From Zero to 1.5 Million votes in three months

In July of 2006 less then ten percent of Texans could identify the Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate. When contacting potential donors, cold shoulders were much more common than checks. As the media advisor and Advertising Agency of record for the campaign, we faced quite a challenge: Create positive name recognition, motivate voters and reach the entire State of Texas with a budget less than $500,000.

We adopted a three-pronged approach. First, brand the candidate's name. “Radnofsky for U.S. Senate” was too bulky to work with in a short time frame. Instead, we focused on her first name, Barbara Ann. We surveyed responses to her name along with polling and issue research. Overwhelming, everyone recalled her first name after hearing it only once. We changed the yard signs, the media releases, the fliers, everything. Barbara Ann became not only the name of the campaign, but the feel and image as well.

Next we had to spend our scarce campaign advertising funds efficiently. Texas is a huge State with four major markets: Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth. The cost of advertising in any major market is significant, so Texas can get expensive. Radio was the most cost effective method. In the last week of July, a full month before other political commercials started airing, Texas was introduced to Barbara Ann. We started buying airtime before the cheaper political advertising rates went into effect because the lack of competition on the dial offset the cost. We wanted our initial introduction message sandwiched between department store and car dealership commercials, rather than other political commercials. The impact of introducing Barbara was immediate in the polls.

Finally we had to have a branding slogan that was lasting. A jingle, a saying... a hook. We could not afford large schedules, so each commercial needed to stand on its own. The Beach Boys song "Barbara Ann" provided an idea. At the end of every ad I spoke in a specific cadence the words, “This November Texas will be voting for Bar-Bar-Bar, Bar-Bar-Baran.” There was no music or singing. I tested the commercials on two conservative women ages 54 and 65. Initially, they were lukewarm. Twenty-four hours later, neither of them could get the song out of her head. They did not actually hear the song, only my specific inflection and crafted design of the name Barbara Ann. Two weeks later the results from the polling were clear: Texas would like, remember and vote for Barbara Ann. Once the commercials aired, Barbara Ann was greeted on the streets with the chanting of “Bar-Bar-Bar, Bar-Bar-Baran” The effect was greater than we could have imagined.

Three months later on November 7th, over 1.5 million Texans voted for Barbara Ann Radnofsky.

This first time candidate – totally unknown and considered dead in July – became a household name by November. The political future for Barbara Ann is bright as she weighs her options in 2010. The Texas Attorney General race may be the next time Texas starts singing along with Barbara Ann.