Advocacy Landscape & Engagement
**Client Challenge**
A clinical-stage company focused on oncology research aimed to gain insights into the advocacy landscape for pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma, and ovarian cancer. Additionally, the company intended to develop an internal strategy for engaging with advocacy groups.
**Approach**
**Discover**
- We started by interviewing internal stakeholders to understand their commercial, medical, and corporate objectives. Using this information, we identified 26 pertinent advocacy organizations to evaluate based on disease area and strategic focus.
- Our research continued with an analysis of media coverage, financial statements, annual reports, and other materials from these advocacy groups to identify shared goals and assess the resources for influence they possessed. We also consulted with experts in the field to enhance our secondary research findings.
**Engage**
- After identifying priority organizations, we developed a strategic engagement plan aimed at establishing new and enhancing existing relationships with high-value targets. This included an engagement calendar outlining key meetings, important external milestones, and an expected engagement timeline.
- We organized and managed a cross-functional advocacy engagement working group, creating operational procedures and governance documents for their activities.
- Acting as an extension of the company’s team, we served as the primary point of contact for certain advocacy organizations, holding regular calls and providing guidance on collaboration opportunities.
**Result**
We set the client on a path to effectively engage with impactful and aligned advocacy organizations, laying the groundwork for a successful and strategic advocacy program. As a result of the new partnerships, the company took part in discussions with advocacy groups, participated in panels, and received invitations to join advocacy-led councils and consortiums.