Newington Chief Executive, Mark Glover, talks about what makes a successful public affairs campaign.

I was humbled and a little surprised to find myself listed in second place in PR Week’s Powerbook 2017 of the most influential communicators in politics. Being Chairman of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) was no doubt a significant part of this recognition. But so too was the progress made at Newington – the public and corporate affairs agency I founded with Phil Briscoe a decade ago – and of course, none of this would be possible without the support of my excellent colleagues.

Communicators are generally thought of as in front of the camera or making headlines, but equally powerful is the ability to lead and inspire talented people to deliver impactful campaigns across a range of different channels, whilst maintaining their focus on the strategic objectives of their clients or employers.

I am fortunate at Newington to work with some of the most agile and innovative minds in the business. I am frequently bowled over by the ability of the team to think through an issue; grapple with the political challenges; and to overcome barriers to come up with solutions which cut through with key stakeholders. These are some of the things I’ve found are critical to deliver successful public affairs campaigns.

Awareness is the first step to understanding: it is the beginning of a journey that communicators need to take their audiences on. The journey should end with those audiences understanding your issues then become supporters of your cause or position, and ultimately going on to champion it and taking up supportive action. Creating understanding is particularly important when tackling more complex issues, especially when there are now so many competing sources of information, often based on strongly held opinions, but not necessarily the facts. The debates around the EU and Scottish referenda spring to mind here.

So in creating understanding, a home team has to spend a lot of time getting to grips with the business objectives of their client or employer to really understand in depth what communications objectives they are trying to achieve before devising a strategy. Too often communications teams dive straight into the tactical programmes they are comfortable with, without rigorously interrogating an issue to understand the strengths and weaknesses in a case. The strategic should always trump the tactical.

Finally, it is critical for a public affairs practitioner to have the resources they need to deliver their strategy. Ensuring there are enough bodies on the ground, adequate time to plan and deliver, as well as access to the funding and materials needed. Too many good campaigns have run aground because the client wanted to cut budgets before any outcomes were delivered. Public affairs communicators will need the respect of the people they are working for to ensure that they are able to secure the necessary resources.

The best communicators don’t always need to be in the limelight, but do need to ensure their teams understand the objectives and strategy, and have the resources necessary to succeed. Good leaders must also take responsibility for any failures and do everything they can to enable their teams to be successful and retain focus.