Public affairs

Whatever industry you are in, understanding the public affairs and what is driving the most important decision makers in your sector is of critical importance. If you’re in construction, how well do you know the regulatory landscape? If you’re in health and care, do you know the anticipated changes in the make-up of the NHS?

Whether its foreign wars or domestic elections, our public affairs team helps you to navigate through the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world of government and regulation.

Like all the work we do, the team starts with the end goal in mind, working backwards carefully to produce a plan that will achieve its aims. This ensures every meeting will be worth it.

It may be that your organisation needs to have its voice heard on a particular issue and have a seat at the table. Likewise, you may want to influence policy and get in front of the right people at the right time in the right place. Alternatively, you may want to raise a new issue and get it onto the agenda.

Our team can support in a range of ways:

• Stakeholder engagement and management: Identifying, interacting, and coordinating with a core group of influencers who can drive your issue forward government officials, regulators, community leaders, media outlets, and NGOs.
• Policy advocacy: Using the group of stakeholders, influence the development and implementation of policy
• Reputation management: Shaping public perception of the issue you are championing through positive, proactive communication
• Communication: Using strategic communication techniques to build relationships, inform stakeholders, and advocate for your interest.

When the requirement for public affairs activity is part of the wider PR strategy, having a team which can deliver in this specialised area allows us here at Refresh to provide all encompassing PR campaigns – a clear advantage for our clients.

We will help you with your stakeholder mapping, considering more than just the audiences that first come to mind. We will work out a route to ensure you develop relationships with these key stakeholders and decision makers, whether they are politicians, part of local government or policy makers further afield.

For support on your public affairs activity, contact the Refresh team here.