The #40dollars campaign; you might have heard of it. It was a campaign on Twitter in which users posted what $40 a week would do for them using the hashtag #40dollars. The campaign opposed the end of a tax cut which would add about $40 a week taken for taxes from middle class payrolls. The White House even had a Tax Cut Calculator to determine how much Americans would lose if the payroll tax cut wasn’t extended.
On day one of the campaign, The White House made a post “What does #40dollars mean to you” including a picture of $40. They also sent an e-mail to people encouraging them to use the hashtag to explain what $40 means to them. People answered with responses that show how difficult it would be if the cut wasn’t extended. An example is “#40dollars a week is my grocery budget”. These heartfelt answers grew the campaign enormously making the hashtag trend worldwide.
On day two, the campaign and The White House received media coverage about the campaign throughout the entire day. The White House also hosted a Twitter Q&A to field questions about the campaign and about the tax break. Obama himself tweeted about a press conference he would have on day three to talk about a press conference.
At the press conference, Barack Obama invited several individuals who posted to Twitter or wrote to The White House to say their story on national television. In the end, the payroll tax cut was extended. The President gave credit to those who fought in the #40dollars campaign.
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