Unlike political campaigns, which were early adopters, the public policy arena has been one of the last bastions to fully embrace digital tools and social networks.
To gauge the integration and perceived impact of digital tools and how constituents and interest groups interact with EU and U.S. policymakers, MSLGROUP surveyed a large, diverse and active group of corporations, trade associations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), local public bodies and think tanks in and around Brussels and Washington, D.C. in 2015.
The study shows quite clearly that there are tremendous opportunities to expand and enhance the use of social and digital communications in policymaking. We hope this research will inform communication and advocacy strategies to strengthen dialogues between stakeholders and policymakers.
People ask: what does digital have to do with public affairs? Surely, Facebook ‘likes’ and comedy 'hashtags' don’t exert any real influence over serious-minded politicians, officials and regulators? Maybe not. However it’s worth noting that the last reshuffle was announced on Twitter and acknowledging the expanding digital operations at the heart of each of the parties. They care about digital, and so should you.
The Digital and Social Media Revolution in Public AffairsMSL Germany
Europäische Politiker nutzen die Potentiale der digitalen und sozialen Medien stärker als ihre Kollegen in den USA. Während die Mitglieder des Europäischen Parlaments, der Europäischen Kommission, des Ministerrats und die verschiedenen Stakeholder auf europäischer Ebene digitalen Medien einen hohen Stellenwert bei der Public Affairs-Arbeit einräumen, sind die politischen Entscheider in den USA zurückhaltender bei deren Nutzung.
Dies ist das Ergebnis der neuesten Studie der MSLGRPOUP “The Digital and Social Media Revolution in Public Affairs: Where we are and where we’re going”. In der breit angelegten Untersuchung wurden politische Entscheidungsträger in Brüssel und Washington nach ihrer Nutzung sozialer Medien befragt.
Welche Gründe es für die unterschiedliche Relevanz des Internets in der politischen Kommunikation gibt und wie sich das Potential von Digital Public Affairs in den USA und in Europa noch stärker nutzen lässt, hat die MSLGROUP zusammengefasst.
MSL Germany - Public Affairs Survey 2015 (engl.)MSL Germany
For the 14th consecutive year, we asked public affairs professionals in Germany to evaluate the political status quo and tell us about the latest developments in the public affairs sector. The following is a summary of the key results of this year’s survey:
Confidence in politics restored
Following a notable dip in the first year of the Grand Coalition (22 per cent), confidence in politicians and their actions bounced back this year, with 39 per cent of respondents saying that politicians were ‘reliable partners’. Christian Democrats received the greatest vote of confidence. 89 per cent of respondents considered their relationships with the CDU to be ‘constructive’.
Government’s approval ratings improve
Similarly, confidence in the Grand Coalition’s performance went up. 57 per cent said that the Federal Government was doing a ‘good job’, an improvement of 14 per cent on last year.
Especially the Government’s foreign trade policy, which includes TTIP, was rated favourably by public affairs professionals. Opposition parties (i. e. Greens and Left Party), on the other hand, were given negative ratings.
Public affairs spending goes up
Corporations and trade associations increased their spending on public affairs in the past 12 months. 39 per cent spent more on public affairs personnel, while 45 per cent increased their spending on external service providers, including consulting work. Of these, more than half favoured full-service consultancies with a strong public affairs offering, as opposed to public affairs only outfits or law firms.
Digital public affairs continues to grow
The use of social media is becoming even more commonplace in public affairs. 52 per cent of respondents use Twitter, while 36 per cent rely on Facebook, 29 per cent on the German-centric career platform Xing, and 25 per cent on its international counterpart LinkedIn.
This deck was prepared for a workshop session with NHS comms directors hosted by NHS Providers in London on 25 January, 2018.
If there’s anything that I can do in my role at Ketchum to help your organisation address any of the issues highlighted, please let me know.
Ned’s Job of the Week (JOTW) newsletter and Sword and the Script Media conducted the third annual JOTW Communications Survey for 2020 to understand trends in the field of communications. The survey examines trends in communications, public relations (PR), public affairs, marketing communications and related fields. It covers important topics including: the effects of partisan politics on communications; top challenges facing communicators, the state of media relations, media bias, PR ethics, PR firms, top tactics in PR and communications, PR measurement, PR technology, employment and organizational structure of the in-house communications department. A total of 300 professionals took the survey: 95% of respondents are based in the U.S.; 92% report having 11 or more years of experience; 52% of respondents are in-house communicators (corporate communications); and respondents come from more than a dozen different industries. Detailed demographics are included at the end.
People ask: what does digital have to do with public affairs? Surely, Facebook ‘likes’ and comedy 'hashtags' don’t exert any real influence over serious-minded politicians, officials and regulators? Maybe not. However it’s worth noting that the last reshuffle was announced on Twitter and acknowledging the expanding digital operations at the heart of each of the parties. They care about digital, and so should you.
The Digital and Social Media Revolution in Public AffairsMSL Germany
Europäische Politiker nutzen die Potentiale der digitalen und sozialen Medien stärker als ihre Kollegen in den USA. Während die Mitglieder des Europäischen Parlaments, der Europäischen Kommission, des Ministerrats und die verschiedenen Stakeholder auf europäischer Ebene digitalen Medien einen hohen Stellenwert bei der Public Affairs-Arbeit einräumen, sind die politischen Entscheider in den USA zurückhaltender bei deren Nutzung.
Dies ist das Ergebnis der neuesten Studie der MSLGRPOUP “The Digital and Social Media Revolution in Public Affairs: Where we are and where we’re going”. In der breit angelegten Untersuchung wurden politische Entscheidungsträger in Brüssel und Washington nach ihrer Nutzung sozialer Medien befragt.
Welche Gründe es für die unterschiedliche Relevanz des Internets in der politischen Kommunikation gibt und wie sich das Potential von Digital Public Affairs in den USA und in Europa noch stärker nutzen lässt, hat die MSLGROUP zusammengefasst.
MSL Germany - Public Affairs Survey 2015 (engl.)MSL Germany
For the 14th consecutive year, we asked public affairs professionals in Germany to evaluate the political status quo and tell us about the latest developments in the public affairs sector. The following is a summary of the key results of this year’s survey:
Confidence in politics restored
Following a notable dip in the first year of the Grand Coalition (22 per cent), confidence in politicians and their actions bounced back this year, with 39 per cent of respondents saying that politicians were ‘reliable partners’. Christian Democrats received the greatest vote of confidence. 89 per cent of respondents considered their relationships with the CDU to be ‘constructive’.
Government’s approval ratings improve
Similarly, confidence in the Grand Coalition’s performance went up. 57 per cent said that the Federal Government was doing a ‘good job’, an improvement of 14 per cent on last year.
Especially the Government’s foreign trade policy, which includes TTIP, was rated favourably by public affairs professionals. Opposition parties (i. e. Greens and Left Party), on the other hand, were given negative ratings.
Public affairs spending goes up
Corporations and trade associations increased their spending on public affairs in the past 12 months. 39 per cent spent more on public affairs personnel, while 45 per cent increased their spending on external service providers, including consulting work. Of these, more than half favoured full-service consultancies with a strong public affairs offering, as opposed to public affairs only outfits or law firms.
Digital public affairs continues to grow
The use of social media is becoming even more commonplace in public affairs. 52 per cent of respondents use Twitter, while 36 per cent rely on Facebook, 29 per cent on the German-centric career platform Xing, and 25 per cent on its international counterpart LinkedIn.
This deck was prepared for a workshop session with NHS comms directors hosted by NHS Providers in London on 25 January, 2018.
If there’s anything that I can do in my role at Ketchum to help your organisation address any of the issues highlighted, please let me know.
Ned’s Job of the Week (JOTW) newsletter and Sword and the Script Media conducted the third annual JOTW Communications Survey for 2020 to understand trends in the field of communications. The survey examines trends in communications, public relations (PR), public affairs, marketing communications and related fields. It covers important topics including: the effects of partisan politics on communications; top challenges facing communicators, the state of media relations, media bias, PR ethics, PR firms, top tactics in PR and communications, PR measurement, PR technology, employment and organizational structure of the in-house communications department. A total of 300 professionals took the survey: 95% of respondents are based in the U.S.; 92% report having 11 or more years of experience; 52% of respondents are in-house communicators (corporate communications); and respondents come from more than a dozen different industries. Detailed demographics are included at the end.
Here are the areas of marketing, media and public relations that I’m thinking about for 2017 in my day job in at Ketchum. Let me know what you think. We’ve love to help your organisation think through some of these challenges.
