Co-operation between marketing and policy experts reaches unprecedented levels in Latin America

Marketing and policy professionals are working together more in LATAM than the rest of the world, according to a first regional study by the WFA, and this collaboration is on the rise.

WFA’s research, “Bridging the Gap LATAM”, found that 84% of public affairs professionals and 63% of marketers in the region say collaboration has “increased” or “increased significantly” in the past five years.

This is reasonably ahead of the WFA’s global Bridging The Gap study, released during Global Marketer Week in Toronto earlier this year, with 32% of public affairs professionals in LATAM claim that it “increased significantly” while only 13% of colleagues in global roles say the same. For marketing, its 24% in LATAM and just 13% globally.

Despite this, many LATAM policy and marketing teams still consider that they have to build stronger relationships. One in four (28%) marketing professionals still consider that they don’t collaborate very closely or don’t collaborate at all with public affairs teams. Half of public affairs professionals consider the current level of collaboration to be below the ideal, with 51% of them saying either that teams could collaborate more or that teams collaborated too little.

The findings are based on 103 responses from 59 regional and multinational companies in 11 markets in Latin America, including Mexico. Nearly seven in 10 (67%) respondents were marketers and 33% were policy leaders. The research was conducted in partnership with WFA’s national advertiser associations in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Bridging the Gap LATAM will form the basis of a panel discussion – Facilitando la colaboración entre marketing y asuntos públicos – at WFA’s Regional Meeting in Buenos Aires on 25 September, aimed at exploring how policy leads can transition their perceived value from ‘risk mitigators’ to ‘opportunity seizers’ in support of business growth.

The overall trend is certainly for more co-operation. Marketers and public affairs professionals across LATAM agree that collaboration will continue to increase, with 72% of public affairs and 65% of marketers saying they expect to collaborate more or a lot more in the future. Once again this is well ahead of global scores for public affairs (72% LATAM, 33% global).

“WFA has long called for greater collaboration between marketing and policy and it is heartening to see that happening across LATAM. As regulations in key areas become more complex it’s going to become increasingly essential that the two sides work together. Policy thinking needs to be integrated into the marketing process and smart marketers will find ways to do this within their own organisational structures.”, said Stephan Loerke, WFA CEO.

Other findings include:

• In LATAM, both sides agree on the need of collaboration to develop responsible marketing policies and codes, with 48% of public affairs professionals and 42% of marketings placing it as one of their top areas of increased collaboration, together with sustainability, brand building, and reputation and risk management.
• LATAM also scores much higher when it comes to brand purpose. Fifty-five percent of marketers think that the input of policy teams to brand and company purpose is essential, while only 33% of their colleagues in other regions agree. And 74% of public affairs professionals say that they contribute always or often to brand purpose. Both scores are significantly ahead of global norms. The number of marketers who say that public affairs never or rarely contributes is half that seen in the global research (24% for LATAM against 52% for the global research). As for public affairs professionals, while more than 30% of them globally say that they never or rarely contribute to brand purpose, this is only the case for less than 5% in LATAM.
• Where there is significant difference between the two sides however is on environmental sustainability/green claims. Close to two-thirds (59%) of public affairs respondents see a need for collaboration (54% for global public affairs teams) but only 33% of marketers in LATAM (50% globally) agree.
• LATAM is also at odds with global views when it comes to political developments. While at a global level, political developments are considered more relevant than ever before (with only 8% of public affairs professionals and 6% marketers saying that these developments are not relevant for marketers), this is less the case in LATAM, where 29% of marketers and 25% of public affairs professionals think political developments are not relevant for marketers.

“The success of a FMCG brand increasingly relies on the synergy between the marketing and public affairs teams; while marketing captures consumer attention, public affairs builds trust and reputation. Together, they create a strong narrative that drives not only sales, but also the long-term value and sustainability of the brand,” said Philip Pérez, President, CAA Argentina & WFA VP for LATAM.

“We are very proud to be part of this relevant study as ANDA Chile, as it highlights a significant change in the relationship between marketing and public affairs, both globally and in LATAM. The increasing complexity of today's scenarios and the disruptive events of recent years have underlined the need for closer and more strategic collaboration between these key functions. Today, more than ever, companies require a comprehensive vision that allows them to anticipate crises, understand the social and political environment, and design strategies that not only communicate effectively, but connect deeply with their audiences and society as a whole,” said Fernando Mora, President, ANDA Chile.

‘ANDA Colombia welcomes these results, which confirm that the training initiatives we have been working on with our affiliates are relevant to further strengthen the relationship between the marketing and public affairs teams. We are committed to continue fostering collaborative work and to promote responsible and effective commercial communication,’ said Elizabeth Melo, Executive President, ANDA Colombia.

“It is extremely positive that in the marketing and public affairs areas of Latin American companies there is a growing awareness of the need to strengthen collaborative work across functions. Everything indicates that we are witnessing a healthy change of mentality, but its consolidation will depend on what happens in the daily work of organisations in the immediate future,’ said Gisella Rojo, Executive Director, ANDA Peru.

“Collaboration between Public Affairs and Marketing has become essential when a brand seeks to reinforce its institutional image and the values it represents. The close collaboration of these departments ensures messages are aligned, reinforces trust in the brand and improves the overall perception, which in turn helps to create an identity that consumers can easily recognise,” said Maria Ofelia Elías, Executive Director, AAG Guatemala.