Advocacy 101

Wade Swormstedt, ST’s publisher/editor, always handpicks the staff’s Christmas presents. This year, he gave me two, cool, Harley-Davidson collectors’ edition books. One, The Ultimate Machine (Harley’s 100th-Anniversary Edition), displays photos ranging from the 1904, gravity-fueled, one-lunger to the latest, Porsche Engineering Service-designed V-Rod twin. It also shows my favorite, Buell’s 90 HP, 440-lb. (4.8 lbs./HP) S1 Lightning road racer. The books reminded me of the kinship that exists among motorcycle riders, especially Harley or other “American Iron” riders. Most belong to an unscripted social order – a patriotic brotherhood, in a manner of speaking, that sustains

implicit bylaws, the most important being “You are your brother’s keeper.” This tenet extends from roadside help to bail-bond monies, even for visiting bikers. See it as a type of advocacy program.

Advocacy
Webster’s says an advocate is a person who speaks another’s cause. Webster’s second definition says “[An advocate is] someone who speaks or writes in support of something.” Essentially, an advocacy program is a public-relations program, because advocacy requires action based upon formed opinions.

Advocacy forms through establishing friendships, or the discovery of a common interest. Some years back, when working with John Shaw’s sign company in Colorado, I occasionally trucked pre-made, video-store signs to related tradeshows, where I setup a booth and

then changed into a suit and tie, to sell the displays. During delivery and set up, I always wore a Harley Davidson T-shirt, to visually communicate my understanding of American Iron values to the Teamsters Union guys. They called me “Bud” and worked easily alongside me.

Blue-collar workers read clothing like military people do insignia – it tells of a person’s history, their interests and competence.

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Changing images
Fortune magazine recently noted Wal-Mart’s “series of public-relations gaffes” in Wal-Mart’s employee policies. The mega-store has been criticized for low pay, short hours and insufficient employee benefits. Further, the Economic Policy Institute (Washington, DC), on June 26, said Wal-Mart, in 2006, had imported $26.7 billion dollars of Chinese goods into the United States, and this act had cost the United States 308,000 jobs.

To spruce up its image, Wal-Mart launched a public-relations program that includes the “Working Families for Wal-Mart” advocacy group. This high-budget entity was formed for Wal-Mart by the Edelman public-relations firm in December 2005, to generate positive public opinions.”

Another advocacy example, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a nonprofit, public-policy (advocate) organization, founded in 1984, says, “Consumers are best helped by the government not regulating commercial interests.”

CEI is funded by donations from Exxon Mobil, the Ford Motor Co. Fund, Pfizer and the Earhart Foundation. The organization prepares and distributes press releases and policy papers; it testifies at governmental hearings; files suits against various governmental agencies; places paid advertising, editorial and op-ed pieces; sponsors books and manages other operations.

Positive feelings
Why do these companies need advocacy groups? To create positive feelings within various influential councils, including customers and political groups, especially in light of events and policies that may cause ill will.

For example, PBS OnlineNews, on January 23, 2006, said the Ford Motor Co. announced restructuring plans that will cut 25,000 to 30,000 North American jobs and idle 14 plants by 2012. An unpopular move, especially when considering China’s People’s Daily News online report of Ford’s previous $1 billion investment in China. Further, the news source said Ford Motor Credit Co., the firm’s finance group, has recently invested $60 million in its China-based business.

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Another example is the ExxonMobil Valdez oil spill that polluted 1,300 miles of Alaska’s coastline in 1989. ExxonMobil, the world’s largest company – it earned $377.6 billion in the 2006 fiscal year– has yet to pay any of the $2.5 billion in punitive damages owed to 33,000 fishermen, businesses and communities affected by the spill.

The political advocate site, MoveOn.org, according to FrontPageMag.com, is “a movement cleverly tailored to lure the young, the Net-savvy and the self-consciously fashionable into supporting mainstream Democrats.” In their FrontPageMag.com story titled “The Shadow Party,” writers David Horowitz and Richard Poe say MoveOn “is the Joe Camel of the Shadow Party, playing to the deep-seated antipathy that bohemians of every age group harbor toward all things normal, wholesome, traditional and adult.”

See it like my Harley-Davidson T-shirt – a means of joining like-minded people.

The story lists seven, connected, advocacy-type programs: MoveOn.org; Center for American Progress; America Votes; America Coming Together; the Media Fund; Joint Victory Campaign 2004; and the Thunder Road Group LLC. These group’s high-dollar backers are George W. Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Institute; Peter B. Lewis, chairman, Progressive Insurance; Stephen L. Bing, screenwriter and producer, Shangri-La Entertainment; and actress Jane Fonda.

The “Shadow Party” is a journalist’s term that describes “527-type” political committees that promote Democratic Party agendas, that is, advocate-seeking groups.

Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, Public Law No. 107-276, implemented in July 2000, supposedly helps control campaign-fund sources. The 527 groups that fall under a section of the code that governs organizations primarily, attempt to influence election campaigns. Political lawyers have successfully argued that 527 groups are exempt from federal-campaign-law restrictions and, therefore, can collect unlimited donations from corporations, unions and wealthy individuals.

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Advocacy 101
A straightforward advocacy program can help advance signshop sales and ease everyday operations. Should you decide to create one, you’ll want your advocacy program to operate in a manner similar to those used by large corporations, because, like them, you’re seeking outside support, but, hopefully, not to conceal indecorous actions. You want to create an ever-expanding group of people that think and speak positively of your business.

Here are a few tips, gleaned from the pros:
• Implement it, but don’t announce it. Advocate programs draw attention, comment and possible censure. Instead, operate your advocate program privately and unofficially. Remember Wal-Mart, Ford, MoveOn and the others operate out of the limelight; you should, too.
• Work in all directions – customers, suppliers and employees all speak of your company. to the general public; be sure their opinions are positive.
• Be available to everyone – you may eventually need the support of people who aren’t under your influence.
• Communicate to improve cooperation between all parties – you, your suppliers, customers and employees. Also, establish press contacts and distribute press releases (with photos).
• Visit your customer’s businesses; invite your customers to visit you; actively assist your customers with related problems.
• Always be friendly, communicative and honest. Above all, maintain your integrity.
• Plan special, but not spectacular, events. A backyard cookout will do. (MoveOn.org raises money with nationwide bake sales.)