THE CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS

Using Political Campaign Strategies to Support Policy Change

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Throughout most of the '80s and 90s, tackling tobacco companies and smoking in public places was often a fool's errand.

That's because smoke-free legislation is a classic example of a public policy innovation that often fails because a moderately-interested majority is overwhelmed by a vocally-opposed minority.

Since 2002, The Strategy Group has been helping the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation buck this phenomenon by employing strategies honed on the political campaign trail.

Targeting Key Stakeholders

At different phases in the effort, two key stakeholders were targeted - the legislators who would vote on the smoke-free bill and the bar owners who would have to implement it.

Because legislators regularly use direct mail in their campaigns, they were particularly sensitive to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's use of mail to inform and galvanize their constituents about the benefits of going smoke-free.

By coupling direct mail with telephone calls, we initiated direct contact with state legislators and created an atmosphere where legislators understood that a majority of their public wanted to live in a smoke-free community.

Reaching Out to the Opposition

At the same time, the campaign used mail and phones to reach out directly to bar owners - the local group often most opposed to smoke-free legislation.

The campaign laid out the full benefits of the laws to bar owners, using case studies from other regions to show that smoke-free laws actually increased business to restaurants and bars. This strategy identified enough supporters in this community to ease the fears of legislators worried about an uproar.

The campaign also provided information and packages to ease implementation and answer questions.

The End Result

By reaching out to the interests most opposed to smoke-free laws, the campaign was able to ease opposition and encourage passage. In 2002, when we started working on this issue, there was only one state - California - with smoke-free restaurants and bars. In 2009, there are now 25! We're very proud to have played a part in passing these laws that are saving countless lives.