First, kudos to Gill. You were a major force behind the successful movement for marriage. But one piece of history to add (a piece of history you helped write!): The “love and commitment” message you mentioned was used in the first successful marriage campaign in 2007, the battle in Massachusetts. Gill was a major funder of that effort—including the highly successful Peter Hams / hockey moms ad that drove the love, commitment, and family theme. (Developed through extensive research, qualitative and quantitative. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBfrImBYBA). The 2012 ad in Maine that you mention—and many others across the country—were modeled off that ad and message. This victory had many contributors, but these foundational ideas started in Mass. The huge mistake of the Prop 8 campaign was not learning from what had already been successful in other states, like Mass. It took the movement 5 years to “re-discover” what had already been discovered. So a valuable lesson to add to your op-ed: For movements to succeed, it’s essential that they learn from and replicate success.
COMMENTS
BY Alex
ON June 15, 2016 10:58 AM
First, kudos to Gill. You were a major force behind the successful movement for marriage. But one piece of history to add (a piece of history you helped write!): The “love and commitment” message you mentioned was used in the first successful marriage campaign in 2007, the battle in Massachusetts. Gill was a major funder of that effort—including the highly successful Peter Hams / hockey moms ad that drove the love, commitment, and family theme. (Developed through extensive research, qualitative and quantitative. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBfrImBYBA). The 2012 ad in Maine that you mention—and many others across the country—were modeled off that ad and message. This victory had many contributors, but these foundational ideas started in Mass. The huge mistake of the Prop 8 campaign was not learning from what had already been successful in other states, like Mass. It took the movement 5 years to “re-discover” what had already been discovered. So a valuable lesson to add to your op-ed: For movements to succeed, it’s essential that they learn from and replicate success.