Due to a struggling economy, Troy, Michigan could no longer afford its library, so it scheduled a vote for a 0.7% tax increase. With no organised support for the library, a well-funded anti-tax group had been waging a dominating campaign against it. In order to win the vote and save the library, we knew we had to change the conversation. We had to get voters to stop talking about the tax increase, and start talking about what it would mean to lose their award-winning library and all the services it provides. We had to get ‘Yes’ voters to the polls.

With only US$100 in paid media, we generated over 650,000 impressions on Facebook and Twitter, and over 1m impressions worldwide. Our story became national and international news in just 2 weeks. We managed to create a global conversation about a local issue, helping a community realise that whether the books are sold or burned, the result is the same - if the vote failed, their award-winning library and its books would be gone forever. In the end, voters flocked to the polls at numbers 342% greater than projected. The library won the election by a landslide.

With little money and only weeks until the vote, we knew we had to do something extreme. Posing as a clandestine political group, we posted signs around Troy that said, ‘Vote to close Troy library Aug 2, Book Burning Party Aug 5’. Our signs invited an infuriated public to our Facebook page, and we added Twitter, Foursquare, flyers and more to help drive engagement. The campaign grew from local to international news 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.

With a total campaign budget of only US$3500, we couldn’t rely on paid media to break through voter indifference. We had to get voters to do it for us. With Facebook at the core, we ignited a social media conversation that gave voice to library supporters and garnered support from around the world. We created a platform from which to drown out the opposition and change the conversation from taxes to the importance of libraries, books and reading.