Industry Coalition Management

The Situation

An elite financial services trade association comprised of the leaders of the world's foremost diversified financial institutions doing business in the United States that recognized the organization's role in shaping public policy was not commensurate with the caliber of its membership. Public Strategies was engaged to re-brand and re-position the organization, enabling it to play a more substantive and effective role in the public policy debate.

Public Strategies' solution

Public Strategies applied its broad experience to the positioning effort, beginning with a comprehensive assessment of the organization's operations. Based on the assessment findings, we recommended that the organization concentrate exclusively on representing its members' interests in Washington, D.C. We recruited a new CEO and a new president, and worked closely with them to focus the organization and its members on three key mission elements:

• educating the public about the importance of robust capital markets;

• encouraging a competitive global marketplace; and

• shaping the national and international regulatory dialogue.

To carry out this mission, we helped design a critical path for the organization and a strategic plan that included aggressive media outreach, legislative engagement, direct dialogue with regulators, consistent communications and participation among its members, sponsoring its own events, and conducting proprietary research.

Client Benefits

With this new focus, as well as an arsenal of methods for communicating about issues important to its members, the organization is increasing public awareness of the industry's importance and helping shape public and decision-maker opinion in favor of policies that benefit capital market growth. In addition, the organization has become an important resource for regulators, elected officials, and the media.