PR in an Election Year | David Fuscus of Xenophon Strategies

PRGN Presents • Season 5, Episode 6 • Originally published as an audio podcast on September 26, 2024. How should businesses communicate when politics dominates the news? David Fuscus, CEO of Xenophon Strategies in Washington, DC, and founder of Précis AI, joins Abbie Fink and Dr. Adrian McIntyre to talk about political risk, media relations and client counsel in the weeks before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. David says he has never seen an election cycle like this one. Ordinary business decisions can turn political overnight, as Tractor Supply discovered when it came under attack on social media over an ESG policy. His rule is to act by decision, and he describes a shoe company in the Pacific Northwest that took a public stand after Roe v. Wade was overturned, knowing the hits would come. He explains how misinformation fueled a week of riots in Britain and how stories now flow between social and earned media. U.S. politics worries people far beyond America, he says, including his own team in Ukraine. Earned media is now only 25 to 30 percent of Xenophon’s business, but David still has deep respect for journalists. His advice for the months ahead: find out what reporters are covering and give them something they can put in a story, such as a white paper. And while national newsrooms are focused on the campaign, lean into trade and niche outlets. KEY TAKEAWAYS • In an election year, ordinary business decisions can become political, with effects on customers, employees and reputation. • If you take a public position, do it by decision, with your eyes open to the risk and in line with your values. • Stories now flow back and forth between social media and earned media, and their effects can cross borders. • Research what each reporter has been covering, and offer material such as reports or white papers they can use in a story. • While national newsrooms focus on the election, trade and niche publications can be the better home for industry stories. Read the full episode notes and transcript: https://prgnpodcast.com/episode/pr-po... --------------------------------------- ABOUT THE GUEST David Fuscus is CEO of Xenophon Strategies, a Washington, DC public relations agency he founded in 2000, whose clients include Airbus, the Virgin Group, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Coast Guard and NEC Corporation. In 2023 he was inducted into the PRSA Hall of Fame and served as president of PRGN. He is also founder and CEO of Précis AI, which offers a generative AI platform built for PR and marketing. • Learn more: https://prgn.com/agency/xenophon-stra... • Connect with David:   / davidfuscus   --------------------------------------- ABOUT THE HOSTS Abbie Fink is president of HMA Public Relations, the oldest continuously operating PR firm in Arizona and a founding member of PRGN. • Learn more: https://prgn.com/agency/hma-public-re... • Connect with Abbie:   / abbiesfink   Dr. Adrian McIntyre is an anthropologist and communications advisor specializing in the marketing and selling of expertise. He is a founding partner at Speed of Story, where he helps entrepreneurial experts and boutique firms clarify their positioning, package their intellectual property, market their premium services, and get paid for their thinking, not their time. • Learn more: https://adrianmcintyre.com/ • Connect with Adrian:   / adrianmcintyre   --------------------------------------- CHAPTERS 00:00 Podcast Intro 00:59 Meet David Fuscus of Xenophon Strategies 01:13 The 2024 Election and Competing for News Attention 02:58 Assessing Political Risk in Business Decisions 05:44 Choosing a Position and Preparing for Backlash 09:40 Newsroom Pressures and How the Media Is Changing 11:24 Misinformation Across Social and Earned Media 13:29 How US Politics Affects Global Communications 15:55 Working With Journalists Under Pressure for Clicks 18:09 Researching Reporters and Creating Useful Story Material 20:30 Reaching Relevant Audiences Through Trade and Niche Media 21:26 Podcast Outro --------------------------------------- PRGN Presents features conversations with members of the Public Relations Global Network. No matter where you do business, there is a PRGN member agency in your region with the deep industry expertise, international experience, and local market knowledge you need to connect with your target audience and achieve your goals. Find a PR firm near you: https://prgn.com/pr-agencies/