From October 21, 2009 to November 3, 2009, Vocus surveyed approximately 1,800 public relations professionals about their perceptions of PR planning for 2010 amid a changing and dynamic landscape. Key findings include the following: Social media to be a key focus in 2010. 80 percent of respondents say they will focus on social media in 2010; multimedia is not far behind with 63 percent, while measuring results, SEO (search engine optimization) and viral campaigns trail with 58, 57 and 56 percent, respectively.
The new Global Communications Report, produced by the Holmes Report in conjunction with University of Southern California’s Center for Public Relations, is the definitive study of the global public relations industry, featuring research, agency rankings and industry analysis.
This edition of the world's largest study on strategic communication and public relations explores the status quo and trends across 50 countries. Topics include visualisation, social bots, hypermodernity and benchmarking for strategic communications.
Based on responses from 3,387 senior professionals from every European country, this years’ edition of the European Communication Monitor (ECM) reveals that even though the professionals are fully aware of the visual trend in society, every second professional has limited visual competencies. The data also demonstrated that the phenomenon of social (ro-)bots is largely neglected by many communication professionals in Europe. Only one third follow the debate about social bots and 15.9 per cent have no idea about the topic at all. In this context social bots are mainly seen as a threat for public debates and organisational reputation alike, although four out of ten respondents do also see opportunities arising from them.
Moreover, the ECM 2017 asked how the hyper modern paradigm might influence the work environment of communication professionals. A hypermodern society is a society in overdrive, characterised by a culture of hyper consumption, hyper change, and hyper individualism. A large majority of 71.5 per cent witness the cultural transformation towards a hyper modern culture in their country. The transition from a postmodern to hypermodern culture is the strongest in consultancies (57.2 per cent) and private companies (51.8 per cent). Organisations with postmodern and hypermodern characteristics are ahead in sensing the trend towards an overarching consumer mentality and are much stronger involved in societal debates. Most of them think that it has already changed and will continue to change the communication with their stakeholders.
The ECM is a joint project by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and the European Association of Directors (EACD), supported by partner PRIME Research. The communication monitor study series, initiated and led by Professor Ansgar Zerfass (University of Leipzig), analyzes trends in the field since more than a decade and covers more than 80 countries across European, Latin-America and Asia-Pacific by now.
10 Ways to use Twitter for Media Relations | Social Media Club Atlanta presen...Frank Strong
If you job is media relations, the people you want to reach are on Twitter. And they are sharing news, yes, but also views, interests, frustrations, and even details like their favorite ice cream flavors. If you want to have a relationship with someone, it starts by understanding what makes them tick and how to make yourself useful for them.
MSLGROUP Reputation Impact Indicator Study 2015MSL
MSLGROUP has chosen to take a somewhat atypical approach to the study of reputation. Moving beyond simple rankings, or analyses of ‘drivers’ of reputation alone, we take a more holistic look at how a company must act to build a strong reputation that can facilitate success over time. The result of our research is this, the Reputation Impact Indicator study, part of MSLGROUP’s ongoing efforts to create better knowledge and tools for corporations to better understand how they can influence their reputation.
In the study, we have chosen to look at corporate reputation among a global general public. General public, because how they, as consumers and citizens, view corporations has a substantial and increasingly important impact on how other audiences view them. Global, because we live in an ‘always on’ and ‘on-demand’ world, where different audiences are constantly connected to each other. Today, more than ever, a multistakeholder perspective is necessary.
We hope you enjoy reading it and invite you to share your feedback and tips with us on Twitter @msl_group.
Follow #ReputationImpact on Twitter for insights from the report.
This is an article and deck about the outlook for public relations and social media in 2018. It’s based on insight from my day job working at Ketchum.
12 months is an arbitrary period to measure change in a sector that is rapidly innovating in some areas such as artificial intelligence and digital media; but woefully slow in others such as diversity and ethics.
If there’s anything that I can do in my role at Ketchum to help your organisation address any of the issues highlighted, please let me know.
The State of Corporate Social Media 2012Nick Johnson
"The State of Corporate Social Media" is a free briefing from Useful Social Media on how large companies are using social media, written by @gnjohnson.
The 2012 edition features over 40 pages of stats, facts, benchmarks and analysis on how social media is impacting business.
#SnapTheVote: How Digital Dominated the ElectionKyle J. Britt
Digital has presented enormous opportunities for advancing conversations about government at every level, but it also creates new & unique challenges.
At SXSW 2017 we will address three ways digital communication impacted the 2016 Election.
Following Uncle Sam: National Social Media MarketingLiam Dowd
Best practice report on the uptake
and integration of social media
Conclusions drawn from over 300 surveyed
USM community members – comparing Europe
to that of their North America counterparts.
Food trends have until now been forecast across specific geographies. Now, trends increasingly sweep the globe. Sure, there remain local tastes, but across societies, we have a common stake in climate, health and safety. Food and beverage marketers will be closely watching these worldwide movements in 2016, counseled by MSLGROUP's food marketing and PR experts.
This 15th edition of Directions Report by Salterbaxter MSLGROUP looks at the three dimensions contributing to the rise of science in corporate sustainability: science-based targets, scientific frameworks, and stakeholder engagement with science.
The report features views for and against from academics giving businesses the tools for science’s adoption, and business leaders applying these tools to their thinking and activities.
Is science going to save us all from ourselves (and from our constant theorising about sustainability)? Well, take a look inside. At the very least we think it’s hard to argue against the signs that science is growing its influence and looks set to transform the way we think about corporate sustainability.
Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SBDirections
Here are the areas of marketing, media and public relations that I’m thinking about for 2017 in my day job in at Ketchum. Let me know what you think. We’ve love to help your organisation think through some of these challenges.
From October 21, 2009 to November 3, 2009, Vocus surveyed approximately 1,800 public relations professionals about their perceptions of PR planning for 2010 amid a changing and dynamic landscape. Key findings include the following: Social media to be a key focus in 2010. 80 percent of respondents say they will focus on social media in 2010; multimedia is not far behind with 63 percent, while measuring results, SEO (search engine optimization) and viral campaigns trail with 58, 57 and 56 percent, respectively.
The new Global Communications Report, produced by the Holmes Report in conjunction with University of Southern California’s Center for Public Relations, is the definitive study of the global public relations industry, featuring research, agency rankings and industry analysis.
This edition of the world's largest study on strategic communication and public relations explores the status quo and trends across 50 countries. Topics include visualisation, social bots, hypermodernity and benchmarking for strategic communications.
Based on responses from 3,387 senior professionals from every European country, this years’ edition of the European Communication Monitor (ECM) reveals that even though the professionals are fully aware of the visual trend in society, every second professional has limited visual competencies. The data also demonstrated that the phenomenon of social (ro-)bots is largely neglected by many communication professionals in Europe. Only one third follow the debate about social bots and 15.9 per cent have no idea about the topic at all. In this context social bots are mainly seen as a threat for public debates and organisational reputation alike, although four out of ten respondents do also see opportunities arising from them.
Moreover, the ECM 2017 asked how the hyper modern paradigm might influence the work environment of communication professionals. A hypermodern society is a society in overdrive, characterised by a culture of hyper consumption, hyper change, and hyper individualism. A large majority of 71.5 per cent witness the cultural transformation towards a hyper modern culture in their country. The transition from a postmodern to hypermodern culture is the strongest in consultancies (57.2 per cent) and private companies (51.8 per cent). Organisations with postmodern and hypermodern characteristics are ahead in sensing the trend towards an overarching consumer mentality and are much stronger involved in societal debates. Most of them think that it has already changed and will continue to change the communication with their stakeholders.
The ECM is a joint project by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and the European Association of Directors (EACD), supported by partner PRIME Research. The communication monitor study series, initiated and led by Professor Ansgar Zerfass (University of Leipzig), analyzes trends in the field since more than a decade and covers more than 80 countries across European, Latin-America and Asia-Pacific by now.
10 Ways to use Twitter for Media Relations | Social Media Club Atlanta presen...Frank Strong
If you job is media relations, the people you want to reach are on Twitter. And they are sharing news, yes, but also views, interests, frustrations, and even details like their favorite ice cream flavors. If you want to have a relationship with someone, it starts by understanding what makes them tick and how to make yourself useful for them.
