I had the privilege of representing Rasky Baerlein at a Council on Public Relations Washington roundtable earlier this morning. A hearty crowd comprised of senior public relations executives from large, mid and small firms made the early morning confab. These roundtable events are particularly candid, and consequently insightful as participants freely discuss industry opportunities and challenges. The Council should be commended for their work and diligence in keeping these important regional conversations going throughout the year.
Couple thoughts jumped out, as I made way back to the office on a soggy, early December morning. First, for many firms it was a good year with growth across the board. Rasky Baerlein is no exception. The impact of the late fall 2008 global economic collapse on the consultancy world appears to be in the rearview mirror. Interestingly, today's participants said that the industry was far more equipped to deal with the 2008 recession compared with the 2000 downturn because there is a greater acceptance, particularly among the C-Suite of public relations' value. Specifically corporate communications and reputation management. Those client service pillars form the basis for consensus that 2012 can also be a growth year.
Second, contrary to the commonly held Washington wisdom that presidential years inside the beltway are quiet or dull, we take a polar opposite view. In fact, to us in Washington, 2012 brings significant public affairs opportunity for companies and trade associations who recognize the value of investing in reputation management to elevate and/or further their brand's awareness with key influencers. Freed up from competition that hearings and legislative floor debates bring for stakeholder attention and time, 2012 is the year of Awareness. Seize the opportunity! Take advantage of an uncluttered landscape and educate policymakers about your company and advocacy agenda. Repeat. Keep doing it.
Regardless of the outcome of next November's election, 2013 portends to be a wild year with entitlement and tax reform, energy and healthcare policy all primed for significant and substantive legislative debate. Smart folks understand this now and relish the timeline. 2013 will be the year of advocacy and legislation. But 2012 is the year to lay the foundation through awareness and education.
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