Due to a struggling economy, Troy, Michigan could no longer afford to sustain its library, so it scheduled a vote for a small tax increase. With no organised support for the library, a well-funded anti-tax group waged a dominating campaign against it. In order to get enough Yes voters to the polls and save the library, we needed to change the conversation. We had to get people to stop talking about the tax increase and start talking about what it would mean to lose their precious library. And with little time or money, we had to do it almost entirely with PR.

So we created an idea that we knew couldn’t be ignored. Posing as a clandestine political group, we posted signs around town that said, 'Vote to close Troy library Aug 2, Book Burning Party Aug 5'. Our signs invited a shocked and infuriated public to our Facebook page where we incited reactions by posting viral content, news clips and commentary, trying to convince residents to vote to close the library so we could burn its books.

We layered on Twitter, Foursquare, flyers, want ads and more to drive engagement and garner publicity, sending the story from newspapers to TV and across the blogosphere. The campaign became an international news story as outcry over the idea of burning the library’s books drowned out the opposition and galvaniｓed support for the library, which won the election by a landslide.

We only had 1 chance to succeed. Expected voter turnout was low. As seen from the previous 2 elections, if the same voters were to turn out, the majority would have been No votes. Because Yes voters are more difficult to turnout than No voters, we needed to at least double voter turnout to secure enough Yes votes.

Posing as a clandestine political group, less than a month before the vote, we began posting our signs around Troy. Our opponents hated the idea and destroyed them. In the dark of night, we put up more. Our cloak and dagger approach ignited a conversation on Facebook, Twitter and blogs. And our constant stream of provocative content fuelled the public’s outcry over the idea of burning the library’s books, sending the campaign viral. From newspapers to TV, from local to international news, it garnered publicity from around the world. It was an idea so brazen, the public couldn’t ignore it and the media couldn’t dismiss it. And now that we had the attention of the social and traditional media channels, we flipped the campaign. We revealed our true intent, posting pro-library messages, facts and content on Facebook and Twitter. We even distributed free Vote Yes signs to enthusiastic Troy residents.

We ignited a social media conversation that generated over 650,000 impressions on Facebook and Twitter alone. And with the press we earned from newspapers, TV, online news sites and the blogosphere, we created a global conversation that drowned out the opposition, helping a community realise that whether the books are sold or burned, the result is the same: If the vote failed, their library and its books would disappear forever. Voters flocked to the polls at numbers 342% greater than projected and the library won the election by a landslide. All with a PR budget of only $3,500 (US).

The anti-tax group had successfully shaped the library conversation to be all about the consequences of a Yes vote (tax increase), rather than the consequences of a No vote (library closure). In fact, one of their many mass mailings maligning the library tax increase didn’t mention the word ‘library’ at all. We had to get people talking about the consequences of a No vote. And with little time or money, we couldn’t rely on paid media. We had to get the voters and the media to do it on their own.

2 previous elections that would have provided the necessary funding for the library failed, thanks to the efforts of a local but nationally funded anti-tax group. In early 2011, library supporters managed to get the city to approve 1 last vote for a tax increase to save the library. By the time we were approached, we faced several challenges: Voters were being asked to approve a tax increase they had already voted down twice; the opposition had a 4-month head start; only 6 weeks remained until the vote; and most challenging of all, our budget was only $3,500 (US).