Although public affairs campaigns are often won or lost based on a perceived narrative around an issue of public debate that doesn’t mean there is always perfect harmony between public relations strategy and lobbying strategy.
One of our specialties at McDowell Communications Group is the public relations efforts that support issue advocacy campaigns. We recognize that there are a number of sure-fire ways to increase the probability of success, but we also realize the politics of a local legislative body, the state legislature, or a regulatory body needs to be taken into account.
The government bodies that make decisions on behalf of the public are populated by people who react in various ways to the nature and tone of public messaging. Just because a message has been tested as potentially effective doesn’t mean the message should be employed in a campaign without proper attention given to the nuance of the personalities you are trying to influence.
The job of a lobbyist is to know the issue and the people involved in making decisions about that issue. It’s important for any public relations team to consider the views of lobbyists when designing a public affairs campaign. As a firm, this is something we have always done effectively. Here are our principles:
It’s our job to understand the issue and the politics around the issue.
It’s important for us to listen and incorporate, if possible, the special insight your lobbyist might have regarding the government reaction to any planned issue campaign.
Messaging must be developed based on what we think will be most effective without opening a secondary battle front based on messaging or delivery techniques that embarrass or anger government decision makers.
The client deserves to hear an open debate between public relations advisors, lobbyists, and - if appropriate - legal advisors.
It’s up to the client to make a final decision on strategy once the client has the benefit of a full discussion of options.
It’s our job to build a public affairs plan based on the client’s final strategy decision.
Bottom Line: We recognize the most effective public affairs issue campaign can be hobbled if proper attention is not given to the special insight of your lobbying team.