A Brussels bubble special
In a city so dominated by lobbying, policy comms is a natural evolution of public affairs, public relations and communications, all folded into one. Thibaut L’Ortye, Senior Director of Public Affairs at American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, confirms this definition: “policy and communications are not distinct. Well integrated, they are both about getting your message across in a relevant way.”
Laura Vingan, Senior Manager in Global Communications for Business Software Alliance sees policy comms as “one arm of the big octopus called public affairs”, complimenting other forms of advocacy alongside corporate communications, media relations and stakeholder engagement. “It helps the octopus move forward,” she says.
Is it any different from traditional communications? Boyan Novakov, Communications Lead at Boeing, thinks so: “there is nothing else like [it]. It requires one to have knowledge and skills beyond the traditional comms function.” Mira Kaloshi, Policy Communications Manager at DOT Europe, shares a similar view: “unlike traditional PR [it is] not about promoting a product or service — but about advocating for the best possible policy outcome.”
What is success, then?
While marketing and PR are often measured by key performance indications such as the number of views, clicks or media mentions, TikTok’s Senior Policy Communications Lead, Paolo Ganino, believes that “policy comms is about shaping the conversation before it even begins, not just about landing headlines”. The difference between traditional PR and policy comms is visibility versus influence – “the best work is often the story no one ever has to read.”
For Lobna Hassan, EU Comms Lead at IBM, success is the ability to land the message with different audiences. Vingan agrees, pointing out that it is the job of a policy comms professional is to translate technical policy issues into impactful discussions. Inclusive at its core, “effective policy communications make complex issues accessible, bringing individuals with different backgrounds into the conversation”, L’Ortyle echoes.
Getting there
The recipe for success is not that simple, though, with Novakov describing policy comms as “an often misunderstood and challenging craft” that requires “problem-solving Swiss army knife of talents and tools”. L’Ortyle also stresses that to do it well, one has to use “a range of tools such as data, stories or visual content”… Kaloshi adds “deep understanding of policy, sharp messaging, strategic use of communication channels, and strong relationship-building abilities” to the list. “It’s a role that demands versatility — a true jack-of-all-trades approach.”
For Ganino, it is all about timing – “making sure the right story is told at the right time and that the wrong story never takes off in the first place”.
According to Hassan, one needs trust and partnerships to “get to the core of a policy topic, target it or broaden it”, with the ultimate goal of sharing only what is “poignant, interesting and important”.
On the other side of the message
On the other side of policy comms professionals and their message is the audience, which can vary from policymakers, industry, media or the general public. The goal is always the same – influence the EU agenda and spark new ways of thinking about policy issues. As L’Ortyle puts it, the audience should be able to “answer not just the question ‘So what?’ but also ‘What now?’”. It is also a vehicle for progress in sometimes turbulent, but predominantly stagnant EU legislative context – “without it, the octopus wouldn’t sail as effectively through the policy waters”. Vingan concludes.
Needless to say, at SEC Newgate EU we have experience in policy communications. Do check us out!
Julia Piwowarska, Media Relations Consultant