Company: The Herald Group, Washington, DC
Company Description: The Herald Group is a public affairs, strategic communications and issue advocacy firm that specializes in leveraging and shaping public policy through the use of integrated communications campaigns to condition environments for business, legislative and political success.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Public Affairs

Nomination Title: NFIB's “I Built My Business” Bus Tour

Tell the story about this nominated campaign since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

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Leading into the 2012 election cycle, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) sought a strategy to elevate their primary policy issues within the escalating political debates taking place at the local, state and national levels. 

The process began with the commissioning of an independent survey of small business owners, manufacturers and entrepreneurs about the state of the small business in the United States.  The results were eye-opening – 55 percent of small business owners said they wouldn’t start a business in today’s economic climate and 68 percent believed that a chief reason was economic uncertainty.  Furthermore, survey respondents largely held Washington policymakers accountable for the situation.   

To highlight the impact this uncertainty was having on businesses and their workers, the NFIB, in partnership with The Herald Group (THG) developed a plan for a battleground state bus tour around the widely used phrase, “I Built My Business,” being echoed by business owners across the country. 

The seven states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida were chosen because they had a sizable contingent of NFIB members and were considered “battleground” areas pivotal for elections ranging from the White House to Congressional Campaigns.

The goal of the campaign was to create an echo chamber of voices that would emerge locally and spill over nationwide, demanding reform in Washington for the small business community. By conditioning the news culture to being receptive to our messages, The Herald Group sought to drive the narrative that small business is the driving force in the recovering economy.

A large tour bus was chartered and colorfully decorated in an attention-getting manner to provide a sharp visual for the broadcast media and print photographers to capture. Throughout the tour, small business owners and employees, elected officials and local leaders spoke to dozens of attendees about pressing issues concerning the small business community, including regulatory reform, healthcare and burdensome tax issues. 

The “I Built My Business” bus tour attracted large crowds and local media in every city visited, including print articles in every single state and television coverage in 80 percent of the locations. NFIB members also gave radio interviews in various cities, resulting in a chain reaction of coverage that extended into dozens of print stories. In Ohio, which was considered by both campaigns to be the most intense battleground state, the bus tour received its most coverage from print and radio, including coverage from all four network affiliates.

The national media also took notice – The New York Times, The Associated Press and Politico, published pieces about the scope and impact of the tour.  The tour, empowered by the poll data, ensured small business issues and concerns were part of local, statewide and presidential campaign dialogues. While many policy challenges continue to exist for small businesses, through the efforts of NFIB they have been elevated and are now front and center with respect to Congressional agendas. 

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that carried out this campaign:

Key leaders from the National Federation of Independent Business and The Herald Group partnered together and combined their various areas of expertise to successfully achieve all of the set goals for the “I Built My Business” bus tour.

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