Beyond the ballot box
GGF unveils post-election plans and new political campaigns micro-site for GGF members.
With the General Election on 7th May being arguably the most unpredictable in British political history there are numerous potential outcomes; from majority and minority victories to various formal or informal coalitions in the event of a hung parliament.
With so much to consider, it would be fair to assume that planning for the post-election outcome would be an extremely difficult task for any organisation never mind the GGF. However, with the help of GK Strategy (the Federation’s political consultancy and advisory firm), the GGF has formulated a clear and viable political PR/lobbying plan that will raise the GGF Members’ concerns to whichever political party (or parties) forms the Government.
Nigel Rees, GGF Group Chief Executive commented, “Firstly, no matter what form the next Government takes, our plan is to ensure our voice is heard and that we continue to engage with the key influencers and decision makers. For over five years, we have worked hard to take our campaign messages directly to cabinet ministers, government departments and officials. This will remain our priority.”
Political Engagement Plan 2015/16
Broad objectives
- To ensure the GGF’s voice is heard in local and central Government
- To continue to engage with key influencers and decision makers directly
- To lobby on behalf of GGF Members the five ongoing campaigns in 2015
- To listen to Members concerns on current and forthcoming policies, legislation and regulations
Targets (key influencers and decision makers)
- Cabinet Ministers
- Shadow Ministers and parliamentarians who may be GGF campaign champions
- Government officials (civil servants)
- Key Government departments
- Other authorities and related organisations
- Media
Quarterly reviews
With the GGF’s political advisers GK Strategy, quarterly reviews of the GGF’s messages to ensure they are aligned with the campaigns’ objectives and priorities.
Honing the messages
The GGF will tailoring and refine the broad campaign messages for specific communications to key targets.
Communicating the messages
Identifying and using appropriate methods, platforms and channels of PR/communication will be selected for media opportunities. (Including print, broadcast and online/social media).
Meeting key MPs and Ministers
The GGF aims to arrange face to face meetings with key influencers and decision makers in the following ways;
- in Parliament at campaign related events
- at MPs Westminster offices
- at the Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and European assemblies if necessary
- at Government departments
- in local constituency offices
- at GGF Members’ premises
- at Party Conferences and related events
Gathering support
The GGF will identify and partner like-minded trade bodies and relevant pressure groups to add to the GGF voice and enhance the campaigns and in doing so sharing resources.
GGF MP Database
The GGF marketing team will regularly update the GGF MP database, which identifies which MPs represent which Members.
Updating GGF Members
The GGF political campaigns are ongoing and the GGF will ensure that its Members are kept up to speed in the following ways;
- At relevant GGF specialist group meetings
- At GGF Members’ Day on 1st September 2015 at Glaziers Hall, London
- Via the new Political Campaigns micro-site of the GGF website
- Issuing regular online reports in the Political Campaigns section
- Posting news stories on GGF Newswire – the GGF’s regular digital news service
Monitoring political activity
At the end of year the GGF conducts an annual review on all of its activities. With the guidance of GK Strategy the Federation will evaluate its lobbying, political campaigns and publish the analysis in December 2015/January 2016.
NEW Political Campaigns micro-site now online
The GGF marketing team has set up a new Political Campaigns micro-site in the Members Area of the GGF web site to help Members keep track of all the activity.
The Political Campaigns micro-site contains five sub-sections for each GGF Campaign. Each sub-sections links to the respective campaigns documents and news articles. In addition the GGF plans to introduce a regular news update feature integrated with the GGF’s Members newsletter to ensure Members are up to speed with the very latest on each campaign. The Political Campaigns section will also regularly feature a political blog with contributions from GK Strategy and the political media.
James Lee, Head of GGF Group Marketing and Communications commented, “Though the Political Campaigns micro-site has initially been set up exclusively for GGF Members, in the long term we intend to create a version for public access. Our Members will always be our priority but it is important that the wider industry and general public are also kept informed of our political activity.”
