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2 Minute Read
With last week's marathon reconciliation votes behind us, today we summarize three lessons for every public affairs organization that jump out from the results.
This may come as a surprise to many, but the deepest pockets were often not the winners last week. We'll refrain from specific callouts because many of you dear readers were duking it out with each other and ended up on different sides of the win/loss column. But we will say that many reconciliation strategies were akin to shooting hundreds of arrows into a forest and hoping to hit a small target. We saw enormous linear TV buys designed to hit 2 Senators, that instead went from Southern Pennsylvania to Southern Virginia. We saw six and seven figure direct ad buys in premium publications, that produced zero record of actually hitting the targets. We saw billboard trucks, airport ads, and other kitchen sink strategies that just poured money down the drain.
But we also saw scrappy organizations with five figure budgets beat some of the biggest players in Washington. One to three swing votes were driving most outcomes, but the vast majority of ad dollars were wasted communicating to millions of people.
The simple lesson is that precision targeting is the great equalizer in public affairs. And if your deep pockets prevent you from honing your targeting tactics, that money can actually become a disadvantage in a world where just a few Members of Congress decide your outcome.
A second theme we see throughout last week's outcomes is that organizations that had long-term messaging plans did better than those that were late to ramp up their campaigns. When the noise level reached maximum volume over the last few weeks, it was not the time to be introducing Members of Congress to your message. But those organizations that did their work early, also did better when the votes were counted.
Messaging is cumulative. You need time to break through the noise. The lesson here is clear—start now on your next debate.
The winners had front-line decision-making authority. These organizations delegated battlefield calls to their internal teams and consultants. And when they needed approvals for new budgets, message changes, or target changes, they had a speed-dial process for getting to yes.
The lesson here is that even the most well-resourced public affairs teams are only as strong as their weakest link. And if that link is a lack of speed in decision-making, it's time to have the difficult internal discussions you need to strengthen your team for future campaigns.
🔱 Audit your last campaign. Insist on a full accounting of exactly how many times your messages hit the targets. If you can't get this information, you need a change in strategy.
🔱 Start now to drive the debate on your next issue. Long-term messaging will set you up for success the next time the votes are counted.
🔱 Stress test your internal decision-making process: How did it perform in your last campaign? How can you streamline it to get an edge in your next debate?
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🔱 If you'd have other lessons to share from reconciliation, we'd love to hear from you.
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