MSLGROUP Reputation Impact Indicator Study 2015MSL
MSLGROUP has chosen to take a somewhat atypical approach to the study of reputation. Moving beyond simple rankings, or analyses of ‘drivers’ of reputation alone, we take a more holistic look at how a company must act to build a strong reputation that can facilitate success over time. The result of our research is this, the Reputation Impact Indicator study, part of MSLGROUP’s ongoing efforts to create better knowledge and tools for corporations to better understand how they can influence their reputation.
In the study, we have chosen to look at corporate reputation among a global general public. General public, because how they, as consumers and citizens, view corporations has a substantial and increasingly important impact on how other audiences view them. Global, because we live in an ‘always on’ and ‘on-demand’ world, where different audiences are constantly connected to each other. Today, more than ever, a multistakeholder perspective is necessary.
We hope you enjoy reading it and invite you to share your feedback and tips with us on Twitter @msl_group.
Follow #ReputationImpact on Twitter for insights from the report.
This is an article and deck about the outlook for public relations and social media in 2018. It’s based on insight from my day job working at Ketchum.
12 months is an arbitrary period to measure change in a sector that is rapidly innovating in some areas such as artificial intelligence and digital media; but woefully slow in others such as diversity and ethics.
If there’s anything that I can do in my role at Ketchum to help your organisation address any of the issues highlighted, please let me know.
The State of Corporate Social Media 2012Nick Johnson
"The State of Corporate Social Media" is a free briefing from Useful Social Media on how large companies are using social media, written by @gnjohnson.
The 2012 edition features over 40 pages of stats, facts, benchmarks and analysis on how social media is impacting business.
#SnapTheVote: How Digital Dominated the ElectionKyle J. Britt
Digital has presented enormous opportunities for advancing conversations about government at every level, but it also creates new & unique challenges.
At SXSW 2017 we will address three ways digital communication impacted the 2016 Election.
Following Uncle Sam: National Social Media MarketingLiam Dowd
Best practice report on the uptake
and integration of social media
Conclusions drawn from over 300 surveyed
USM community members – comparing Europe
to that of their North America counterparts.
Food trends have until now been forecast across specific geographies. Now, trends increasingly sweep the globe. Sure, there remain local tastes, but across societies, we have a common stake in climate, health and safety. Food and beverage marketers will be closely watching these worldwide movements in 2016, counseled by MSLGROUP's food marketing and PR experts.
This 15th edition of Directions Report by Salterbaxter MSLGROUP looks at the three dimensions contributing to the rise of science in corporate sustainability: science-based targets, scientific frameworks, and stakeholder engagement with science.
The report features views for and against from academics giving businesses the tools for science’s adoption, and business leaders applying these tools to their thinking and activities.
Is science going to save us all from ourselves (and from our constant theorising about sustainability)? Well, take a look inside. At the very least we think it’s hard to argue against the signs that science is growing its influence and looks set to transform the way we think about corporate sustainability.
Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SBDirections
The imminent impeachment of Brazil’s President, Dilmah Rousseff and a spiraling economy are among the many challenges facing Brazil. Our experts from MSLGROUP Andreoli have co-authored a paper that looks ahead to the formation of a new Brazilian government.
MSLGROUP's Reputation Impact Indicator Study sheds light on the importance of corporate “mind space” – a measurement of how easily a person can relate to a company – in determining a brand or company’s reputation.
The study’s results demonstrate that “mind space” – meaning both how easily a person relates to a company and the nature of the connotations invoked - plays a different but equally important role in corporate reputation compared to people’s rational views about products, services, financial performance, corporate behavior and how those companies manage relationship with consumers.
Findings from our Reputation Impact Indicator study highlight key challenges facing global reputation managers today.
Download The Reputation Impact Indicator Study here: http://ow.ly/NLjIW
We hope you enjoy reading it and invite you to share your feedback and tips with us on Twitter @msl_group.
Follow #ReputationImpact on Twitter for insights from the report.
[Salterbaxter MSLGROUP Directions] Materiality - Breaking Out of the Strait-J...MSL
Materiality can help to deliver a range of valuable outcomes, but all too often the process ends up being nothing than a costly rubber-stamp; a matrix of prioritised issues, that’s finalised, published, and then… nothing. Our Salterbaxter MSLGROUP team present five materiality fundamentals, which are important considerations that can help improve results no matter where a company is on its journey.
Inside the Driving Forces of Disruptive InnovationMSL
In this short publication, we touch upon, among others, some of our clients’ stories and our perspective on how disruption plays out as a force within markets: the creative process, technology and communications. And to the marketing communications industry, we lay down the gauntlet: disruptive innovation offers us all an opening to embrace the polar shift towards a greater integration combining dissimilar currents into explosive ideas, the chance to help create ever-more meaningful partnerships for our clients, and the prospect of delivering insight-fueled foresight to help companies predict what’s over the horizon.
If you would like to talk to MSLGROUP about how we can support you in your business transformation, please contact Trudi Harris, Chief Communications Officer, trudi.harris@mslgroup.com
Everyone’s talking about integrated reporting. But not everyone has realised that there’s a new divide opening up within the integrated reporting movement.
It seems clear to us that the integrated reporters who show, rather than tell (and use the lens of the ‘capitals’ to do so), are the only ones able to truly convince their stakeholders that their company is doing something different. We take a closer look at the reporters getting it right in Salterbaxter MSLGROUP's latest ‘Directions’ report, ‘Integrated reporting: measurement matters’.
Do you know the Olympic Games’ rules of brand engagement? In this PBJS white paper, we outline the social media landscape for Rio 2016 and winning experiential strategies for reaching spectators — especially Millennials — at the Games and around the world.
Work the Switches Before the German Federal ElectionMSL
An era of relative stability in Germany’s political landscape is coming to an end. For some time, traditional party ties have been weakening, especially in Germany’s old eastern states – but increasingly also in the old west.
Our MSLGROUP Germany team is passionate about political communication and see through the fog of Germany’s diverse and de-centralized regulatory and media landscapes. Benefitting from an outstanding close-knit political network, we know what makes German policy-makers tick – offering our clients access to formal and informal decision-making processes.
For more information connect with our team on Twitter @MSL_Germany.
The complexity and diversity of issues on the table of EU policy makers is set to increase in the coming months. This comes on top of European challenges old and new which threaten the very essence of the European Union project.
Read on to learn about the latest policy developments with this monthly alert from our team in Brussels. For real-time updates, follow @MSL_Brussels or reach out to us on Twitter @msl_group.
If the United Kingdom were to leave the European Union, repercussions would be felt across the German economy. The most imminent would be uncertainty. Would a bilateral trade deal between the UK and the EU be in place in time for Brexit? What would it entail?
MSL Germany's public affairs expert Florian Wastl (@flowa12) assesses the implications for Germany in the aftermath of a Brexit vote. For more information connect with our team on Twitter @MSL_Germany.
Optimising Digital Collaboration From the Inside OutMSL
Companies have come a long way using social media, collaborative tools and social networks to connect people, information and company assets in more effective ways. With many seeing significant improvements in operations, people satisfaction and bottom line results. Among the lessons learned is that it’s not just about technology. Determining digital collaboration’s role, how it will be used and how to incorporate it into company culture are what really matters.
Let's Break Tradition: Virtual Reality in Public RelationsMSL
Virtual reality is no longer an off-in-the-distance idea. It’s a quickly emerging trend with which wise marketers and communicators are already experimenting. Read our guidebook and start taking advantage of emerging VR platforms and tools.
Marketing on the Move: A PBJS Guide to Navigating Experiential ToursPBJS
Brands are taking notice of experiential’s significant value and are shifting their budgets to allocate more funding for it every year. In this paper, we’ll explain why tactics like food trucks, pop-up shops and mobile tours make an impact, reveal our secrets to success, and introduce you to brands doing it well.
Like what you see and want to learn more? Contact Linsday.Rowe@pbjs.com.
Data In. Data Out. Transforming Big Data into Smart IdeasMSL
Data is a growing priority for communications professionals. With investments by Fortune 1000 companies greater than $10million projected to grow from 35% to 75% by 2017, Big Data is increasingly the currency of today’s Information Age. ‘Data In. Data Out. Transforming Big Data into Smart Ideas,’ underlines the importance of both capturing the right data in the first place (input), as well as analyzing that data and reaching the right insights (output).
The publication features seven articles from MSLGROUP and SapientNitro experts, each taking a look at Big Data from a different perspective. Six inspiring data-driven creative initiatives are also featured, including examples from Netflix and McDonald’s.
