Purpose and Goals of the Chapter

This chapter discusses issue advocacy, or advocating for causes and policy changes in which public relations is taking a larger role.

Outline of Key Chapter Themes

• Public relations is increasingly taking a larger role in advocating for causes and policy changes.
• The Brittany Maynard case demonstrates the long lead time sometimes necessary to move the needle on important and controversial issues. It also shows the importance of understanding the positions of diverse stakeholders and highlights the critical role of research in identifying the most effective and relevant narrative on an issue.
• The Foley Foundation case study helps us understand the importance of social media in identifying and effectively communicating with the correct stakeholders. It also shows us how to use big data to target an organization’s advocacy efforts.
• The Oceana case exposes us to the challenges of global advocacy. It also demonstrates how effective a lighthearted approach can be with serious topics.
• The Jazz With the Stars case shows how effective outreach can be obtained by mixing celebrities with constituents.

Chapter Outline

Compassion & Choices and Brittany Maynard Help Create New Medical Aid-in-Dying Legislation in California

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Spreading Awareness of James W. Foley’s Legacy

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Cut the Bait: Stop Overfishing Subsidies

Situation
Research
Action Planning
Communication
Evaluation

Jazz With the Stars: Funding of K–12 Music Celebrated In DC

The Challenge
The Response

Case Summaries

Compassion & Choices and Brittany Maynard Help Create New Medical Aid-in-Dying Legislation in California

Providing terminally ill adults with the means to peacefully shorten an unbearable dying process has been a contested issue in California for several decades. For more than 20 years, research has shown that “strong majorities” of Americans support medical aid in dying. In 2014, C&C launched a 5-year plan to organize support and change California state law via a ballot initiative, lawsuit, and/or through legislative action to make medical aid in dying an authorized option for terminally ill Californians. On October 6, less than a month before she died, Brittany Maynard went public with her story to advocate for a medical aid-in-dying law in California in partnership with C&C, which publicized three videos she had recorded about her decision. Realizing the power of personal stories, C&C partnered with others who had experience with the issue and could advocate for its importance.

In January 2015, the End of Life Option Act was introduced in the California Senate and the C&C strategy was accelerated. C&C waged the campaign to reach two primary stakeholders: (1) legislators and policymakers and (2) California voters--both English speaking and Spanish speaking. The California legislature passed the End of Life Option Act authorizing medical aid in dying as an option for terminally ill adults, and Governor Brown signed it into law on October 5, 2015--one day before the first anniversary of the launch of C&C’s partnership with Brittany Maynard and fewer than 10 months after the bill’s introduction in January 2015.

Spreading Awareness of James W. Foley’s Legacy

In August 2014, James “Jim” Foley, a freelance journalist for GlobalPost, an international digital news site, was killed by the Islamic militant group known as ISIS, and they videotaped his death for millions to see. The tragedy forced action to help further protect journalists, prevent hostage-taking, and educate young journalists and news organizations about the dangers in news reporting. Shortly after their son’s death, Diane and John Foley created the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation to raise awareness about these issues. Both primary and secondary research was done to better understand journalists’ risks and legal protections, and to assess journalism students’ knowledge of journalism’s risks, particularly as they relate to freelance journalists.

The overall goal of the campaign was to increase awareness about the dangers journalists face and to seek changes to U.S. hostage protocols to help increase the odds of release. The campaign included an “online day of action” targeting the Obama administration, as well as several special events were held in Washington, DC. Overall, because of Diane Foley’s incredible courage and voice as well as the voices of other families, President Obama publicly discussed our country’s hostage policies on June 24, 20155 at the White House, when he invited the families of those who lost loved ones. He said that, although our country’s formal policy remains the same, families may now take steps without fear of being prosecuted by their own government.

Cut the Bait: Stop Overfishing Subsidies

Oceana is the world’s largest international advocacy organization exclusively focused on ocean conservation. Oceana found that despite international consensus that the world’s oceans are in trouble and there is inadequate management in every part of the world, many governments continued to provide subsidies to their fishing sectors. Research revealed that, although some types of subsidies supported beneficial programs such as management and research, the vast majority of subsidies promoted or facilitated increased and intensified fishing, such as programs for boat construction and modernization, fuel, equipment, and other operational costs. The campaign was designed to increase visibility of the issue and create external pressure on the key audiences to act. A major strategy was to use science-based messages to demonstrate the WTO’s opportunity to address overfishing and the urgency for action. Oceana created a story line and life-sized mascot called “Finley the Fish” to establish a recognizable brand and make the issue more accessible to lay audiences.

In 2007, the WTO produced a first draft agreement on fisheries subsidies that addressed, and surpassed in some cases, all of Oceana’s conservation recommendations. However, the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations were never completed due to issues unrelated to the reform of fishing subsidies. However, a much expanded group of countries continued to pursue fisheries subsidies reforms at the WTO and have successfully advanced measures in other international organizations and bodies.

Jazz With the Stars: Funding of K–12 Music Celebrated In DC

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) conducts an annual Washington, D.C. gathering for its members to advocate on Capitol Hill for continued policies and funding to support music education in K–12 public schools. The California-based nonprofit organization sought ways to enhance its advocacy efforts to motivate members of Congress, solidify the music industry, and secure media coverage for this worthy cause. Communications and legislative staff for the senators and state commissioner were excited about the opportunity to mix constituents and celebrities together to help West Virginia rebuild its school music programs. Close coordination was essential to achieve the client’s media and advocacy objectives. Asher Agency blanketed the public policy and West Virginia media with news articles about the event and facilitated complimentary press outreach for the two senators and commissioner. Politico, The Hill, the Washington Examiner, the Huffington Post, the Rolling Stone, and the Washington Post also carried the story, as did the Associated Press, resulting in multiple West Virginia placements and others in Seattle and Houston.

To date, VH1 Save the Music has donated $52 million worth of new musical instruments to 1,964 public schools in 233 school districts around the country, impacting the lives of 2.6 million public school students. All 55 counties in West Virginia have benefited from this generosity, one of the few states to receive statewide support.