PASOS/OSI communications workshop
24th May 2010 Tim Finch, Director of Strategic
Communications, ippr
“We pride ourselves on a track record of coming up with smart ideas and practical solutions based on sound evidence, using these to stimulate debates at all levels of society around the most important policy areas, and engaging with those holding power and influence so that new thinking can be put into practice.”
who are we talking to?
The role of the Communications Strategy
• to stimulate debates at all levels of society• and engage with those holding power and
influence
so that…
• new thinking can be put into practice
Think Tanks and communications
“A good think tank is a mixture of nerds and hacks”
What have busy policy makers got time to read and digest?
This?
Or this?
Or even this?
The public discourse in the UK around net migration is increasingly polarised
There’s a huge row in
Britain about immigrant numbers
• The communications strategy is owned and lived by all in the think tank
• We don’t start a research project without thinking about the communications outputs
• The communications outputs don’t all need to come at the end of the project
ippr – the first 21 years • Closely associated with the dominant
political project• A ‘revolving door to power’ • New Labour’s favourite think tank • Ideas clearly influential • Importance to external audiences
obvious
Strengths •Track Record •Experience
•Pockets of expertise •Hardened, battle scarred
•Trust •Trustees and PAC
•Brand Strength
Weaknesses •New Labour tag
•Diminishing influence •Lack of profile (co-directors in
particular) •Spread to thin
•Lack of definition •Some loss of expertise
•Morale
Opportunities •Conservatives short of ideas
•Conservatives quickly in trouble •Ippr seen as obvious place to renew
the progressive agenda •Key subject areas high on agenda
Threats •Frozen out by Conservatives
•New think tank emerges to challenge for progressive (centre left) space •Loss of engagement with critical
figures in Labour •Loss of confidence from key funders
•Ignored by media
Where we want to be
The Contested Space
The place for renewal of progressive thinking
Independent, radical, progressive
• It is underpinned by the following principles:
• Combating inequality
• Empowering citizens
• Promoting social responsibility
• Creating a sustainable economy
• Revitalising democracy
New politics Coalition a space for new thinking
Two big figures but throughout the project they were invisible and silent
NEW ERA ECONOMICS
• The new ippr flagship project
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