With plans unveiled this month for the proposed European Digital Single Market, ‘Data In. Data Out.’ additionally features an overview of the project, current status, and implications for businesses that are considering or already implementing data activities.
We hope you enjoy reading this report and invite you to share your feedback and tips with us @PeoplesLab or reach out to us on Twitter @msl_group.
Qorvis MSLGROUP has created a comprehensive guide to the Trump Administration. This document provides a first look at the people and players behind the most unlikely presidential campaign in American history.
For each person mentioned here, we have included a bio, a photo, and representative institutions and organizations affiliated with that person, so that the reader may better understand the relationships that influence the people who in turn are influencing President Trump.
For real-time updates, follow @Qorvis or reach out to us on Twitter @msl_group.
To supplement Qorvis MSLGROUP's Guide to the Trump Administration, we have created a set of appendencies highlighting expected cabinet and staff appointments as of 12/1/2016.
Recipes are the original viral content. Brands are seeking to understand how, where, why and when consumers seek out, consume and share recipes. Many brands target women ages 25-54 with recipe content, but to increase purchase, consumption and usage occasions, brands first need to understand how people interact with this content.
MSLGROUP EMEA Energy Report June 2013: Snail ShaleMSL
Our latest energy report captures the progress of the shale industry across EMEA.
In our previous reports, we talked about how Fukushima has shaken up the European energy landscape and shared our insights into the challenges facing EMEA including climate change, growing fuel poverty and security of supply.
MSLGROUP has a growing footprint across Europe and beyond, and a fantastic team in place to help our clients rise to the challenge of communicating effectively with stakeholders around the world on these and other critical issues. Connect with us: www.mslgroup.com
Should Social Media be Allowed to Influence the Presidential Election Outcome...Mahaveer
In the digital age, social media has become an indispensable tool in shaping public opinion, rallying support, and disseminating information. Its impact on politics is undeniable, with politicians and voters alike harnessing its power to amplify their messages and engage in discourse. However, the question arises: should social media be permitted to wield significant influence over the outcome of presidential elections?
Chapter 13
Politics and New Media
Objectives
To understand:
How the shift towards narrowcasting and digital media might change the nature of political participation
How online media are creating a new space and a new set of challenges for the conduct of political debate
How the shift towards a greater degree of social and political surveillance may alter the broader political landscape
How myths of the digital sublime shape our views of electronic democracy
How media and new media tools are central to advancing social and political economic change
Web 2.0 Structuration and the
End of Politics
Argument for democratic emancipatory potential of the Internet
In reality, there is a shrinking of a public sphere
Within the capitalist market economy, there is a contradiction between the formal equality of political participation and the inequalities of income and opportunity that define the relationships of the market
Web 2.0 Structuration and the
End of Politics, cont’d
Media’s relationship with political power—an unofficial watchdog role, acting as a series of checks and balances on those who exercise power
Political economy analysis suggests “democracy” is tolerated by big business as long as real control is off-limits to popular deliberation
Leaps in Logic?
An idealized view of the democratizing power of the Internet is a hopeful prediction; however, this requires leaps in logic:
Internet is no less susceptible to being manipulated by political parties and sectional interest groups than the current system
Issues under consideration in politics online are still determined by those in power positions and do not necessarily address key issues for a broader community
The control of sites by those who wish to promote their own interests will greatly diminish the credibility of the polling results within political circles
Leaps in Logic? cont’d
E-democracy
People make their own history, just not within conditions of their choosing
Structuration: structures may be formal (laws, policies, regulations), formalized (in institutions or organizations), or relatively informal (class, gender or race)
Degree of agency that one can exercise is dependent on these structures, but the human ability to exercise this agency means that they can be changed
New media are contemporary tools used in this process
The Internet as an Election Campaign Tool
Beginning of twenty-first century: politicians in Canada began to embrace the significance and power of using the Internet to reach constituents
The Internet has become an increasingly necessary tool
Cost efficiency
Relative lack of regulation control
Production simplicity
Swift narrowcasting via active interaction with the individual
New technologies in election campaigns are not always used to expand the voter base; sometimes they are used to suppress it
Online Politics and the
Reportorial Community
Digital media convergence is shifting the borders of the reportorial community
B ...
Today we are living in the age of web where world is moving
on the tips of our fingers. The New Media Technologies have
changed the world drastically. Even the traditional print and
electronic media have been influenced significantly by the
new media technologies. The growing radius of new media
can be seen in the developed as well as developing countries.
The revolution of new media technology has changed the
pattern of political communication. This paper particularly
elaborates the influence of new media technology on political
communication. The paper demonstrates the extensive use of
internet and mobile phones in the election campaigns in some
of the developed and developing countries and its effects on
political behavior. The paper also suggests some new
horizons of political communication through new media
technology especially in the developing countries. Effect of
new media technologies on political behavior and voting
pattern is the focal point of this paper
IntroductionAccording to Robert E. Dento and Gray C. Woodward.docxnormanibarber20063
Introduction
According to Robert E. Dento and Gray C. Woodward (1998), two of the most famous contributor to the political communication studies in America, said that political communication mainly refers the way in which senders to transfer the political messages to the receivers. The methods of sending the message, which will effect a region’s political environment, normally include political speeches, news media coverage, and ordinary citizen’s talk. The concentrations usually focus on the discussions of who has the authority to sanction, to allocation of public resources, who has the authority to make decision, as well as social meaning like what makes someone an American. As a result, it is obviously to see that the nature of political communication is not only the source of a message, but it is the transformation of political content and purpose to citizens. Therefore, the purpose of political communication strategy can be defined as to influence public knowledge, beliefs, and action on political matter. (McNair B, 2003)
However, due to the progress of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the 20th century, the traditional mass media, which includes TV shows, newspapers and magazines, and radio, is losing its place to the latest type of media, such as the Internet and real-time communication tools in the area of political communication. For example, in February, 2011, the Americans had closed the video station, the ‘ Voice of America’, which has been conducted for more than half century. It used to be regarded as a powerful mass media in political communication tool. But, does it mean that the American government has weakened its use of mass media in political communication? The answer is no. When the announcement of shutting down the ‘Voice of America’, Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, has given a freestyle presentation at George Washington University, and it was published on the Internet, synchronously. the event itself indicates that the American government has realized that the powerful capability of newly mass media. (Platform Magazine, 2015) and the government is getting ready to use this tool to reinforce it political status.
Consequently, this essay will discuss how the new mass media affects American political communication strategy in election, as well as the practice of strategies. At the same time, the three discussion points will be analyzed in the following part.
The characteristics of newly mass media in Election
The concept relates to the emergence of ‘newly mass media’ results form the development of ICTs. The ICTs enables some real-time communication tool, such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, to become a critical platform for citizens to express their political issues. Consequently, as a government, which is famous by its democratic social media, it was announced by Hillary that the US would spend 2.5 billion in the enhancement of “internet democracy”. Thus, the year of 2011 is regarded as .
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The Digital and Social Media Revolution in Public Affairs
1. The Digital and Social
Media Revolution in
Public Affairs:
Where we are and
where we’re going
Reports from Brussels and
Washington, D.C.
2. Contents
1 Foreword
2 Introduction
3 Communicating
with Policymakers
in the Digital Age
6 EU Findings
24 Viewpoints from Europe
25 EU Implications and
Recommendations
27 U.S. Findings
45 U.S. Implications and
Recommendations
For further information, please contact:
Leonardo Sforza, tel. +32 (02) 737 92 00
leonardo.sforza@mslgroup.com
Stan Collender, tel. +1 (202) 683 31 31
stan.collender@qorvismsl.com
3. 1
Foreword
We hope this research
will inform communication
and advocacy strategies
to strengthen dialogues
between stakeholders
and policymakers.
Unlike political campaigns, which were early
adopters, the public policy arena has been one
of the last bastions to fully embrace digital
tools and social networks. The candidates’
ongoing campaigns for US presidential
nomination, Barack Obama’s two elections
to the U.S. presidency in 2008 and 2012 are
prime examples of how to use social media to
target and reach voters. More recently, Justin
Trudeau’s election to prime minister of Canada
successfully employed a winning
social media strategy.
To gauge the integration and perceived impact of digital tools and how
constituents and interest groups interact with EU and U.S. policymakers,
MSLGROUP surveyed a large, diverse and active group of corporations,
trade associations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), local public
bodies and think tanks in and around Brussels and Washington, D.C.
in 2015.
