Lodestone Election Preparedness Playbook:
A recap of best practice actions for comms and public affairs teams in the run up to the General Election
FOREWORD
“As the country prepares to go to the polls, those of us in comms and public affairs roles are preparing our organisations to communicate with purpose through this time. Given that General Elections usually take place several years apart, it can be easy to forget some of the ground rules. And with 45% of PR professionals aged between 16-and 34-years old (according to the CIPR PR Population Report released in 2024) many in our industry will only have experienced working through four or fewer elections of this kind. Now with a saturated news agenda, rapid developments in technology, higher risks of political misinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks and deep fakes it is more important than ever to be prepared for the challenges and the opportunities. This Election Preparedness Playbook recaps best practice techniques to put in place in the run up to the 4th of July 2024. Communicating with purpose, internal cross-function coordination, managing stakeholder relationships, sourcing the latest insights and never forgetting your purpose will help your organisation stay on track through this dynamic time.”
Fran O’Leary, Co-Founder and Director, Client Services – Lodestone
CONTENTS
PART ONE: STRATEGIC CONTEXT
2024 is a major year for global democracy with many strategically important elections set to take place including those in South Africa, the US Presidential Election and, of course, the UK General Election.
In the UK a change in Government continues to look likely with many polls predicting a win for the Labour Party. Lodestone’s polling among business leaders found 71% think a Labour victory is likely or very likely, with 64% feeling optimistic or very optimistic about a Labour government. However, much could change, and it is important to consider all possible scenarios and outcomes.
Even if a brand, business or organisation’s communications strategy is not overtly political, elections still present challenges and uncertainty. As communications professionals we must work harder and smarter to ensure announcement don’t get lost in the noise about the election.
Elections present challenges for communicating with different audiences. In an increasingly polarised world, a company’s staff, customers, investors and wider stakeholders are likely to hold very different political views and very different expectations of on which issues the firm should take a stand.
So how do you navigate the complex political environment of a pre-election period and communicate with purpose? Should a business just go quiet? For many organisations silence is not an option.
Corporate communications teams play a crucial role during elections. By working closely together with other internal functions, corporate communications teams can help mitigate the risk that your organisation gets associated with a divisive candidate or issue, is attacked by a political stakeholder, or is the victim of a misinformation campaign. We recommend convening an Election Preparedness Working Group on comms risks, taking senior counsel, horizon scanning and scenario planning risks and opportunities. This working group can help prepare for issues that may come up during the days running up to the election and share intelligence from within the organisation on any emerging risks.
By communicating with purpose, and taking internal and external stakeholder’s views on board, corporate communications has the opportunity to ensure an organisation is understood, retains an inclusive culture and brand definition in the marketplace.