• by Kate Kaye , January 2, 2003

What’s a good way to attract public policy decision makers when they’re in D.C.? Advertise in their hometown-away-from-home paper. One public policy think-tank did just that and got a big brand awareness boost in the beltway.

The foundation (let’s call it The Issue Institute) aimed to directly influence public opinion and congressional members in the hopes of increasing awareness of the organization’s expertise on a particular issue. As it has in the past for other campaigns, The Issue Institute looked to Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive to fulfill that goal.

According to Deborah Correa, director of creative and client services at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, the site “often works with the client because Washingtonpost.com often has the right audience for issues they’re promoting…and often covers the issue in focus.”

In conjunction with special report coverage of the issue on the Washingtonpost.com website, The Issue Institute bought ad placements which were positioned adjacent to the related content, and for a period of time became the sole advertiser within that section. The special coverage was timed to run close to a congressional vote dealing with the topic.

Of course, with any campaign in which the subject matter of the editorial content is so closely linked with that of the advertising, there’s a chance that the content can be construed as “advertorial.” To prevent that dreaded assessment, the site made sure to clearly label the advertising as such so as not to be confused with the editorial. Affirms Correa, “It’s easier to blur those lines on the Web. TV and radio ads are understood as a break from the content, but online, we’re constantly doing new types of creative that people have to understand is not related to the content.”

The Issue Institute kept with the informative tone of the newspaper by featuring lots of information in the ad copy. Users could interact with navigation tabs to access further information directly within the skyscraper and banner ad placements.

As is often the case at Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, a survey was conducted to measure the campaign. Motivated through prize offerings, policy decision makers and other public opinion leaders were recruited to partake in the research study conducted by a third party firm. In the end, the survey found that the campaign raised awareness of the issue in the eyes of the target audience.

The study findings of the campaign:

Increased overall Brand Favorability by 69%

Delivered a 34% lift in overall Brand Awareness

Delivered a 9% lift in policy interest in an issue in which more than 80% of respondents had already been identified as interested

Delivered a 41% lift in Brand Awareness and a 53% lift in Brand Favorability among government workers and leaders (the highest lift of any single group tested)

Increased Brand Favorability by 61% among those who are active in setting public policy

Delivered a 39% lift in Brand Favorability among those who deal with the issue as part of their job responsibilities

The Issue Institute is continuing to work with Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive in promoting the issue. And, Correa foresees that as congressional freshman begin to make their way into Washington in the coming weeks, this category of advertisers may adjust tactics in order to reach and educate the newly elected set of officials.