One of the hardest things to do in politics is get off to a strong start, whether you’re running for office or launching a new advocacy effort. Time and again, we’ve seen candidates and causes launch without a clear message or hesitate while a field coalesces without them.

Many of our clients struggle with decisions about which issues to emphasize when it comes to communicating with key audiences. Where are the biggest opportunities? Where are the unforeseen risks?

With these questions in mind, we created an issues management tool called Lighthouse. Lighthouse compares an organization’s strengths and weaknesses with the issues their key audiences care about (and don't care about). It's a framework that helps our clients parse competing priorities and determine which issues are mission-critical and which should be avoided.

Many public affairs campaigns are short-term by design. They focus on narrow outcomes, like passing a bill during a legislative session or preventing a regulatory change before it damages a business model.

In some cases, this approach meets the challenge at hand. But when the goal is to have a lasting impact on how society deals with a complex challenge – like climate change or education – a different approach is called for.

This different approach is long game advocacy. Long game advocacy means engaging the public at a values level, shaping public opinion as you build a constituency for your agenda.