Elizabeth Culwick looks at the ability of public and consumer campaigns to shape corporate behaviour.

Fail to prepare, and prepare to fail – an adage as true for your business’s public and corporate affairs strategies as for any other aspect of your operations. Failure to acknowledge the power of public and consumer campaigns, and to prepare a comprehensive communications strategy that takes these into account, may leave your company high and dry. Conversely, if your business is well prepared and aware of the current political and societal context, you should be able to identify what legislation or activist campaigns are likely to come to the fore – and react in a timely and positive manner.

This is particularly important if your business operates in a market with a high degree of consumer choice, such as retail or aviation, as consumers are increasingly influenced by environmental or social issues that they come across in the media. Even a small change to acknowledge these issues can deliver huge positives if it is amplified using effective communications.

In reaction to Blue Planet 2’s powerful message about plastic pollution, Pret a Manager increased its discount for customers who bring their own cup from 25p to 50p. This discount was probably planned long in advance – but one week before the announcement the CEO, Clive Schlee, used Twitter to brainstorm how Pret could encourage customers to bring reusable coffee cups, generating public debate about the issue and ensuring widespread positive coverage of the company’s actions.   

Ryanair also took advantage of this public attention on plastic pollution, as part of its wider efforts to improve its reputation. In January it announced a plan to eliminate the use of non-recyclable plastics from its operations by 2023, and introduce a voluntary carbon offset payment for customers when booking. It is highly unlikely that the airline would have taken these actions without recent public interest in plastic pollution, but the inclusion of these measures in its “Always Getting Better” plan has put it ahead of other airlines, who are yet to address the issue of single use plastic.

In a separate field, it will have been difficult to miss the ongoing public and political debate around the UK’s "gig economy". Frank Field MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, has been particularly vocal on this issue, publicly criticising large companies such as Hermes and Pure Gym.

In reaction to this evolving debate, DPD UK introduced sweeping changes to its gig-working model – with its new Driver Code offering its drivers more choice about how they would like to work with the company. This timely and forward-looking announcement acknowledged public concern and ensured that DPD was seen as setting “a totally new direction for every other company in the gig economy to follow” by its key stakeholders.  

At a time when social media can turn a small campaign into an internationally trending issue overnight, it is even more important for businesses to be aware of evolving political and social priorities, and to be mindful of the power of the public. Newington has a range of experience advising clients on how to react to evolving legislation or public campaigns, and would be happy to provide guidance on your public and corporate affairs strategy.