Pretty much everyone thinks they know what PR is, including people whose only real knowledge of the industry comes from ‘Absolutely Fabulous’. But Public Affairs is less well known, harder to pin down, and the lines between PR and Public Affairs can seem blurred. It’s true, both industries seek to influence perceptions and drive change, but their approaches and audiences generally differ. It’s important to understand these differences and also to recognise how PR and Public Affairs can work together. By unlocking powerful strategies for influencing public policy and achieving positive change for business and wider society.
Distinguishing PR from Public Affairs
There’s a clue in the name; Public Relations (PR) chiefly targets the public, whether the audience is operating in a B2C or B2B context. PR focuses on creating strategic messaging that will stimulate and enthuse public opinion. This means engaging with the UK and international business community to promote a positive image and influencing perceptions through assiduous media relations and content creation across numerous channels, including social media engagement.
On the other hand, Public Affairs is a more specialised undertaking, with its key audience being elected policymakers and public officials. Public Affairs aims to guide or influence policy-making decisions to achieve positive outcomes for particular causes. This involves advocating for changes to existing or newly published policies, or supporting the introduction of new rules that more closely align with the organisation’s objectives.
Understanding the Public Affairs process
As the old saying goes; the harder you work, the luckier you will be. Successful Public Affairs campaigns typically involve a long lead time coupled with a carefully considered, highly strategic approach. Seldom, if ever, are there short-cuts to ‘overnight success’. But in broadest terms, the process looks a little like this:
- Building influence by starting locally: Start by engaging with local government officials and working through various layers and branches of the civil service. This work cannot be skipped, as it is a crucial element for laying the groundwork that’s needed for building up broader influence. There’s a saying across the pond; ‘all politics is local’, and this is where any successful campaigning must start.
- Targeting senior civil servants: As your campaign progresses, the goal is to reach senior civil servants who have the ear of ministers. Building relationships at this level is essential in presenting your case to key decision-makers.
- Engaging with government ministers: The ultimate objective is to get in front of the Secretary of State or other high-ranking officials or key decision makers (Quangos, NGOs, select committees), who have the authority to implement policy changes. To get here, you need to have a basis of support (steps 1 &2) and be thoroughly au fait with the issues and demonstrate credibility.
In essence, you must build a compelling case, supported by sound evidence; enabling you to develop influence as you move through each level of the Public Affairs process.
Key strategies for effective Public Affairs campaigns
- Specific, actionable objectives: Unlike more generalist PR initiatives that are often aimed at ‘raising awareness’, or simply asking the public to broadly ‘support a cause’, Public Affairs campaigns are focused on achieving specific, defined goals.
For example, rather than simply advocating for ‘better recruitment practices in construction,’ a public affairs campaign might call for specific policy changes that would improve recruitment practices and develop and enhance a homegrown talent base. - Concrete asks: A Public Affairs campaign is action-orientated and focused. It will consist of clear, concrete requests.
For example, these might be: the signing of a collective letter addressed to the Secretary of State, asking focused questions in Parliament, or arranging meetings with relevant parliamentary committees and local/regional/national government working groups. - Client involvement: In Public Affairs, your active participation as a client is crucial to campaign success. Unlike PR, where agencies often represent their clients, Public Affairs requires clients to engage directly with elected officials, albeit with our expert professional support. This means as a client, you must be well-briefed and engaged, and capable of fronting up to confidently present your case.
Ensuring ethics and transparency
It’s true that ‘lobbying’ has a negative public image in some quarters. All the more reason for committed Public Affairs professionals to sign up to and stick to, a strict code of ethics. Organisations such as the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and the Chartered Institute of Public relations (CIPR) maintain registers of public affairs professionals who commit to ethical standards. Countering negative stereotypes, there is a definite need for responsible Public Affairs professionals to drive constructive change to benefit wider society.
Example: Addressing the skills gap in Construction
One relevant example of a Public Affairs campaign is how to address the growing and yawning skills gap in the UK’s construction industry. For example, this issue could be tackled by promoting policy changes to enhance recruitment practices and advocating for measures to continue the development of a strong, homegrown talent base. Campaigns like this show how businesses can lead on societal issues through thoughtful and targeted engagement with public policy.
Bringing it all together – Creating synergy between PR and Public Affairs
Public Relations and Public Affairs can work together to create powerful synergies. While PR builds public support and raises awareness, Public Affairs translates that support into concrete policy outcomes.
At The Think Tank, we have the expertise to develop integrated campaigns that leverage both PR and Public Affairs techniques. The industries we work in (construction, aviation, manufacturing) are heavily engaged in public affairs due to their significant regulatory, environmental, and community impacts. By aligning PR and public affairs strategies, we help businesses navigate complex regulatory landscapes, engage with stakeholders, amplifying their influence and ultimately achieving their objectives. Thereby helping to drive substantial change. Learn more about the work we do here.
