independent expenditure during the closing week of the campaign was the single biggest reason for her upset win.
NC, VA, OH Presidential – Though the race was ultimately a loss, IWV exceeded its campaign goals by moving Independents who recalled the messaging +21 points and independents +10 points overall over the control group for Romney.
2011:
WI Supreme Court – The Walker team delivered standard GOP messaging to standard GOP targets. IWV saw another opportunity, created the concept for a TV ad that another group deployed, and made 700,000 calls to Independents and women in a race that was decided by only 7,000 votes.
NY-09 – In a district with a 35 point Democratic registration advantage, Anthony Weiner’s downfall created an open seat. Though the NRCC decided to stay on the sidelines, IWV saw an opportunity to target its unique messaging and communications at Independents and Democrats to help secure an upset victory.
OH Health Care Freedom Amendment – While Gov. Kasich’s union referendum lost 2 to 1, our messaging effort took this ballot initiative from tossup or worse to a 2 to 1 win with the same electorate.
2010
MA Senate Special Election – IWV changed the framework of the race by making it a fight for the 41st vote against the Affordable Care Act. Our efforts helped move women +21 points for a Scott Brown win.
HI-01 Special Election – IWV’s effort, the only independent expenditure in this race, moved Independent women +18 points and resulted in a win for Charles Djou.
90% Messaging Success Rate
Changing Minds to Change Behavior – IWV uses a rigorous process to both develop and test messages before devoting significant resources. Our approach is validated by our 90% success rate (10-1) in contests where we’ve used imaginative, educational, information-based original communications concepts.
Case Study: “No Washington Exemption” – IWV used its “No Washington Exemption” message to inform women and Independents that their representatives were not currently obligated to live under Obamacare as the law intended. Framing the issue in this way resulted in dramatic movement compared to control groups by as much as 29%.
Case Study: Economic Education in Colorado – In 2012, Colorado offered an opportunity to test our methods. IWV has long understood the connection between economic literacy, policy preferences, and voting behavior, so we conducted a one-week educational campaign among 20,000 Coloradans designed to increase knowledge of ten key economic facts. Ten days later, we conducted a follow up study comparing those who had received our messages vs. those who had not. Among those we reached, correct responses moved +8 points while the control group remained flat. Similarly, though no candidate had been mentioned in the messaging, preference in the target group moved +8 points for Romney over the control group.
Case Study: “Health Reform Questions” – In 2012, IWV used interactive calls, online advertising, and mail to pose “Health Reform Questions” to North Carolinians who were subsequently provided with the correct answers. This method disabused some mistaken but foundational beliefs and moved support strongly in Romney’s direction even though neither candidate’s name was mentioned. Support for Mitt Romney moved +14 points among those who received IWV’s educational messaging in North Carolina.
Case Study: Public Unions in Wisconsin – IWV’s research showed that the core belief among Independents who opposed Gov. Walker’s reforms was that public employees are underpaid and are making a sacrifice to hold those jobs. Through our educational program, we changed this foundational belief into an understanding that unionized public employees are overcompensated relative to the private sector. Changing this belief changed behavior: support for Scott Walker increased by +31 points among 10,000 likely voters who received our message over a comparable control group, even though we made no reference to Walker, his reforms, or the recall.