YOU CAN RING MY BEL
In 2019, we set out to re-elect John Bel Edwards as Governor of Louisiana—and we did it.
You Can Ring My Bel was the first of its kind.
It introduced the model of a politically informative meme & advocacy page before that was a thing.
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goal: re-elect Governor John Bel Edwards
You Can Ring My Bel was launched on October 23, 2019, with 25 days left remaining before the run-off. After a dismal turnout in the primary election of 38.5% in Orleans Parish and with John Bel Edwards down by nearly 100,000 votes, the campaign’s goal was to increase millennial voter participation in Orleans Parish, defeat Republican opponent Eddie Rispone, and help re-elect Governor John Bel Edwards.
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strategy: meet the voters where they are
Recognizing that most millennial voters were not tuned into traditional channels of political messaging, You Can Ring My Bel utilized social media platforms to reach them. We put everything they were missing on cable t.v. directly in front of them on Instagram and Facebook. Combining this outreach strategy with our unique messaging, we aimed to keep it real, keep them laughing, and keep them engaged.
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message: we don’t love him but we need him
You Can Ring My Bel’s primary message targeted a specific population that hadn’t been messaged to prior to the primary: Democrats who weren’t crazy about John Bel Edwards. This form of messaging explicitly addressed the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the candidate, which up until that point had been ignored. Instead of disregarding what was being talked about, we shined a light on it.
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targeted demographic: millennials
Millennials in Orleans Parish were the primary demographic targeted by the You Can Ring My Bel campaign. Within that age group, messaging was directed at: 1) Democrats who were not enthusiastic about John Bel Edwards; 2) Moderates Republicans who were not enthusiastic about Eddie Rispone; 3) Unengaged voters
RESULTS:
John Bel Edwards won re-election by a margin of 40,212 votes.
In less than one month, voter turnout in Orleans Parish increased by 29% (compared to just over 10% in the rest of Louisiana), which amounted to 28,753 votes—99% of which were cast for John Bel.
YCRMB Impact:
Orleans Parish millennial voter participation was a deciding factor in John Bel’s victory, which was the same audience targeted and captured by the You Can Ring My Bel campaign.
Less than one month after launching—with completely organic growth, and speaking to an audience that supposedly didn’t exist (liberals in Louisiana)—the You Can Ring My Bel Instagram page achieved 1,000+ followers, 6,257 profile visits, 13,567 accounts reached, and 91,500 impressions, the majority of which were centered in Orleans Parish.
Millennials were the age group with the largest increase in voter participation in Orleans Parish.
Voter turnout among millennials in Orleans Parish (ages 18-44) increased by 52%, compared to an 18% increase among ages 45-65+
Orleans Parish millennial voter participation was a deciding factor in John Bel’s victory.
John Bel won by 40,212 votes in the runoff—16,300 of those votes came from an increase in Millennial votes in Orleans Parish alone.