The results of our study show that Europe is ahead of the U.S. in the use
of social and digital media for public policy purposes. For most members
of the European Parliament, European Commissioners, EU ministers
and stakeholders, the role of digital and social media in public affairs
is not up for debate. The final rejection by the European Parliament
of the multilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) was
an emblematic case of digital power generated by a grassroots social
media campaign. A similar strategy is now being used against the
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement (TTIP), a major priority
of EU and U.S. policy and business leaders.
Our study also shows that influencers in the United States are not yet
completely comfortable with using social and digital communications
to connect with policymakers. Some are doing so and many others said
they planned to increase the use of these tools in the future. For now,
however, they still see personal contacts with elected officials as being
most important.
In other words, our study shows quite clearly that there are tremendous
opportunities to expand and enhance the use of social and digital
communications in policymaking.
We hope this research will inform communication and advocacy
strategies to strengthen dialogues between stakeholders and
policymakers.
I am grateful to Peter Steere, Julien Landfried, Dimitri Granger, Roman
Abreu, Ole Wulff and Romain Seignovert of the MSLGROUP European
team, and to Stan Collender, Ronald Faucheux and Andrew Rugg of the
U.S. team, for their contributions and support of this project.
Leonardo Sforza
Project Leader
4. 2
Introduction
Social media influence has spread from
consumer marketing to business to politics
and even policymaking. Yet, effectively using
social and digital communications to influence
change in public policy is not yet a universal
practice; there are still substantial opportunities
to expand its use.
This inspired MSLGROUP, a world leader in strategic communications
and engagement, to conduct a research study in Brussels, Belgium, and
Washington, D.C. In these important world capitals, the use of digital
and social media to influence public policy is still in its infancy.
However, the undeniable conclusions of an MSLGROUP-conducted
research study in Brussels and Washington, D.C. is that, although the
use of digital and social media to influence public policy is still in its
infancy, their use and importance will expand significantly.
The findings from MSLGROUP’s study are astounding and reveal
tremendous opportunities for public affairs, political, legal and economic
professionals to use social media strategies to get their voices heard in
the public policy arena.
The first step is to better understand policymakers’ and stakeholders’
current social media practices and then to bridge the communications
gap between elected officials and rule makers and the constituencies
who want to reach them.
This is where MSLGROUP comes in. We help businesses and
governments interact, and communication is at the heart of these
relationships. Our job is to encourage and facilitate dialogue among all
parties, and we believe digital and social media is a critical part of the
toolkit. Guiding clients to improve the relevance, reach and trust of their
public policy narratives is worthwhile work. It helps policymakers better
understand the issues, raises their awareness of potential solutions for
more informed positions and enables them to make sound decisions
with full understanding of the consequences.
The intent of our research was to help government affairs, public
relations, public affairs and communication professionals move from
advocacy campaigns to a more contemporary narrative, and from
intrusion to engagement on public interest issues. Our multidisciplinary
teams already support many organizations on both sides of the Atlantic
to make these kinds of communications campaigns successful.
We are grateful to all who participated in our survey and offered their
perspectives on how to improve the effectiveness of current and future
public affairs campaigns.
6. 4
Communicating with Policymakers in the Digital Age
Public Affairs
on the Threshold
of Change
Europe Ahead of US in Social
Media Usage for Public Policy
MSLGROUP’s survey shows that
digital and social media are more
used and appreciated as a way to
communicate with policymakers in
Brussels than in Washington D.C.
In the U.S., personal contacts,
television and radio advertising are still
considered the best ways to influence
policymakers. However, half of EU
respondents plan to increase their use
of digital tools in advocacy campaigns.
The Social Media Generation
Gap between the US and EU
The U.S. current preference for
traditional media may be a generational
issue. The majority of members
of Congress and U.S. influencers
surveyed are over 50 years old while
their European counterparts are largely
under 40. This strongly suggests that
the use of digital and social media
by U.S. influencers will increase
as younger, more digitally savvy
generations grow in responsibility.
While U.S. public affairs professionals
were divided over the usefulness
of current digital communications
by federal government agencies,
Europeans were generally quite positive
about how their policymakers use
digital channels. More resources, out-of-
the-box thinking and better metrics to
measure the impact of communication
and advocacy campaigns were the
needs most often expressed by EU
stakeholders. U.S. respondents said
personal recognition, social media
expertise, technical support and board
empowerment were most in demand.
Substantial New Social
Media Opportunities for
Public Affairs
The survey results point to several key
points:
What’s happening in the EU
related to digital and social media
is a more realistic take on the
communications landscape. The U.S.
results underestimate the emerging
power of social media in the space.
There will be movement toward
shared interests, opinions and concerns
of communities affected by policy
decisions. This decision-making model,
already common in Europe, works
only if there are accessible channels
through which stakeholders can make
their voices heard. Digital and social
media have already proven to be such
platforms.
When asked what their organizations
are doing too little of, the top responses
of DC influencers are personal
recognition (22%), social media
expertise (13%), technical support
(12%), and board empowerment (12%).
7. 5
Signs Point to Big Increases
in Social Media Use
The survey definitively points to
tremendous opportunities for interest
groups in the U.S. to use digital and
social media to communicate with
elected policymakers. There are three
reasons this will happen.
First, Millennials are more
comfortable and experienced using
digital and social media and, as they
move into increasingly influential
roles in corporations, associations
and NGOs, they will bring their media
comfort and experience with them.
Second, younger generations will
soon assume increasingly important
roles as legislators and executive
branch officials. The recent ascendancy
of 45-year-old Paul D. Ryan as speaker
of the U.S. House of Representatives
shows this is already happening.
Third, digital and social media
are increasingly used in the opposite
direction, that is, by policymakers who
want or need to communicate with
groups and individual voters. Indeed,
the use of these communications
methods by President Barack Obama
when he successfully ran for election in
2008 and for re-election in 2012 clearly
demonstrates their value. The U.S.
political system hasn’t been the same
since, even if the policymaking process
is a bit behind.
A Role for Listening
Strategies
A key opportunity may be for
policymakers to establish platforms
and processes to invite social responses
from constituents, to drive and assess
social media listening and distil that
listening data into learning, opinion and
insights. It’s a relatively modern way
to keep a minute-to-minute pulse on
shifting public attitudes and opinions.
Listening for other entities such as
businesses and organizations helps
build understanding of emerging shifts
in opinion or concerns in real time,
specific points of concern by geography
and demographics and points to the
most powerful advocates or detractors
on all sides of the conversation.
Social media can certainly serve as
a modern form of staying in touch
with constituents just as visits back
home and letters did for policymakers
generations back.
What’s also presents interesting
opportunities is that social media is a
very public process. This means that
policymakers have the opportunity
to not only listen, assess and observe
their own connections with their
constituents, but also that of their
colleagues, competitors and many
others they consider important. This
transparent knowledge is easily
accessible, and can the data can be
sorted to deliver critical 360-degree
insights.
Social media is a very public
process…policymakers have
the opportunity to not only
listen, assess and observe
their own connections with
their constituents, but also
that of their colleagues,
competitors and many others
they consider important.
8. 6
EU Findings
The most regarded EU institutions,
top policy issues and social media use.
EU institutions’ work is judged
positively by a large majority
of public affairs stakeholders.
The European Commission
(72%), followed by the European
Central Bank (68%) and the
European Parliament (66%), top
the ranking. Most negative opinion
is reserved for the work of national
governments, considered “poor”
or “very poor” by 50%
of respondents.
11. 66%
21%
13%
Individual
MEPs
34%
37%
29%
Council of
the EU
22%
17%
61%
European Court
of Justice
16%
18%
66%
European
Central Bank
33%
26%
41%
National
Government
European
Parliament
74%
14%
12%
80%
12%
8%
European
Commission
Not helpful
We don’t monitor/follow them
Helpful
3
Usefulness of Social
Media Communication
Campaigns initiated by
EU Policy-Makers
9
12. Informal
networking
Sponsoring third
party research
and think tanks
Digital and
Social media
Traditional
media
Meeting
with peers
Sponsoring
conferences
Meeting
decision makers
Multi-stakeholders
meeting
Written briefing
material
Public consultation
initiated by the EU
Twitter
Change.org
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Livestreaming App
E-newsletter
Linkedin
Your own website/
microsite/blog
Very high High Low Very low Very low
effectiveness
Low
effectiveness
High
effectiveness
Very High
effectiveness
50%
40%
20%
4%
4%
18%
46%
16%
16%
4%
7%
19%
8%
23%54%15%
26%
35%
5%
37%
24%
10%
33%
38%
11%
27%
43%
7%
32%
43%
9%
52%
24%
54%
21%
1%
19%
8%
8%
1%
5%
10%
45%
35%
40%
32%
37%
6%
35%
9%
43%
2%
23%
27%
37%
34%
29%
30%
36%
29%
22%
20%
5%
14%
10%
12%
15%
21%
11%
8%
7%
1110
4
Effectiveness of communication
and advocacy activities in EU
Public Affairs.
