The subject of taxes is always a divisive issue. But a “singable” song sticks in everybody’s head. To unite a city in support of restoring two historic and iconic landmarks, we created the original, “singable” song, “Hey Yo”.

The song lyrics celebrated the two architectural gems, Union Terminal and Music Hall, in a way that was compelling and incredibly engaging. It transformed a controversial tax levy debate into a conversation about our icons. So much so, in fact, the media changed its vernacular in all reporting from being about a sales tax to being about an “icon tax” – a shift that helped to improve overall perception of the effort.

The song gave the public a reason to care. They started taking action to save the buildings. They were able to download the song from a website, where they could also sign up to volunteer at local rallies, get their own yard signs and find ways to get involved.

The campaign reached tens of thousands of voters at over 62 events including public forums, parades, pop-up events and more. It became the people’s song - they played it from their cars and on speaker systems.

They were able to download the song from the same website where they could volunteer and find opportunities to participate in the campaign. The effort generated thousands of volunteers, yard signs and other efforts to save the buildings.

“Hey Yo” also became the rally cry of the city and was used broadly on traditional media including television and radio. The song was shared on every major local news station in Cincinnati and was played thousands of times on radio in the months leading up to the election.

We saved the buildings! Both historic buildings have secured funds to preserve their buildings.

63% of voters voted in support of the $170 million levy for Union Terminal.

$100+ MILLION RAISED in private donations and federal grants for Music Hall.

The campaign generated +1.4 million media impressions.

Thousands of people volunteered to help with the campaign.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation named both buildings to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, the first time ever two buildings from the same city have ever been included.