The cadence of elections impacts the work that gets done in Washington, D.C., While the city has been abuzz about the presidential race and its twists and turns over the past several months, the lead-up to this election has been devoid of the often-high-profile dealmaking and legislative activity that provide Senate and House candidates with platforms to tout during their campaigns. This runs counter to most years, like 2022 when the Bilateral Infrastructure Law was passed in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.
Against that backdrop and with a new president (and new look Congress) guaranteed come January 2025, what should associations do to ensure they are effectively advocating on behalf of their members? APCO’s TradeMarks study reveals what actions they should take to be effective advocates.
The 10th edition of our study, which surveyed more than 300 congressional staffers, executive branch personnel and private sector executives in policy and communications roles, reveals both the stability and changes in the characteristics that make trade associations successful in the eyes of policy leaders.
Some notable findings include:
Getting the basics right. As has been the case since the study’s inception in 2013, associations perform well on five high impact characteristics: Unified Voice, Membership Mobilization, Multilateral Impact, Lobbying and Local Impact. These characteristics continue to be impactful in 2024, even though Lobbying is less impactful than historically in an election year. Trade associations continue to succeed or struggle depending on how they are perceived on these core expectations of Washington policy leaders and prioritize them in their work.
The rise of integrated communications. One of the standout trends in 2024 is the growing importance of integrated communication efforts. Events, Media Relations and Social Media have all gained prominence as characteristics that impact perceived policy effectiveness. This rise reflects the need for associations to engage policy elites where they are through diverse channels. This shift highlights the dual focus on digital information consumption and the renewed emphasis on in-person interactions. Associations should invest in integrated campaigns, leveraging a mix of communication channels to maximize their reach. Ensuring consistent messaging across all channels will help maintain a Unified Voice, one of the core five high impact characteristics.
Whither bipartisanship? In 2022 and 2023, Bipartisanship was essential for associations to be considered effective advocates; however, in 2024, the emphasis on Bipartisanship is minimized. This reprioritization may be explained by the fact that 2024 is an election year, and a particularly unusual and polarized one. This year has seen both parties and chambers intentionally delay legislation to use as a campaign issue or to avoid giving the opposing party a legislative win. In today’s environment, Washington policy leaders recognize that bipartisan efforts by trade associations will have little effect.
What does this landscape mean for associations as they head into 2025? Here are three actions to take:
- Check in with members. 2024 has been a heck of a year politically and economically. 2025 will look different, if uncertain in the beginning. Touching base now with members to understand their concerns and priorities will enable you to incorporate their perspectives in your own planning. Knowing what they expect you to do versus what they intend to do is critical to ensuring a unified voice that is impactful.
- Adapt to legislative dynamics. Be prepared to pivot your advocacy efforts to align with the political climate. There is going to be a new administration and Congressional leadership and members. Do your scenario planning now so you are prepared for whatever political realties emerge following the elections. Starting to conduct stakeholder mapping and identifying where you have relationship gaps will enable you to move quickly in January with building relationships and laying the groundwork for future legislative opportunities.
- Embrace integrated communication. With the growing importance of diverse communication channels, associations should invest in integrated campaigns. Utilize a mix of in-person and online outreach to better engage policy elites and maintain a consistent, unified voice across all platforms.
APCO is here to assist trade associations. Please reach out to begin a conversation.
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Bill Dalbec is managing director of APCO Insight, APCO’s research consultancy, and serves as the study’s principal investigator. Haley Gurian is a research analyst specializing in data analysis and visualization.