"Think Outside Your Bubble" Shows Impact Public Relations Can Have in Government

photo courtesy of Ogilvy PR

By Kylie Schneider

In 2006, Ogilvy Public Relations was hired by Planned Parenthood California to help create a campaign against Proposition 85 in California. Prop. 85 would have forced physicians to report any abortions performed on minors to a parent or guardian. Prop. 85 barred abortion for minors until 48 hours after a Doctor notifies a parent or legal guardian, except in a medical emergency or with a waiver from a judge or parent. Married or emancipated minors were to be exempt. The main argument against Prop. 85 and the reason Planned Parenthood wanted to develop a campaign against it is because it was believed that it would force a young girl to tell an abusive parent or guardian that she was pregnant which could cause her harm. The campaigns key message was that not every girl lives in a home where she can go to her parent for help.

Prop. 85 had previously been defeated as Prop. 73 in 2005. As a result, Ogilvy needed to make certain that every dollar had maximum impact on voters. Ogilvy began by researching people’s stances on certain issues. Data showed there was a shift from 2005 to 2006 in which supporters of the proposition had gained favor by exploiting the danger of child predators on the Internet. From polling and focus groups, research showed that focusing on domestic violence and less fortunate girls had the potential to change women’s’ votes from “yes” to “no” on Prop. 85. Ogilvy chose to focus on teens who could not speak openly with their parents for fear of violent repercussions by.

A test TV spot called “Think Outside Your Bubble” was created to measure the effectiveness of its message delivery to voters. The commercial shows a large bubble floating through a yard as a voice over featured a woman speaking about how she knows her daughter would feel free to come to her for help if she was pregnant. At the end the bubble travels to a home where the viewer can hear yelling and the bubble pops as the narrator realizes not every girl is as lucky as her daughter. The ad’s main goal was to remind people that, although they may have positive and trustful relationships with their daughters, not all young girls live in safe environments where she can communicate with her mother or guardian.

Test results showed that the ad successfully moved women and had a very strong emotional effect on men as well. Satisfied with the results, Planned Parenthood and Ogilvy launched the “Think Outside Your Bubble” ad campaign.

Upon evaluation, “Think Outside Your Bubble” was a clear success. The campaign helped raise support against Prop. 85 among major Democratic officeholders and the public. All major California newspapers published pieces against the proposition and the campaign also changed the stance of two newspapers which had supported Prop. 73 in 2005. Additionally, eight California counties, which had voted “yes” on Prop. 73 voted “no” on Prop. 85. In the end, with the help of “Think Outside Your Bubble”, Prop. 85 was defeated by a 9.5 percent margin which was a 4.5 percent increase from the defeat in 2005.

To accomplish their goals, Ogilvy appealed to people’s emotions on the serious issue of child abuse to garner support against a proposition that could have potentially put young girls in danger. Women voters were especially targeted because of their likelihood to relate what they saw to their relationships with their own daughters and feel sorry for girls who cannot depend on their parent or guardian for support. Through research of attitudes and political stances, as well as testing the emotional responses of an ad before airing it, Planned Parenthood and Ogilvy were able to prevent an unfair law from being made a reality. This campaign shows what a powerful role Public Relations can play in the political spectrum.