Challenge
Pushed by environmental and public health groups, the Obama Administration and the EPA developed and proposed new stricter ozone rules. These rules would have been devastating to the economy – levying an estimated $1.7 trillion hit. The new rules were labeled by some as the “most expensive regulation in U.S. history.”
The Orange Solution
With their backs against the wall, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) turned to the Orange Agency to help develop a full-scale campaign, beginning with message development, to fight back and inform the public and opinion-leader elites of this obscure environmental regulation that could cost the country billions.
Through our opinion research we found key audiences were concerned about the economic impact of the new ozone rules – but we needed a creative hook to engage them. We devised a series of ads that mocked the restrictiveness of the proposed regulation – most notably that several national parks’ air quality would not be in compliance with the new ozone levels prescribed in the regulations.
Our paid media campaign was primarily focused inside-the-Beltway, as a result, our resources were focused on DC opinion-leaders and decision-makers.
Through a combination of broadcast, cable and digital media we blanketed the DC area – to the point that President Obama remarked to NAM’s President and CEO, Jay Timmons, about the content of the ads.
Results
At the conclusion of our campaign, the Obama Administration and the EPA walked back their own rule – handing “a win to industry groups on a fiercely debated rule… leaving green groups feeling betrayed.” (Politico, 10/01/15).