One Umbrella for a Stronger California
In 2014, Bearstar ran the joint campaign and produced all the media for Yes on 1 & 2. While early polling showed Prop 1, the $7-billion water bond, garnering strong majority support, a September survey by the Public Policy Institute of California indicated Prop 2 was struggling at just 43%. The strategy was to co-brand the two measures behind a unifying message: “Save Water. Save Money. Save, California. One Umbrella for a Stronger California.”
The TV, radio, and online campaign for Yes on 1 & 2 presented a diverse series of messengers – farmers, environmental experts, firefighters, economists, and Governor Brown – emphasizing California’s worst-ever drought, the need to hedge against the economic boom-and-bust, and the bipartisan coalitions of farmers, environmentalists, Democrats, and Republicans supporting both propositions. The strategy proved extraordinarily successful. Prop 1 won with 67% of the vote and the initially weaker Prop 2 finished with 69% support.
