Inextricably linked with the Issues Management process, Strategic Communications focuses on informing science, policy, and consumer behavior through successful communication of the clients' positions with the support of arguments and data analyses developed during the Issues Management process.  Armed with the right information, such as the public health rationales and supporting materials generated by our Issues Management team, our Strategic Communications team devises strategies for how to best engage stakeholders such as regulatory and other public health agencies, potential partners such as key experts, advocacy and interest groups, and important intermediaries such as the media.

Pinney Associates' Strategic Communications process involves arming the client to present the public health rationale for taking a particular business, regulatory, or public policy action and address stakeholders' concerns through open and candid dialogue in order to:

• Build awareness of the need for the action
   
• Build alliances with individuals and organizations
   
• Anticipate and address the concerns of opponents

The Strategic Communications process involves:

• Identifying, profiling, and developing a strategy for reaching out to stakeholders
   
• Engaging stakeholders
   
• Making data that supports a regulatory or policy action public through publication in peer reviewed journals
   
• Preparing clients for critical meetings with external organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration, FDA Advisory Committees, other federal agencies and Congress