5
Impact of Digital and Social
Media Tools used for EU
Advocacy
The most effective EU communication and
advocacy activities and the role of social media
The most impactful communication channels in EU-related
public affairs activities are traditional personal and direct
meetings, followed by digital and social media. Formal public
consultation and sponsoring third-party conferences and
research are perceived as having lower impact.
14. 5%
Don’t Use
13%
Very low
19%
Low
27%
Very high
37%
High
Digital and social media are widely used
for internal communication, with 95%
of respondents using them to relay EU
developments within their organizations.
13
8
Use of Digital and Social Media
for Communications about
EU Developments Within the
Organization.
15. 5040 45300 % 05 20 25 351510
Future plans and needs
in EU public affairs
communication strategy
and practices
Half of respondents plan to increase
focus and resources for direct
outreach to policymakers and for
digital and social media. Two other
activities most often mentioned
for change were multi-stakeholder
coalition building and fact-based
research and briefing papers.
1514
9
Changes planned in EU
public affairs communication
strategy and practices
Meetings with
descision makers
Fact based primary
research and
briefing
Digital and
social media
Traditional media
relations
Working
with peers
Third party research
and think tanks
Working wit h
trade associations
Working with
PA agencies
Multi-stakeholders
coalition building
Respomnding to
public consultation
Sponsoring third
party conferences
16. 1716
10
Change of Focus Planned
for Social Media Activity
in European Public Affairs.
Facebook
Own Website Blog
LinkedIn
E-newsletter
No change
Increase
9%
Livestreaming Apps
10%
87%
82%
66%
61%
51%
Change.org
66%
34%
27%
36%
Instagram
56%
43%
Twitter
51%
49%
43%
The majority of respondents planned to increase digital and
social media activities on the advocacy channel, change.org,
and on Twitter, confirming the attractiveness of this tool for
public affairs campaigns. Most organizations will not increase
resources dedicated to Facebook and other platforms.
17. 18
47%
More Resources
35%
More original ideas and
out of the box thinking
30%
Metrics to Assess the Impact
of PA and (Need copy)
21%
Public Recognition of the Positive
of PA to Improve (need copy)
18%
Social Media Expertise
18%
Personal Recognition
within the Organisation
17%
Board Empowerment
16%
Technical Support from other
Parts of the Organisation
EU public affairs professionals’ top work needs include
more resources, original ideas and out-of-the-box thinking,
and metrics to assess the impact of public affairs and
communication campaigns.
19
11
Top Needs Expressed
by EU public Affairs
Professionals
18. 20
20
15-20
11-15
11
10
6-10
4-6
1-3
30%
49%
14%
7%
Male
Female
54%
46%
14%
7%
16%
63%
Nationality
Position
Age
Years of experience
Gender
Years with current organisation
UK–16%
Belgium–16%
Germany–15%
Italy–13%
France–9%
Netherlands–7%
Poland–6%
Spain–4%
Sweden–4%
Denmark–3%
Other–4%
Director
Manager
Head of office
Other
22%
22%
22% 34%
40
41–50
51–55
55
58%
18%
14%
11%
Position and Experience
of Respondents
UK
B
D
I
F
NL
PL
ES
S
DK
12
Demography of European
Respondents. Typology and
Demography of Respondents
20. 22
Viewpoints from Europe
But how does disruption also affect
public affairs, often seen as a nebulous
back-room discipline that lacks any
kind of transparency? Is public affairs
spared from the triumphal precession
of the internet? Absolutely not! “Digital
Public Affairs” is the buzzword,
describing a major trend in political
communications that is not going to
just disappear after a short period of
hype. And there is nothing to suggest
that this only true in Germany. It goes
without saying that political hubs like
Brussels and Washington D.C are also
having to adapt to the new normal.
Let’s take stock and see where we are
with regard to #DigitalPA:
Trend 1: Public affairs managers still
cold-shoulder social media channels.
A public affairs survey conducted by
MSL Germany in 2015 found that only
34 per cent of Germany’s public affairs
professionals use social media for their
work. And, although the number is
increasing, the vast majority still make
no use of the internet as a powerful
instrument to maintain political
contacts and gather information.
Trend 2: Politicians are a step ahead.
When you look at politicians, however,
the picture is different: Almost all
members of the German Parliament
have social media accounts, even if
not all of them are a gushing spring
of information. Peter Altmaier, chief
of Angela Merkel’s Chancellery, has
even said that, “for politicians, Twitter
is as important as access to water
and electricity”. To reach their target
audience, public affairs professionals
will have to take the plunge and follow
politicians onto the internet.
Trend 3: Young politicians are the
spearhead of #DigitalPA. It’s a bit of
a truism that a younger generation is
moving up into the important posts.
But they will undoubtedly bring with
them their ways of communicating
and ultimately change the parameters
of public affairs (although early
adopters from older age groups are also
codetermining this trend). This is
not a good sign for those who were
hoping that #DigitalPA would just
be a passing craze.
Trend 4: The internet demands
more transparency from public affairs.
Undisturbed back-room lobbyism is
being challenged today. Even though
face-to-face meetings with politicians
remain the most important means
of maintaining political contacts
(according to MSL Germany’s latest
public affairs survey), public affairs is
becoming more public. NGOs and other
interest groups meticulously observe
politicians and lobbyists and give them
a rap on the knuckles whenever they
suspect non-transparent agreements.
Trend 5: Issues grow exponentially
on the internet. Many interest groups
now understand the power of the
internet to grow support for their
interests via social media or e-petitions.
On the internet, it is not only easier
and cheaper to develop an interest into
a movement that politicians simply
cannot ignore. If you fail to keep tabs
on what your stakeholders are doing on
the internet, you risk a rude awakening
if and when opposing interest groups
force politicians to confront an issue
through real-time political campaigning.
Trend 6: You get fantastic information
from the internet! The good news
is: the internet opens up fantastic
opportunities to professionalize public
affairs. It is a great way to network and
interact with your target audience, to
observe political debates and to find
the driving forces behind political
developments. And it opens great
new ways for political campaigning.
So, will the internet disrupt public
affairs? #DigitalPA will prevail in the
political landscape and become an
inherent part of public affairs, but will
not replace the established tool box of
public affairs in the foreseeable future.
Axel Wallrabenstein
Chairman MSL Germany
Ole Wulff
Account Director MSL Germany
The view
from Germany
Is the internet
disrupting public
affairs?
Disruption has been on
everybody’s lips in the
communications sector
since the internet starting
overturning most of the
established industry rules,
and making transparency
the order of the day.
21. 23
Viewpoints from Europe
David Cameron has just short of
1 million likes on Facebook. The recent
Labour leadership election debates
were carried on with some vigour and
rancour on Twitter and the numbers of
followers for each candidate reflected
the strengths of the various leadership
campaigns with Jeremy Corbyn’s
social media impact substantially more
effective than his opponents’. And last
year’s Scottish referendum came alive
on social media both in a positive sense
of stimulating excitement but also a
negative one reflected in trolling by
some of their opponents.
But has the existence of social media
changed outcomes? Without it, the
results of the Scottish referendum, the
UK general election and the Labour
leadership would have been exactly the
same. But that is not to say that social
media has no impact. I would suggest
that it has changed things in three ways.
First social media amplifies
campaigns. The recent campaign to ban
Donald Trump from the UK because of
his views on Islam came about through
social media campaigning. In the old
days of Parliamentary petitions, it is
highly unlikely that supporters of the
ban would have been able to achieve
over half a million signatures in such a
short period of time or secure the levels
of media interest.
Second, social media speeds up
the political and media cycles. George
Osborne’s disastrous budget of
2012 which quickly became known
as the omnishambles budget was
disintegrating on Twitter even as
the Chancellor was speaking in the
Commons. By the time he sat down,
the commentators and the activists
had already delivered their verdict.
