For many public affairs campaigns the first challenge is getting
your issue on the radar screen of decision-makers. While lobbyists
can spread the word directly to this crew, legislators are
generally slow to act unless the issue has some public
momentum.
Generating media coverage on your issue is an ideal strategy for
creating public momentum because decision-makers and their staff
(actually) read national and local newspapers and listen to news
radio. Media coverage of your issue at either the national or local
level (or both) will make it easier for your lobbyists to get the
attention of Hill staffers. If early media coverage is favorable
and your issue is framed correctly it can help kick-start your
legislative campaign.
So why not pitch the papers directly? Credibility
Without effective third party support for your issue campaign
your media pitch can be transparent to even a rookie political
reporter. The last thing any public affairs campaign wants is to
invest time and resources on a campaign and have it perceived (or
worse, exposed) as an industry ploy. The potential negative press
this could entail could be very embarrassing and derail any
progress your lobbyists may have made. (It may also make you a
little unpopular at the annual legislative retreat.)
So how do you get your story placed with your viewpoint? Have
credible third parties re-enforce your message to the media
Having a credible third party state your message in a public
forum should provide your campaign with favorable media coverage.
This media coverage will, in turn, impact decision makers, making
it easier to get their attention and support on your issue.
Clearly, one good story in The Washington Post, Detroit Free Press
and Ann Arbor News does not pass legislation, but it will make the
rest of the campaign easier.
Let's use an example. Suppose you work for a RV manufacturer.
Congress has just passed a law that makes it harder for RVs to
enter Federal Parks as part of the latest Clean Air Act bill. As
the communication/PR exec you are asked to help brainstorm on how
to repeal this new law and plan the public affairs campaign. First,
you would meet with your lobbyists and government affairs staff to
get the low-down on the issue. There would likely be a suggestion
to reach out to the usual suspects of ATV, off-road motorcycle and
motorized recreational vehicle associations for support in
defeating the new law. While building a coalition is a good idea,
enlisting a credible "not self-interested" organization will
provide greater opportunities for media coverage and in turn impact
on decision-makers.
A more compelling set of allies might be to approach a respected
disabilities group or senior citizen group to commission or
collaborate on a study that looks at how disabled Americans or
senior citizens are affected by legislation that limits access by
motorized vehicles to Federal Parks. If a credible third party
questions the proposed law on the grounds that it might
discriminate against disabled Americans or senior citizens, that's
a story the media will pick-up on and will carry greater weight
with elected official. The reason for this greater impact is that a
disability or senior citizen group has no vested interest in
selling more RVs and no elected official wants to appear
insensitive to the needs of disabled Americans or senior
citizens.
A variation on this same idea is to approach a think-tank or
group of respected academics to commission a report on your issue.
You'll need to do some research on which think- tank or academics
are most appropriate and relevant for your issue. (See bullet
points.) Once the report is completed (assuming it's more or less
what you expected) hold a press event where interested
associations, industry groups, perhaps a Federal Parks official, a
"friendly" member of Congress, and, of course, some members of the
press are invited. The event is the "report producer's" (think-tank
or academics) event since it is their report, so it's important to
remain behind the scenes during the press conference. After the
event is over, provide a report that has been endorsed by a
credible third party that supports your position. Fast forward to a
month or two after the event and the report (or summaries of the
report) is now easy to find online for any reporter to view as
corroborating background material.
For most issues, you may want to have several events with
different organizations in order to get different takes on your
issue spaced out over time. At each event a report, policy paper or
roundtable dialogue can be presented that re-enforces or highlights
different aspects of your position on the issue. You may want to
include opposing viewpoints within your event as long as the debate
is around the issue as you "frame" it. In other words, allow
opposing viewpoints but only if it is a reaction to your report and
not taking the debate in a new direction.
Here are some other tips to consider:
- Make sure your issue is right for the think-tank or issue group
you approach. Do some research and have preliminary meetings with
the organization to discern if your issue is relevant for
them. - Understand that you will not be able to write the report for
the group and get a rubber stamp. Do your research beforehand so
you have a good expectation of what the end result will be. - Partner with a range of groups, such as conservative as well as
liberal organizations so that you cover the political
spectrum. - Partner with associations that have members (a.k.a. real people
with real stories) since they have more appeal to media and can be
asked to provide real support to your campaign.
Contact: By Mark Reilly, assistant vice president of Issue
Dynamics Inc. He can be reached at 202.263.2932, [email protected]