How Systems of Insight and Action Can Equip Organizations to Understand and Influence Policy Debates

By Mark Burles, SVP and Client Partner at Material

In today’s volatile policy environment, what’s said about your company matters – but what’s decided without you matters more.

From environmental standards to data security, antitrust policy to AI regulation, the rules that define industries are being rewritten to keep pace with rapid technological, political and social shifts. Organizations that wait for the ink to dry on new legislation or regulation before responding can find themselves boxed in, reacting to decisions rather than having a hand in shaping them.

To stay ahead, companies need to do more than monitor consumer sentiment or track standard metrics for brand or reputational performance. They need a purpose-built system that connects policy research, intelligence and action – one that helps them see around corners, understand the forces shaping public policy and engage credibly when it matters most.

The stakes are clear: the organizations that understand the policy landscape, and can act quickly within it, are the ones that will stay resilient and relevant amid disruption.

When Traditional Brand Tracking Is Not Enough

Traditional brand tracking has long been vital to corporate strategy – enabling organizations to understand and map consumer perceptions and behaviors over time. But when it comes to navigating policy debates, those same tools often fall short.

Broad Tracking Programs Don’t Capture the Debate on Policies and Values
Conventional tracking systems are designed to capture consumer sentiment: awareness, favorability, purchase intent. What they don’t measure are the deeper narratives shaping public discourse – the issues, values and priorities that drive policymakers, advocacy groups and think tanks.

A brand may have a strong consumer reputation and still face significant regulatory risk if it misunderstands how it is perceived by those shaping public policy.

The Speed and Precision Gap
Policy debates move quickly – often faster than traditional research cycles can effectively track. By the time a brand tracker detects a shift, the conversation may already have calcified and opportunities to influence outcomes may have passed.

What organizations need is not just more data, but faster, more focused intelligence – the kind that enables the clarity and agility to respond quickly.

Building a System of Insights to Drive Action

To shape the decisions that affect them, companies must build a system of insight and action that integrates intelligence, communications and advocacy. This system should help them:

• Understand the priorities, concerns and values of policy-critical audiences

• Map their reputation among policy influencers

• Detect shifts in sentiment early enough to respond with clarity and credibility

• Align their strategies and messaging with the policy landscape

At Material, we frame this system through two essential and interrelated lenses:

Learn What Matters

Organizations must first deeply understand the terrain; the narratives, values and risks defining their policy ecosystem. That means:

• Identifying the issues most relevant to key audiences – from regulators and legislators to advocacy groups and industry bodies

• Detecting early shifts in narratives, sentiment and support

• Understanding how the brand is perceived by those shaping regulation or debate

Act With Precision

Insight without action is inertia. The second capability connects understanding to influence:

• Aligning strategy, investment and messaging based on audience priorities

• Coordinating outreach across communications channels, from executive engagement to public campaigns

• Enabling rapid – but informed – decisions in high-stakes moments

Together, these two capabilities form the foundation of a proactive, insight-driven approach to public affairs. Here’s how we bring these principles to life.

The Foundation: Core Intelligence Streams

A resilient public policy strategy rests on continuous intelligence. This is the foundation that enables long-term understanding of the forces shaping your operating environment.

Situation Scan + Attribute Optimization
Beginning with secondary research, surface the topics defining the current policy and debate landscape. A drivers analysis can then illuminate the issues and priorities that matter most to key audiences. Which policy areas are most closely associated with your company? Where are you seen as credible – and where are you vulnerable?

Baseline + Ongoing Tracking
Building on that foundation, establish ongoing tracking – including policy audiences and topics – to monitor shifts in reputation, message impact and alignment with audience priorities. This allows organizations to measure progress, anticipate risks and adjust strategies as debates evolve.

Qual-at-Scale with Tier 2 Policymakers
Quantitative measures tell you what is changing. Qualitative insights uncover the why. Engaging policymakers, staffers and policy influencers through scalable qualitative research can surface the motivations and emotional drivers behind their perceptions.

Fueling Agility: Research for High-Stakes Moments

Comprehensive intelligence systems must be complemented by tools for fast, high-stakes decision-making. When narratives shift suddenly, organizations must be able to move from learning to action with precision.

Social Listening + Market Intelligence
Real-time monitoring of social, news and other real-world discourse ensures early detection of narrative shifts. A continuous pulse on the policy conversation allows organizations to anticipate risk, respond credibly and position their voice effectively.

Agile Qualitative Deep Dives
When an issue erupts, rapid interviews with key audiences – policy influencers, experts or advocates – can uncover the motivations, emotions and values driving the conversation.

Agile Quantitative + Message Testing
Finally, compressed-cycle research allows organizations to compare messages, test framing and validate resonance before going public. With agile quant and qual in tandem, decisions are both fast and grounded.

Together, these agile tools empower organizations to stay informed, responsive and credible in the moments that can define outcomes.

Enabling Policy Influence, Resilience and Opportunity

When organizations combine foundational intelligence with agility, they go beyond managing risk – they can also shape the debate. Ultimately, a system of insight and action enables brands to participate credibly in critical conversations to inform, educate and engage on the issues that define their industries.

In an era when public policy can redefine markets overnight, resilience depends on readiness, and readiness comes from insight. Material helps organizations build and maintain the systems necessary to anticipate and shape the forces that matter most to their future.

Reach out today to learn how we can help your organization stay ahead of the policy curve with comprehensive intelligence and agile action.