| Notes |
The group ended up doing exactly what the mayor hoped. By spending $1.4 million to air ads that touted the benefits of the soda tax, Philadelphians for a Fair Future was able to partly counteract the whopping $5 million spent by the American Beverage Association on advertisements. “We didn’t match it. We didn’t come close,” Kenney said recently in an interview with Philadelphia magazine. “[But] I think it’s part of what made a difference.”
In fact, the organization used the soda industry’s own playbook to defeat it. In addition to airing ads, Philadelphians for a Fair Future paid five consultants who worked around the clock lobbying lawmakers, placing op-eds in news outlets, commissioning polls, and acting as spokespeople for the cause. The nonprofit also partnered with more than 80 outside groups that backed Kenney’s tax, including civic organizations, labor unions, private companies and health experts. “Our coalition partners were incredible. They were very aggressive. They met with Council members. … They also came out in droves to testify in City Council hearings,” said Kevin Feeley, a spokesman for Philadelphians for a Fair Future. “The truth is, they were pretty much our secret weapon.”
As valuable as its volunteers were, though, Philadelphians for a Fair Future couldn’t have done much of its work without money. Feeley said the group raised roughly $2 million, but “the final tally isn’t available yet because a few checks came in very late.”
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire who tried to ban big sodas as mayor of New York, was the biggest contributor, providing about $1.5 million to $1.6 million, according to Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson. Though Philadelphians for a Fair Future voluntarily said in March that he gave money to the campaign, Bloomberg didn’t reveal how much he donated until after City Council passed the soda tax. Philadelphians for a Fair Future also acknowledged during the soda tax debate that another contributor was the Action Now Initiative, an anti-obesity nonprofit funded by Texas billionaire/former Enron trader John Arnold and his wife. But as with Bloomberg, it was only after the tax’s passage that Action Now Initiative revealed the amount of money it gave: $400,000. |