Well, it’s all over but the shouting. Barack Obama wins a second term in office, in a campaign filled with twists, turns, empty chairs and high drama all the way up to Election Night.
While it’s a common PR tactic to concentrate on the audiences that are attracted to your brand, in Mitt Romney’s case, the opposite strategy might have been more fruitful. Election data shows that Romney lost big among some key groups, like Hispanics, Asians, Blacks and women. Because of it, between now and 2016 the Republican Party has some heavy rebranding and reputation building to do. Even Republican stalwart Newt Gingrich, who predicted a big victory for Romney, says a brand new strategy is necessary. “Republicans are going to have to take a very serious look at what happened and why did it happen and why were we not more competitive at the presidential level,” Gingrich told CNN.
The big question on the minds of many is whether anything will be different for the next four years. Will the gridlock with a divided Congress prevent any meaningful work from being done? PR News took these questions and put them in a communications context. What does Obama’s re-election mean for public affairs, governmental affairs and issues management professionals who frequent the corridors of government?
GRID-- LOCK IS GOOD
In the case of communicators, that gridlock will actually be a boon, says John Davies, CEO of Davies Public Affairs. “While a divided government is bad for the public, it’s actually good for us,” he says. “The more difficult it is in Washington the more there’s a need there for public affairs and issues management to move the process along.”
But even though things may seem the same, just because Obama is starting his final term as President doesn’t mean that others in the administration will too. Staff and cabinet members will be leaving (possibly Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example) meaning there will be leadership changes for communicators to adjust to.
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To Richard Levick, president and CEO of Levick Strategic Communications, Obama’s second term will look a lot like the first term. “People think they’ll govern bigger, but presidents tend to govern smaller in the second term,” he says. Obama’s legacy is set, contends Levick. “It is ‘healthcare for all,’ and he’s pushed that through.”
INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
But that doesn’t mean communicators in key industries will be sitting on their hands. Challenges will abound. Here are a few:
â–¶ Financial Services: There’s a sea change going on in banking, says Levick. “People are now doing their banking at Walmart,” he says. Thus, the financial services industry will have some soul searching to do. Just what is their purpose? “Communicators will have to be proactive in making the public aware of banks’ changing roles,” says Levick.
â–¶ Environment: Two things have happened within this space. First, the administration has pulled back on environmental regulation, so environmental issues will not be front and center. And two, the green movement has been so successful, it’s too successful. “Everything is green, and therefore this means less and less to the public,” says Levick. Thus, communications pros will need to work harder than ever to prove the value of green.
â–¶ Technology/Privacy: For the last four years, the FTC has been aggressive with product endorsement, green claims and privacy issues involving Google, Facebook and Twitter, says Allison Fitzpatrick, partner at law firm Davis & Gilbert LLP.
“If Romney had won, a more hands-off approach would have been expected,” says Fitzpatrick. Instead, consumer protection issues, including product recalls, will stay in the forefront.
â–¶ Healthcare: The passing of the Affordable Healthcare Act means multiple PR messages from a variety of players, says Levick. Insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, medical equipment suppliers will all have new and different messages, thanks to Obamacare. Levick expects the fight against the new mandate to get less and less robust. “The Supreme Court has spoken,” he says.
â–¶ Energy: Davies says there may be a fight brewing on the energy horizon—around coal. “I think the President and many in his party want get rid of coal,” he says. Since coal supplies 50% of our electricity, it could be an epic battle. And while coal could take up much of the conversation, fracking will also come to the forefront, says Davies.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
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Karen Sharma, director at MacDougall Biomedical Communications in Boston, says that a second Obama term is positive for public affairs and government relations pros who have established relationships for the last four years in D.C.
She says the power players will essentially remain the same. There will be opportunities in the space she works in—life sciences and bio-tech—particularly in the patent area. “There are many patent issues around drugs and drug development, so we’re looking at public affairs opportunities around possible patent legislation,” says Sharma.
FIGHTING THE ANGST
When asked the question directly how much will get done in Washington, D.C. in the next four years, Davies gets somewhat philosophical: “You know, there’s a lot of angst in the world right now, and in the U.S.,” he says. “And when there’s angst, people say ‘no.’”
So it’s up to communicators to keep the conversation about the issues going, so things will get done.
CONTACT:
John Davies, [email protected]; Richard Levick, [email protected]; Allison Fitzpatrick, [email protected]; Karen Sharma, [email protected].
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01