Effective Global Advocacy
Whether making your organization’s case in Washington or abroad, you need strong relationships and a clear message to ensure that your advocacy strategy is successful. Here are several successful advocacy strategies:
- Have a strategy. Make sure that your tactics – lobby days, trade association meetings, digital policy campaigns – are directly related to your public affairs and organizational goals. Have a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve and make sure this resonates in your advocacy message.
- Know your audience. Stakeholder mapping will better align your strategy with various audiences. Your message will sound different depending on the status of the current relationship – is it positive, negative, neutral or non-existent? What are this stakeholder’s priorities, and what kind of messaging will they be most receptive to? This type of background research is essential for an effective meeting and will make you stand out.
- State your case and have an ask. Whether meeting with Hill staffers or the Executive Branch, make your objective clear. Avoid speaking generally about your company’s main line of business; be as specific as possible. If meeting with Hill staff, talk about the impact your company has on jobs in their district or state; if meeting with a federal agency, talk about how your company’s operations abroad are helping expand U.S. economic growth. Use the meeting as an opportunity to state your priorities on the policy issues relevant to the stakeholder.
- Patience is a virtue. In some settings, it is good to be direct. However, business executives and managers from the U.S. tend to have a negative reputation for being “all business” and overly aggressive in their requests. For many cultures, such as in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, the first meeting between potential business partners is just that – a meeting to get to know each other. It takes time to establish trust, especially between parties from different cultures.
- It’s not always “yes or no”. Often you will hear agreement from the other side of the table; however, this doesn’t mean that what you are asking for will be done. It is often the cultural norm to agree, and leave the request unanswered once the meeting is over. While indirect answers such as “we will think about it” or “it might be possible” might sound like moving in a positive direction for an American, they are actually just diplomatic ways of saying “no” in Asia or South America.
- Follow cultural ques. Remember that you are a guest in someone’s country. Show an interest in the culture, take time to answer non-work-related questions and try to follow subtle cues that indicate appropriate behavior. Don’t jump to fill the silence in the room, do accept invitations to share a meal and do present yourself as a trustworthy partner.
Want more tips for successful global advocacy tactics? Join me for a workshop on “Running a Global Advocacy Campaign” in September. Questions about the Council’s global public affairs practice? E-mail me at [email protected]. [/vc_toggle]
Update: Foreign Agents Registration Act
Lobbying firms and public affairs consultancies must frequently decide if they need to register new client work under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). With the announcement from John C. Demers, head of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, that there has been a shift “from treating FARA as an administrative obligation … to one that is increasingly an enforcement priority,” making the right decision on FARA registration has never been more important. Especially as law firms have begun paying steep settlements for failing to do so.
- Incorporate Client Representations into Contracts. The client itself is in the best position to know whether they are affiliated with any foreign government, political party or other interest firm or consultancy should require the client to provide representations about its relationship with foreign interests as part of a standard contract template.
- Build a Due Diligence File. Creating a file on each incoming client demonstrates that a firm made an effort to “know its client” and determine whether FARA registration could be necessary. This diligence file can consist of a questionnaire that solicits information about a client’s business operations, organizational affiliations and key personnel, as well as any material produced from independent research using WorldCheck, Google searches, and other tools. All diligence efforts by a firm or consultancy should be tracked whenever possible.
- See How Others Have Registered. Consult the Department of Justice’s FARA.gov filing database to note whether anyone else has previously registered for the client. A firm or consultancy should lean strongly toward FARA registration if another entity has previously registered for the same client.
- Use Legal Counsel When Necessary. Given the potential reputational and legal risk, make any “tough calls” on FARA registration with advice from legal counsel who are familiar with FARA and its requirements, including various potential exemptions from registration and Department of Justice advisory opinions.
A rigorous client in-take process that includes these and other measures could be key in protecting a firm or consultancy in the event of a FARA-related media allegation or government investigation. In a new era of stepped-up FARA enforcement, each lobbying firm and public-affairs consultancy should reexamine and refine its approach to onboarding new clients.