Third, Twitter in particular is
changing political parties. Social media
is making it easier to communicate
with activists rather than voters. It can
give air to candidates or causes helping
them to get off the ground more quickly
and substantially than would have
been previously possible. Social media
helped to recruit a large number of left
wing activists into the Labour party to
vote for Jeremy Corbyn in a way that
would have been far more difficult in
pre-Twitter days. Twitter and Facebook
suit activism.
Social media has probably also
contributed to increased paranoia
among politicians. In the pre-Twitter
days, an MP receiving 20 letters on a
particular subject might cause him or
her concern. In these social media days
a politician can easily receive 1000
emails or tweets on a particular subject.
Elected representatives now need
steelier nerves to cut through some
of the nonsense that is produced by
social media.
But it works both ways: MPs – as
well as ministers, civil servants and
parliamentary committees – are
becoming more adept at using social
media themselves to influence debate.
All the select committees now have
very active Twitter feeds that provide
live commentary on hearings. George
Osborne is quite calculated in his use
of Twitter around set piece events like
the Budget and the spending review.
And we see on consumer issues
like the performance of trains that
backbench MPs are quite happy to
direct comments at companies in a
public way.
This use of social media as a tool for
activism is also affecting the private
sector. Companies have been very
effective at using social media for
consumer campaigns but they find
it much more difficult to respond to
hostile corporate campaigns. Social
media is immediate, companies not so
much. Responses have to be cleared
and approved by lawyers as well as
corporate comms professionals and that
usually cannot be done in the Twitter
timeframe.
It is easy to overstate the impact
of social media on politics but it
is dangerous to understate it. For
professionals both in-house and in
consultancies, the trick is to understand
its effectiveness and impact to promote
positive messages but also to exercise
informed, hard-nosed realism when
dealing with the negatives.
Mike Craven
Partner, Lexington Communications
A London
perspective
The impact of
social media in
public policy
It is easy for lazy
commentators to points
to obvious examples of
the impact of social media
on politics and public life.
22. 24
Viewpoints from Europe
First: nothing has essentially changed.
Machiavelli’s The Prince is no less
relevant today than it was before the
digitalisation age. There’s nothing new
on the political battle field.
Alternatively, you can say that nearly
everything has changed. Virtually
all politicians are using Twitter and
Facebook – their main channels to
voters. (Instagram is also used but is
not “mandatory”.) All political news is
first commented on in social media.
Digitalisation has upped the tempo and
reduced the cost of running campaigns.
There has been a fundamental
change to the public dialogue and to
encounters with power-holders. All
advocacy campaigns include a digital
strategy. Social media changes the way
the debate is conducted and who the
listeners are. But some things remain
unchanged: major public debates are still
initiated in the traditional media. Social
media then takes over the conversation –
but why is this? After all, many political
issues and social problems are highly
complex and need more than
140 characters to problematise.
The face-to-face meeting – the
most basic component in human
communication and advocacy – has
not been replaced by social media, and
probably never will be. Face-to-face
meetings are unmatched when it comes
to explaining complex reasoning or
building deep trust. While all lobbying
strategies now include a digital strategy,
they also always include elements of
face-to-face meetings.
Twitter and Facebook are the two
social media channels that have
changed political campaigns in Nordic
countries. Twitter is an arena for
politicians, opinion leaders and people
who want to be opinion leaders. The
elite class of opinion leaders talks to
each other on Twitter.
Facebook is a must for politicians to
reach their voters. With its popularity
and breadth, it has an unparalleled
impact among all constituencies.
Many companies could make better
use of Twitter and Facebook, taking
a more personal approach and using
personalised content adapted for each
medium. Companies currently use
Twitter as a sort of extended customer
service and Facebook as an alternative
website to post the same content. Most
Twitter users want to interact with a
person, not with a company.
One would think that the explosive
increase in the amount of information
and opinions available online has made
us more broad-minded, but the question
is whether the trend hasn’t headed in
the opposite direction. One example:
the likelihood of finding a spa for your
poodle is much greater in New York
than in a rural area – the greater the
market, the more specialisation. The
same applies to the range of media
and opinion. When you are suddenly
able to establish contact with other
libertarians, radical feminists or
nationalists, the chance of persuasion
is greater if you tend to share such
opinions. In social media you can go
through life in a relatively small comfort
zone, whereas you previously had to
read the same material as the rest of
the population. In practical terms, then,
the question is whether digitalisation
brings diversity.
News in social media is also
customised to suit you. This may serve
to further reduce actual diversity and
to cement opinions, creating different
clusters in society that do not listen
to each other – quite a big change for
the previously homogeneous Nordic
countries. The trend is developing
rapidly and is controlled by social
media, which increasingly chooses
what will be shown, and by political
parties and opinion leaders, who utilise
these opportunities to get the most
bang for the buck. As a result, Public
Affairs today are managed differently
than they have been in the past.
While social media bears great
responsibility in terms of what
lobbying will look like in future, this
responsibility is shared by the users
of social media.
Per Ola Bosson
Partner and Head Public Affairs JKL
Views from
the Nordics
Moving towards
full digitalization,
what is changing?
There are two competing
views on the significance
of social media for Public
Affairs in the Nordic
countries.
23. 25
EU Conclusions and Recommendations
Outlined below are MSLGROUP’s key takeaways from
the survey and the corresponding implications and
recommended actions to stay ahead of the curve.
Conclusions Recommendations
Social and digital media are widely used in Brussels, but need
to better demonstrate their full added value to public affairs
professionals. One-third of public affairs professionals are not yet
completely convinced of the effectiveness and impact of social
and digital media for their campaigns.
EU public affairs professionals, particularly those who were
previously reluctant to do so, plan to expand the use of digital and
social media in their campaigns. They are just now starting to
make them a full part of their public affairs strategies.
Digital and social media emerge as complementary tools
because the wide range of situations and policy issues often
require more traditional communication’s strategies, especially
personal contacts. There are very basic but fundamental action
steps, too often neglected or poorly executed in practice, which
remain essential for successful communication and public
affairs operations.
1
Assess and align your public affairs and digital
capabilities.
• Update your internal due diligence and SWOT analysis
of functional PA capabilities, allocated resources and
accountabilities.
• Empower a digital and social media PA “champion”
within the organization ensuring monitoring, coherence
and timeliness of message deployment.
2
Build a broad and dynamic “arena map” to
understand how the scale, interdependence
and policy-making context change.
• Broaden the analysis of decision makers, opinion leaders
and stakeholders directly or indirectly impacted by the
policy issue at stake.
• Assess their individual or group positions by attitude,
ability to influence policy outcome and communication
tools used.
• Regularly update the arena map taking into account
personnel changes, the evolution of the position taken, and
adapt outreach tactics accordingly.
The need for more original ideas and out-of-the-box thinking is
most in demand among EU public affairs professionals.
It is surprising to see how little attention, commitment and trust
are granted to European Commission consultation, third-party
independent research and think tank work related to EU policy
and regulatory developments. By minimizing the role of evidence-
based research and the new place taken by EU consultation and
impact assessment analysis before defining new policy direction
and legislative proposals, EU public affairs professionals risk
missing the opportunity to be more relevant to the EU decision-
making process and impactful in terms of policy outcome that
reflects their experiences on the ground.
Digital and social media are tools for innovative campaigns but
must be part of a holistic analysis and bespoke approach. Each
campaign must have the right mix of instruments that mirrors
business goals, corporate culture and policy issues at stake.
Innovation should not come only from the tool used, but reflect a
new way for organizations to engage policymakers, stakeholders,
public opinion leaders and media.
3
Contextualize your campaign toolbox.
• Be agnostic about tools and match them with strategic
campaign objectives.
• Contextualize your toolbox for each campaign and
integrate relevant digital tools taking into account the
target audience, expected outcome, timing and resources.
• Widen and complement engagement tools without being
afraid to explore new paths and tones of communication.
24. 26
EU Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions Recommendations
f 4
Fill the knowledge gap.
• Identify and address knowledge gaps in areas under
policy review which require more factual evidence to
ensure more balanced decisions
by policy makers.
• Inspire or sponsor original research by trusted people
and organizations to develop new thoughtful analysis
contributing to more informed decisions by policy makers.
• Contribute directly and indirectly to formal and informal
public consultations and inform policy makers and
stakeholders about your direct experience on the ground.
Digital and social media have the power to bring the “public”
back to the centre of public policy debate and reduce the gap
between institutions and citizens, consumers, employees,
business leaders and entrepreneurs.
5
Promote citizenship engagement.
• Explore the opportunity to mobilize and engage your
business partners and suppliers in your campaigns by
leveraging social and digital media toward inclusive and
direct dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders.
