Latest Insights.

Members of the Direct Impact team recently reflected on their own unique experiences attending music festivals and visiting historic festival sites in communities across the country.

The Direct Impact team shares insights from its latest roundtable discussion on the evolving local media landscape and the 2024 elections that took place during the 2024 Field Team Party.

The recent news about both Gannett and McClatchy ending publication of content from the Associated Press before the end of this month, sent shockwaves across the media landscape. They represent two of the largest U.S. newspaper chains and publishers of more than 230 local newspapers combined, and for Gannett, this ends a 100-year partnership with the AP.

In more ways than one, March Madness is here! As college basketball fans finalize their brackets, political observers, strategists and pollsters are gearing up for the next “Super Tuesday” on November 5th – and the likely re-match between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

As she kicks off the second leg of her record-shattering Eras Tour in Japan after making history at the Grammy Awards, we can’t help but recognize and reflect on the extraordinary impact Taylor Swift has not only had on her legions of loyal fans (like us!), but on the local communities that have hosted her historic Eras Tour performances.‍“Swiftonomics” aren’t only about Swift’s global influence but about the incredible impact she has had on the communities where we live and work. Swift has certainly left a “Blank Space” for local grassroots advocacy that we will attempt to fill in through outlining five key things that likely don’t come to mind while scavenging for the best Eras Tour seats or selecting which album to listen to next:

Earlier this fall, Direct Impact gave a warm welcome to Mary Flury, the newest member of our team! She joins DI as a Senior Vice President and Finance Director, bringing nearly two decades of experience in finance and accounting.We recently sat down with Mary to learn a little more about her and her unique role on the financial side of the business.

This fall, Direct Impact enthusiastically welcomed Julie Rollend to the team as a Senior Vice President. She brings two decades of experience in public relations and corporate communications with a background in consumer, lifestyle, hospitality, and technology. She spent much of her career in the travel and tourism sector where she recently led local campaigns across the United States and Canada for Marriott International.

Last fall, BCW and Direct Impact (DI) completed a State-by-State Snapshot of the ESG Policy Landscape following the 2022 midterm elections. Focusing on 22 influential and political “battleground” states, we provided insights and cautious predictions on the direction of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies over the 2023-2024 legislative session cycle across deep-red places like Florida, deep blue places like California and “purple” states like Pennsylvania.

Direct Impact's 2023 HAROLD Intern recaps her experience with the leading grassroots communications agency.

In prioritizing local engagement as part of our respective media strategies, we amplified our messages, connected with communities on a deeper level, and fostered stronger relationships with the constituents we served. Ultimately, this ensured our respective senators were more effective in serving the diverse communities throughout the states they represented on Capitol Hill.

Last week, Direct Impact, BCW, and Prime Policy Group hosted an hour-long discussion panel on creating public affairs programs that move the needle in an increasingly divided—and stagnated—Washington.

The battle is underway over one of Congress’ largest pieces of legislation – the federal farm bill.

When it comes to local campaigns, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each market has unique challenges that must be addressed through a tailored strategy. With a network of more than 1,000 communications and political professionals with deep relationships across every media market and political jurisdiction in the country, Direct Impact has been helping companies and organizations tell their unique stories and achieve their objectives for over 30 years.

Danielle Boyd recently joined Direct Impact as an Account Director. She is based in Dallas, Texas, and brings over 10 years of strategic communications experience to the firm. Prior to joining Direct Impact, Danielle worked at NEC Corporation of America with a primary focus on internal communications, developing effective communication strategies to build brand awareness, driving employee engagement, and partnering with local nonprofit organizations for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

This July, Stephen Fitzmaurice joined Direct Impact as a Vice President in Washington, D.C. Stephen comes to DI with over twelve years of strategic communications and policy experience that includes working for trade associations in the healthcare and financial services sectors and on Capitol Hill. We caught up with Stephen to learn more about what drives him and how his experiences can help drive success for DI’s clients.

When it comes to executing a successful, localized community engagement program, consider partnering with the experts in grassroots campaigns that reach key stakeholders from local agricultural thought leaders to Members of Congress and beyond.

Direct Impact has recently acquired the talent of Maura Hogan as a Senior Vice President. Previously, Maura worked as Senior Vice President at BCW for over 3 ½ years focusing on corporate reputation, public affairs, and ESG/sustainability until she recently transitioned to the Direct Impact team!

With consumer sentiment linked to brands that demonstrate commitment to sustainability, it’s essential to make sure your company’s own sustainability communications break through the noise.

As experts in local media trends, DI has a front row seat to the evolution underway in markets across the country and what the rise in non-traditional outlets will mean for local news coverage and consumption in the future.

As companies and organizations consider the solutions they want to offer and the best approach toward addressing health disparities, there are several key considerations of which to be mindful of. These include knowing the community and understanding specific barriers impacting access to health care along with speaking in an authentic voice about the issues which matter most.

While our lives are more digital and tech-focused than ever before, innate social, human connections have also never been as important. These connections allow us to contextualize and strengthen the bond between each other and with the communities in which we exist.

While the pandemic has forced all of us into our local places these last few years, we’ve witnessed a paradigm shift over the last decade in how business gets done, how and where policy is made, and where reputations are won or lost.

As we approach Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, one of his quotes has been on the forefront of my mind. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” For me, this encompasses much of what it means to be an ally, especially over the past year.

Direct Impact breaks down the results of the election on state legislative chambers in battleground states.