Advocacy Landscape & Engagement

the client challenge

A clinical stage company conducting research in oncology sought to better understand the advocacy landscape for pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma, and ovarian cancer. In addition, the company sought to establish an internal operational approach to advocacy engagement.

the approach

Discover

-We began by interviewing internal team stakeholders to determine commercial, medical, and corporate goals and priorities; with this information, we scoped the types of organizations to evaluate by disease area and strategic focus, compiling a list of 26 relevant advocacy organizations.

-We continued our research by reviewing media coverage, financial statements, annual reports, and other materials from the identified advocacy organizations to determine where they shared the company’s goals, and what ‘influence resources’ they had in place to aid in pursuing those goals; we also consulted with subject-matter experts where needed to supplement our secondary research findings.

Assess

-Utilizing Orangefiery’s proprietary advocacy mapping approach, we prioritized groups in terms of their anticipated alignment with the company goals and levels of influence.

Engage

-With priority organizations identified, we created a strategic engagement plan for introducing new and/or optimizing existing relationships with those highest-value targets; this included an engagement calendar with key meetings, key external milestones, and an anticipated engagement schedule.

-We convened and managed a cross-functional advocacy engagement working group and created their operational procedures and governance materials.

-Acting as an extension of the company’s internal team, Orangefiery served as a primary contact for select advocacy organizations, participating in regular calls and providing counsel on opportunities to work together.

the result

We set the client on the right path forward to engage with the most influential and aligned advocacy organizations and set the foundation for an effective and strategic ongoing advocacy program. As a result of newly established relationships, they participated in a variety of meetings with advocacy organizations, participated on panels, and were asked to join advocacy-led councils and consortiums.