Why Engage In Advocacy & How To Run A Successful Campaign
Some problems require collective action. Systemic change, industry transformation, or a more level playing field often require changes to public policy and working in coalition.
For example, supply chain & scope 3 decarbonization, ingredient & product safety, ESG disclosure & reporting, and sustainability claims are all issues that likely require changes to state, federal, and international laws.
Many of your competitors are likely already investing in political activities - and not all of them are in support of more responsible and sustainable business.
Download our free business advocacy playbook for more guidance on campaign planning
Start by clearly defining the problem
Not every issue requires changing laws or updating public policy. But it’s difficult to even make that determination if you haven’t defined the problem you’re trying to solve.
In our work with business clients, we commonly find that an problem they are considering for an advocacy campaign is misdiagnosed or already addressed through existing laws.
Watch out: We advise our clients against taking positions or engaging in advocacy campaigns on issues that are not materially relevant to a businesses operations, products, or supply chain.
We find that your credibility and ability to engage effectively on an issue in an authentic way with stakeholders and policymakers needs a legitimate link to your business.
That said, we also believe that some issues are material to all businesses across all industries (e.g. protecting democratic institutions, rule of law, voter access).
Materiality is one of our threshold tests for making a determination about which problems are right for business advocacy - more on these tests below.
Download our free business advocacy playbook for more on campaign planning
Apply some threshold tests to your problem
Before we start building a campaign plan with our clients we make sure that the problem we’re trying to address make sense for an advocacy campaign.
To help with this assessment we apply what we call “threshold tests” to determine if it makes sense to pursue a campaign further. In general, these thresholds include the following:
Is this issue materially relevant to the business?
Is this issue suitable for changes in public policy (read broad)?
Is action on this issue timely?
If the answers to all of these questions is “yes” then we proceed with crafting a campaign plan.
You can read more about these tests in our free business advocacy playbook.
Have a campaign plan
Transformative change and the business value that comes along with it requires time and intention. You’ll need a smart campaign plan to be successful.
The plan should include:
Policy gap analysis
Stakeholder landscape assessment
Legislative strategy
Community engagement & communications roadmap
We’ve worked with lobbyists at the local, state, and federal levels across the country. If you’re looking for advice on when and how to build a campaign plan, engage grassroots, build community, or partner with a lobbying firm we can help.
Be collaborative & authentic
Business is competitive. But to be successful in an advocacy campaign you’ll need to be collaborative. That means working in coalition with competitors, partnering with NGOs, and mobilizing your community.
Throughout implementation of your campaign plan the key to value creation is authenticity. To have authenticity you’ll need to be mindful of the following:
Identify spending and membership in trade associations, political spending, other government affairs actions that contradict your values and the solution you’re pursuing.
Make sure you’re sharing credit with partners including NGOs
Do not overstate your role or impact of the change.
We chat with brands all the time about advocacy - feel free to reach out if you want to learn more.