The Public Lands Council

PLC Locked In Westfourth to Boost Their Legislative Efforts

As environmental issues continue to dominate the news, the Public Lands Council – an offshoot of the Beef Cattlemen’s Association – hired our firm to rebrand the organization, modernize its messaging and amplify their lobbying efforts both in Washington and across the nation.

For more than 100 years, PLC has represented ranchers who graze livestock on public lands, utilizing permits that have been passed down through generations and whose families and ranches are part of the unique character of many western states and communities. Today, these ranchers and their way of life are threatened by legislative proposals, regulatory changes, lawsuits and anti-ranching advocates.

PLC turned to Westfourth to research and implement a complete rebrand and repositioning of the organization.  Beginning with a year-long research initiative that included both surveys and focus groups, our team conducted qualitative research on critical PLC issues, proposed new core messages and brand standards, then tested them with policy stakeholders in Washington, DC and in several key states.

Following the research phase, the our team built a multi-channel advocacy campaign to expand the delivery of important PLC lobbying messages in the press, direct to Hill staff and online. The team kicked off a year-long media relations campaign to redefine the perception of the industry, drive attention to PLC’s top legislative priorities  and proactively take on ranching industry issues covered in the press. In parallel, an aggressive social media campaign drove positive PLC lobbying messages to relevant press, policy-makers and influencers.

Results:

Comprehensive research findings and message testing led to a successful launch of the new PLC brand and message platform.  Issues that had been top-of-mind and messages that resonated in previous decades have now shifted to reflect a more modern, collaborative tone. Westfourth translated these findings into updated messages, content, a broad library of educational materials and a compelling new website design that more accurately reflected the PLC’s evolving role in environmental stewardship and public land management. Finally, Westfourth worked to introduce PLC leadership to key policy press, drive ongoing placement of Op-ed pieces and continues its work to reshape the image of the industry via local and national press.