Matthew Sanderson
Political Law Attorney, Caplin & Drysdale
[email protected]
www.caplindrysdale.com/msanderson[/vc_toggle]
Save the Date: Washington, D.C. Study Tour
Mark your calendar for October 2-4! The Study Tour is perfect for International Network members and anyone whose work focuses on global public affairs. Discussions and interactive site visits feature representatives from government agencies, embassies, think tanks, media outlets, multilateral organizations, and associations – including Council members PhRMA, the Danish Embassy, Holland & Knights, Novo Nordisk and more.
According to one of last year’s participants, “The study tour …provides an invaluable learning opportunity to foreign-based government affairs practitioners. It is an excellent program to become acquainted with the Washington DC ecosystem and the key players and influencers. A perfect mix of in-class seminars, on-site visits and networking opportunities. Highly recommended.”
Learn more about the program here. Questions? E-mail Dasha Iventicheva, Manager, Global Public Affairs.
Upcoming Executive Education Programs
Free Webinar: Managing Global Consultants
September 12, 2019, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. EST
Consultants often help their clients overcome unexpected challenges and achieve strategic goals. Learn to get the most from your partners. This program is eligible for 1 elective credit toward the Certificate in Public Affairs Management and one CAE credit.
Workshop: Running a Global Advocacy Campaign
September 18, 2019, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST
Master the steps in creating an international public affairs plan that moves your audience to action. This workshop will include sessions on strategic planning and global case studies of successful advocacy campaigns.
Workshop: Global Issues Tracking
October 30, 2019, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST
Ensure your global public affairs function has a local perspective and can identify, track and manage issues in key markets. Explore how organizations conceptualize, construct, execute and assess their issues management and tracking plan.
Workshop: Global Public Affairs in Numbers
November 7, 2019, 10 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST
Measuring impact is one of the biggest challenges public affairs professionals face; it’s also the one that matters most to senior executives. Learn to express ROI in a way management understands and appreciates, and that captures the impact of your work.
Global Business Trends
- Escalating tensions between the United States and China. Tensions between the two countries have been on the rise, especially as China’s global aspirations grow, and the U.S. adopts a more protectionist approach. The U.S.-China trade war has added an undesirable amount of uncertainty to both global and regional economies. While talks between the two countries for a potential trade deal are ongoing, a resolution to the dispute doesn’t seem imminent.
- New trade deals. International trade may not be losing its appeal entirely. The European Union has continued to pursue pro-business and pro-trade agreements, with recent deals reached with Japan, Latin America and Vietnam. While the U.S. retreats or renegotiates old agreements, the EU is trying to find new opportunities for commercial cooperation with other global players.
- A growing risk of destabilization of the European Union. There are a number of factors threatening to weaken the state of the EU, including the prolonged Brexit proceedings, the U.S. is stalling on multilateralism and alliances such as NATO, the rise of populism in countries like Poland and Hungary, and a spike in migration over the last several years. Recent European Parliament elections and a newly elected head of the EU Commission will help determine the future direction of the EU – towards strength and harmonization, or one of disintegration and fragmentation. Council member Interel shares takeaways on the recent elections and the new EU Committee chairs.
- Eastern Europe and Russia’s ambitions to rebalance its geopolitical position. As a new president takes power in Ukraine, geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe could increase with Russia, further destabilizing economic growth and business prospects for foreign companies. Council member Kesarev provides analysis and implications of both the recent Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary election results.
Want more insights on global political and economic trends? Washington-based bipartisan think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a recognized source on national security issues, recently shared their Strategic Insights on U.S.-China supply chains, policy reform outlook during Modi’s second term in India, and the state of U.S. – Saudi relations for the Council’s global audience. For more information on Strategic Insights from CSIS, e-mail Kevin Sturtevant, deputy chief development officer.[/vc_toggle]