• Create “passion portals” to connect like-minded
individuals and drive narratives on policy issues.
• Use social listening tools to track conversations
and sentiment to inform and adjust messages to
policymakers.
• Use low-tech vehicles to communicate to policymakers
their constituents’ sentiments gathered through digital
and social media.
• Ensure that the practice of stakeholder relationship is in
line with corporate governance principles.
Despite the widespread use of digital and social media in
Brussels’ policy arena and internal communications, there is
a need to improve governance of communication and public
affairs campaigns and break down silos that can jeopardize their
effectiveness from conception to deployment on the ground.
6
Improve internal governance.
• Identify and engage with relevant stakeholders within
your organization in the early stages of the campaign
briefing.
• Set up a communication campaign steering team
involving multi-disciplinary and multicultural
experts from different parts of your organization and
independent advisors to help design and implement
the campaign.
Many public affairs professionals struggle with metrics and
key performance indicators (KPIs) that would help them assess
the impact of their campaigns. This is an area deserving more
attention than is currently the case.
7
Set realistic targets and measure outcomes.
• Define what success means before campaign launch
taking into account the policy and social context.
• Determine measurable and realistic indicators of
performance that connect output to success for each
action and range of activities and consider the potential
risk and implication
of inaction.
• Regularly assess cost effectiveness of each action and
adapt accordingly.
Leonardo Sforza
Managing Director MSLGROUP Brussels
25. 27
U.S. Findings
The most regarded U.S. institutions,
top policy issues and social media use.
Most U.S. institutions are judged
positively by a majority of D.C.
influencers. The Federal Reserve
(69%) and the U.S. Department of
Treasury (63%) top the ranking.
Congress received the most
negative assessment, with 77%
rating it “poor” or “very poor.”
27. 29
3
Helpfulness of digital and
social media communications
provided by policymakers
4
Effectiveness of digital and social media
that come from federal government
The U.S. federal government
The U.S. Department of the Treasury
The White House
The U.S. Supreme Court
The Federal Reserve
Congress
31%
58%
39%
42%
41%
43%
42%
46%
36%
48%
33%
53%
Helpful
Not helpful
Respondents had mixed feelings about the helpfulness of digital
and social media communications provided by major government
institutions. Of six institutions tested, executive branch agencies
and departments (58%) were the only institutions where a
majority found such communications helpful. Only 33% found
communications from Congress helpful.
30
%
20
0
10
Very high Very lowHigh Low
28. 3130
Informal
networking
Sponsoring third
party research and
Digital and
Social media
Traditional
media
Sponsoring
conferences
Meeting with
your peers
Multi-stakeholders
meeting
Written briefing
material
Meetings with government
decision makers
Twitter
Change.org
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Livestreaming App
E-newsletterLinkedin
Your own website/
microsite/blog
Very high
importance
High
importance
Low
importance
Very low
importance
Very low
effectiveness
Low
effectiveness
High
effectiveness
Very High
effectiveness
37%
20%
5%
27%
11%
16%
13%
11%
36%
15%
25%
24%25%19%5%
26%
20%
6%
29%
24%
8%
42%
14%
3%
28%
36%
8%
43%
24%
12%
39%
25%
9%
27%
34%
9%
24%
14%
9%
6%
5%
3%
9%
22%
24%
30%
13%
18%
5%
23%
6%
13%
4%
5%
13%
19%
22%
20%
28%
23%
24%
22%
23%
7%
9%
10%
10%
14%
16%
10%
9%
11%
Personal meetings with peers (78%) and informal networking
(64%) were considered the most important communication
tools for D.C. influencers. Fifty-five percent considered digital
and social media important. Traditional media was considered
important by 56% of respondents, placing it alongside digital
and social media.
Influencers found their own websites or blogs (46%),
e-newsletters (39%) and LinkedIn (38%) the most
effective digital and social media tools.
5
Importance of various
tools to DC Influencers
6
Effectiveness of Digital
and Social Media Tools
Used for DC Influencers
29. 32
Respondents said television ads were the most effective
vehicles for public office election campaigns. Forty-five
percent said online ads on news websites were effective,
and 30% said Facebook ads were effective.
50
%
40
30
0
20
10
Network
Television ads
Direct
mail
Television ads
run on cable TV
Online ads on
news websites
Ads on
Facebook
Radio
ads
Newspaper
ads
Very effective
Fairly effective
Not very effective
Not effective at all
7
Effectiveness of campaign tools for
political campaigns for public office
30. %
40
30
0
20
10
Don’t use
Keep the same
Decrease
Increase
FacebookOwn website
and/or blog
Change.orgLivestreamg
App InstagramTwitterLinkedIne-Newsletter Youtube
Future plans and needs in D.C. influencer
communication strategy and practices
When asked if they plan to increase use of digital and
social media tools in the future, top responses were for
influencers’ own websites or blogs (47%), Facebook (36%)
and e-newsletters (33%).
8
Changes planned
in digital and social
media tools
33
31. Meetings with
decision makers
Work with
peers
Internal
communications
Fact based research
and briefing
Multi-stakeholders
coalition building
We do none
of these
Digital and Social
media engagement
Traditional media
engagement
Third party research
and think tanks
Working with public
affairs agencies
Sponsoring third
party conferences
Respond to public
testimony and
Law firms
support
10%
14%
14%
7%
23%
4%
9%
9%
3%
27%
3%
1%
3%
9
Outreach and communications
efforts that will change the most
during the next year
3534
32. 22%
Personal recognition
13%
Social media expertise
12%
Technical support
12%
Adequate external consulting
12%
Board empowerment
9%
Resources
8%
Metrics to assess the impact of...
8%
More original ideas
6%
Public recognition
3736
When asked what their organizations were doing too little
of, respondents said personal recognition (22%), social
media expertise (13%), technical support (12%) and board
empowerment (12%).
10
Top needs expressed by
US influencers
34. 39
U.S. Conclusions and Recommendations
The results of the MSLGROUP public affairs survey in the U.S. raises red flags on the
sector’s point of view on social and digital media as a communication strategy with
policymakers. Our insights and recommendations on how to mobilize social and digital
media in an evolving environment are outlined below.
Stan Collender
Executive Vice President, Qorvis MSLGROUP Washington, D.C.
Conclusions Recommendations
Digital and social media are not yet seen as substitutes for
personal influence in Washington, D.C.
For now, personal contacts with policymakers with information
and validation to support the company’s position remain strong
preferences for policy advocacy.
Companies, associations and stakeholders need to accelerate
their use of social and digital media as policymakers become
savvier in this area and accustomed to communicating in this
manner.
U.S. policymakers are not yet thought of as effective users of
digital or social media. This may be because of the low esteem
with which most U.S. policymakers are held by influencers. The
U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve are considered to be the most
effective users of digital and social media and both use them
only to provide information rather than policy positions. U.S.
influencers do not appear to trust or rely on congressional or
White House use of social media, or expect policymakers to rely
on their digital communications.
Those wanting or needing to use social and digital
communications to contact policymakers will need to be
convinced of their effectiveness. This will likely change
rapidly. In the meantime, however, policy initiatives will need
to be a mix of traditional and digital techniques.
Digital and social media efforts in Europe are perceived to be far
more effective in reaching policymakers than in the U.S.
Organizations with effective digital communications strategies in
Europe cannot assume they will be as effective in the U.S.as the
research shows that these markets differ.
Influencers in the U.S. do not plan to increase their use of digital
communications as much as their European counterparts.
Stakeholders who prefer digital communications will need to
make their preferences known to U.S. policymakers and suggest
channels and formats for this kind of communication.
Perhaps because of language, cultural differences and context
given by the presidential candidate selection process, U.S.
influencers reported seeing television and radio as more effective
ways to communicate with policymakers than their European
counterparts.
Digital and social communications techniques should not be
used in a vacuum. They should be seen as a supplement to rather
than as a substitute for television, radio and print, as well as one-
on-one contacts.
35. 40
MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe’s strategic communications and engagement group,
advisors in all aspects of communication strategy; from consumer PR to financial
communications, from public affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications
to experiential marketing and events. With more than 3,000 people across 100 offices worldwide,
MSLGROUP is also the largest PR network in Europe, fast-growing China and India.
The group offers strategic planning and counsel, insight-guided thinking and big, compelling
ideas - followed by thorough execution. Write to us to start a conversation on how we can help
you distill actionable insights and foresights from conversations and communities.
www.mslgroup.com