While there’s no secret formula for how to become a great public affairs specialist, at Hubbell Communications we believe there is a “special sauce” that sets the great public affairs specialists apart from the mediocre ones. It goes without saying that in order to be successful in public affairs or public relations you have [...]
Managing a Campaign to Victory
Our firm has long been active in managing local ballot measure campaigns. From school bond measures to ballot measures around local zoning, spending authority, energy utility management and other issues, we are proud that our team has won every one of the campaigns that we have managed. While each campaign is unique – unique voters, [...]
How Coalition Management Helps to Generate Real Change in Public Policy
When it comes to enacting change in public policy, nothing gets the job done as well as having the strength of numbers behind your cause. This is when you need a coalition, or a group of likeminded individuals, businesses and organizations, who are willing to band together and serve as a united front on a [...]
The Cost Benefits of Hiring a Public Affairs Firm
Every business, no matter how large or small, should understand how public policy impacts them. For some businesses this is minimal but for others a new law or regulatory change has the potential to significantly impact its bottom line. For many businesses, the question about whether or not to hire a public affairs firm [...]
Four Essentials for Effective Issue Management
Controversial or complex issue? A dearth of support? A well-organized opposition? Each of these barriers can be overcome with a calculated and deliberate issue management strategy. Hubbell Communication’s success with issue management comes from decades of firsthand experience and many organizations turn to us for help. Here are four priorities for effective issue management: Recognize [...]
Unbelievable Stories that Demonstrate the Value of Great PR
In a day when information can travel around the world in the blink of an eye, a good PR agency has the ability to make a major difference in how a company’s brand is perceived. Good PR is always obvious to the casual observer. Go Big or Go Home There a couple different approaches to [...]
Public Affairs
Public affairs is the discipline of communication focused primarily on influencing public policy. A public affairs campaign could occur at the local, state or federal level and be aimed at influencing legislation, regulation or the outcome of a ballot initiative. In an age in which we are often overwhelmed with information, public affairs professionals have to find creative ways to break through the clutter with compelling messages on complex issues. […]
The art of issue advocacy
In public affairs we are often called upon to work with and broaden a client’s perspective in order to align that perspective with broader public interests. In other words, for communication and advocacy purposes, our job often involves helping our client find, create or attach themselves to a message and a voice bigger than themselves. [...]
Staging the external environment using the M-A-D test
Issue advocacy describes the interconnected disciplines of public relations aimed at achieving a specific policy objective. The job of an issue advocate is to create an external environment – supportive media coverage, digital activity, grassroots activism – so that a lobbyist can deliver the votes and be successful. Such an objective could be the passage [...]
The Importance of a Ground Game
April 3, 2015 While glitzy ad campaigns and infectious social media strategies are a staple of the public affairs business, the enduring value of good old-fashioned “face time” should not be underestimated. Retail politicking – whether through canvasing door-to-door, addressing interest groups or staging rallies – puts you in close, personal proximity to the people [...]
