TAKING A PUBLIC STAND
The Issues Program As A Marketing Tool
The virtue in public service is frequently enhanced by the marketing value of public service. Doing well by doing good may not be a universal axiom, but it's not exactly cynical, either. At least, it isn't cynical if it isn't pursued cynically.
Many companies, in recent years, have tested the axiom with issues programs. The purpose of the issues program itself is to bring together intellectual forces, under the direction and auspices of your firm, to address opportunities and problems inherent in an issue that concerns both your market and the public weal. It aims to postulate directions and opportunities for solving the problem. Your firm's interest and willingness to help resolve in the problem helps you, both in resolving the issue, and in serving as a basis for appropriate publicity and promotion.
Issues programs can be run by individual firms, by industry groups, or as joint ventures with universities and other partners.
Granted, the issues program can be a two-edged sword. If the issue is too brashly self-serving, or so extreme as to offend a large portion of the community, the program can be counter-productive. On the other hand, there are significant issues that, if better understood by the larger community, enhance solution, and foster independent thinking. Sponsoring this kind of program helps the community, educates the electorate, and brings great visibility and credit to the sponsor.
Issues in this realm have included productivity, energy and natural resource conservation, mature versus emerging industries, drug and crime prevention, free trade, education, and even retirement policies.
But these are larger issues for larger canvasses, and for larger firms. Is the issue program viable for the smaller professional firm? Absolutely, if it's planned and executed well and professionally. The tools of the smaller program are essentially the same as those for the very large one. The difference is only scope and scale.
The Issue
The larger the program, the more significant and sustaining the issue must be. A national program must address national issues that are really burning in the minds of the public, and that affect a large number of people. It must have the magnitude and staying power to be in the forefront of public attention for at least a year, and must still be susceptible to a measure of solution.
For the smaller program, the issue can be much more localized. Or it can be a national issue, but addressed on a local or regional basis. A large national program may address the problems of international trade. A smaller, state-wide program could address the effects of international trade on regional economy. A city-wide program could address the problem of local government tax policy and its effects on international trade for a local company.
Some caveats...
¨ There's a distinct difference between an issues program and an advocacy program. An issues program pursues viable answers to a problem, and tries to look at the problem objectively. An advocacy program takes a position, usually self-serving, on an issue, and pursues it energetically.
¨ The value of an issues program is in its objectivity (although in some issues, even an objective view has an aspect of advocacy. Looking at the values of sales tax versus income tax raises some questions that some factions would rather not have raised).
¨ The dangers of an advocacy program are fairly obvious. Still, there are values in advocating strong positions that are popular with the audience that mean a lot to you. Supporting bank deregulation can be great, if you're trying to build a bank clientele.
The key to success begins with choosing the right issue. The greater the magnitude of the problem, the more people affected by the problem, the better the issue. A trivial problem will evoke only a trivial response. It should be dynamic, and not just one-dimensional. It should be of growing, not declining, concern.
The issue should have staying power -- it should be as pressing to people at the end of your program as it was at the beginning, else even the value of finding a solution can be diminished. There should be a feeling that your efforts will result in some action on the problem, and can contribute to the solution.
Successful issues programs are not haphazard and random. They have to be managed, particularly by someone who understands the issue in all its ramifications. The issue itself must be tracked in the press and other forums, and must be constantly amended by the issues manager as its dimensions change. The issues manager is the driver who keeps it moving, keeps it relevant, keeps it on track, and keeps it consistent with your own marketing and visibility objectives.
Even if your budget can sustain your doing the program on your own, there's value in joint venturing with a local university, as well as with local independent organizations. Even the smallest program can probably develop help from a local college or graduate business school. This kind of affiliation brings the partner's imprimatur of objectivity, it brings additional talent, and it brings platform.
The activities of the program can be diverse, and include...
¨ Study groups. Committees of scholars, local or national business people, government officials and private citizens to explore specific aspects of the problem. These groups will produce papers on their findings.
¨ Seminars. Periodic seminars using experts in various aspects of the problem. These seminars will publish and publicize proceedings.
¨ Papers. Scholars and others can be asked to function individually to write papers and articles on aspects of the problem, within the areas of their expertise.
¨ Press coverage. Periodic press conferences and releases at every stage will keep the press informed of the activities and progress of the program. Participants will be made available for interviews.
¨ A major conference. At the end of a designated period, there can be a major conference of leading participants in the study and important figures in industry, government and scholarship. Papers that summarize the findings will be presented.
The ongoing work of the program, for which the sponsors will be the public spokesmen, will serve as a constant source of material for speeches, articles and interviews.
The basic steps to develop an issue program are...
¨ Determine the issue.
¨ Prepare a proposal and prospectus defining the issue and the program. Include the objectives, methodology, management, expectations, participants and the roles of each, and marketing functions. This document will be used both to define the program, and as a prospective to elicit support from universities, public figures, and others.
¨ Universities, particularly those with business schools, and other joint venture partners must be approached. This is a priority, because you can expect any joint venture partners to have valuable input, as well as to attract major names. Remember that participation serves the partners' public relations as well as yours. Other partners, such as banks or other professional firms, should be chosen for their non-competitive contribution.
¨ A board of advisors must be assembled, carefully devised, and based upon not only prestige, but publicity value and willingness to participate (including possible cash contributions).
¨ Topics must be chosen and study groups and seminars established. Papers must be determined and assigned.
¨ The press plan must be prepared, including an introductory press conference. Press releases must be prepared and distributed on a regular basis.
¨ Research and drafts for introductory speeches and articles must begin immediately.
¨ Articles must be prepared and placed in appropriate publications.
¨ Ongoing research on the subject matter must be started, with a mechanism established to keep material updated.
¨ Platforms for speeches and seminars must be determined and established.
¨ At least one op-ed piece must be prepared and attempts made to place it.
¨ When the subject matter is in place and familiar to all participants, attempts must be made to arrange interviews with appropriate publications.
¨ Press releases and reprints of speeches and articles must be prepared and sent as appropriate.
These are the activities of the first three months. They will dictate subsequent activities, but these primary steps must come first.
Not to be overlooked is the role of the issues manager. This is a distinctive job that requires an understanding of both the subject matter and the needed marketing skills. The issues manager must...
¨ Understand the issue, and keep abreast of it, daily, in the media, and the appropriate legislative and trade association bodies.
¨ Depending upon the program, and the size of the staff involved, either keep writers and researchers abreast of the dynamic parts of the issue, or do the actual writing and research him or herself.
¨ Function as liaison with all joint venture partners, to assure consistency of understanding and participation in the program.
¨ Supervise and monitor all material, to see that it stays consistent with the objectives, and the policy lines.
¨ Either act as marketing manager, or coordinate with the marketing manager, to assure that all aspects of the program are consistent, and function on a high level.
¨ The well-conceived and well-run issues program accomplishes a great deal that redounds to the credit of the sponsor.
¨ It contributes greater understanding, and potential solutions, to the crucial problems of our time.
¨ It enhances the reputation of the sponsor, and brings luster to the sponsor's name.
¨ It publicizes and promotes the sponsor's people and their capabilities, in a most favorable light.
¨ It usually establishes favorable relationships with the press that serve the firm well in the long term.
¨ It develops new relationships with prospective clients, as well as outright new business leads.
¨ It fosters a spirit of pride in the firm's staff.
The issues program, ultimately, brings value and freshness to a marketing operation that gives it a substantial return on investment.