You Can Ring My Bel

Louisiana, 2019

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 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 and help re-elect Governor John Bel Edwards.

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: people 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 in homes and amongst friends, we shined a light on it—and by addressing the elephant in the room, we were able to work with it.

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:

• Democrats who were not enthusiastic about John Bel Edwards

• Moderates Republicans who were not enthusiastic about Eddie Rispone

• Unengaged voters

strategy: meet 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.

in the week leading up to the runoff, the You Can Ring My Bel Instagram page achieved:

• 1,000+ followers

• 6,257 profile visits

• 13,567 accounts reached

• 91,500 impressions

Impact

John Bel Edwards won re-election by a margin of 40,212 votes—and Orleans Parish was a huge part of that.

Voter turnout in Orleans Parish increased by 29%, or 28,753 votes—99% cast for John Bel.

millennials were the age group with the largest increase in voter participation in Orleans Parish—mirroring You Can Ring My Bel demographics.

Voter turnout among millennials in Orleans Parish (ages 18-44) increased by 52%, compared to an 18% increase among ages 45-65+

The increase in millennial turnout in Orleans Parish accounted for 57%, or 16,300 votes, of the total increase in voter turnout in Orleans Parish.

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.

You Can Ring My Bel was integral in millennial outreach in Orleans Parish

The demographic with the most dramatic increase in voter turnout in Orleans Parish was the same audience targeted and captured by the You Can Ring My Bel campaign.