Situation
Faced with mounting Republican Congressional opposition to the Lifeline program, TracFone engaged Navigators Global to create an integrated lobbying and advertising campaign to dispel the myths surrounding the so-called “ObamaPhone” and to educate policymakers and the media on the merits of the program.
Strategy
Our message strategy stressed that Lifeline was created by President Reagan and expanded by President George W. Bush to include the wireless benefit that had inaccurately become known as the ObamaPhone. To further mollify conservative opposition, our advertising campaign focused on the vital role that Lifeline plays in connecting low-income families to jobs and helping needy veterans stay connected to their doctors. We also positioned TracFone as a proponent of reforms that helped the FCC reduce fraud and abuse in the program, saving hundreds of millions of dollars. A comprehensive website, Lifelinefacts.com, was also developed to provide a virtual HQ for our campaign efforts and promoted heavily with digital advertising.
Outcome
To date, our campaign has succeeded in preventing conservative critics from building the momentum necessary to repeal the Lifeline wireless benefit.
