2021 Independent Expenditure Campaign: South Carolina Association of REALTORS®

Author: Kaitlin Coogan

Challenge  

When it comes to the world of realty, local elections are extremely important. Whether it be issues of development or property rights discussions, having the right leaders in place is essential to the success of small businesses and the growth of communities. There were many influential candidates in the race this municipal election cycle, particularly in South Carolina. With the help of the Sinclair PA team, the South Carolina Association of REALTORS® was able to show support for pro-realty candidates through independent expenditure campaigns to help guide a favorable outcome in the election. 

Strategy 

A comprehensive outreach campaign including a combination of digital ads, phone calls, texting and direct mail pieces.

• Digital Ads- The Sinclair team designed a series of digital ads for each of the candidates and distributed them, targeting potential voters in the area. Overall, the digital ads for all of the candidates combined resulted in 989,770 impressions.  

• Direct Mail– For each candidate, the team created multiple direct mail pieces to send to registered voters in their district. The mailers were tailored to the candidates and sent out in stages, with some candidates receiving three mailers and others up to five. Though there is no way to measure the exact reach of a direct mail campaign, it is a key strategy to IE campaigns, remaining one of the most trusted forms of political outreach.  

• Texting Campaign- The most immediate and timely strategic element was the texting campaign. Each candidate received up to five texts. The first few rounds of texts were focused on the candidates platform, while the later of the series encouraged people to get out and vote in the upcoming election. On average, the Sinclair team achieved a 97.8% delivery rate with 9 texts in the initial election period.

• Phone Campaign- Over five thousand calls were made, urging voters in the area to get out and vote for the respective candidates.

Final Outcome  

The SCR IE campaigns for the 2021 municipal election cycle were overwhelmingly successful. Of the four races, all candidates supported by SCR won. The mayoral race in Columbia was highly competitive and resulted in a runoff election, where SCR’s candidate, Daniel Rickenmann, led with over 8 thousand votes. Through the IE campaigns, the Sinclair PA team helped to increase awareness for the candidates and highlight their values aligning with SCR. SCR was able to show support for specific candidates, supporting their goals, while also adding to the credibility of the candidates themselves. The comprehensive outreach campaign combined new media methods of digital advertising with the more traditional element of direct mail and phone campaigns to ensure successful campaigns in SC.