Beyond lobbying: trust, technology, and decision-making in uncertain environments

The global transformation we are experiencing is undoubtedly accelerating the evolution of the communications and agency sector, traditionally the driving force behind ideas and narratives. Agencies now find themselves at the epicenter of this tectonic shift, where other players such as strategic consultancies, artificial intelligence platforms, hyper-specialized freelancers, and algorithms that also write, plan, and recommend are converging.

In this context marked by geopolitical disruption, digital transformation and growing demands for transparency, agencies with public affairs departments cannot limit themselves to public relations or acting as a bridge between officials, organizations and governments. At LLYC, we understand that our role has evolved: today, we interpret, anticipate and strategically influence to help leaders make and implement bold decisions. Decisions that legitimize and enhance their ability to influence, minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities to protect and grow the value of their businesses.

The old model based exclusively on contacts and discreet lobbying is no longer sufficient: real impact is built on a multi-channel strategy, where relationships with institutions and political and social actors are inextricably linked with solid narratives, relevant content and a cohesive digital presence.

What used to be a combination of creativity, public relations, and campaign execution has now become a much more complex, dynamic, and technological mechanism.

Today, business activity is not only conditioned by institutional regulations: in the new playing field, society and agents throughout the value chain observe corporate behavior to grant the so-called “social license to operate” and become suppliers, partners, or customers.

The reputation of companies is at stake in real time, and it is in this scenario that public affairs play an essential strategic role in understanding, influencing and anticipating the public dynamics that affect business activity.

Many organizations understood their relationship with institutions from a reactive standpoint: responding to regulations, adapting to rules, or managing crises. But as David Grayson points out in Corporate Responsibility Coalitions, long-term corporate sustainability depends on the ability of companies to actively participate in shaping their environment, not just adapt to it.

This is where public affairs unfolds its full potential: not as a tool for exerting pressure, but as an organizational capacity to generate contextual intelligence, establish relationships of trust and shared public values. In short, becoming a partner in decision-making to align business purpose with social expectations and values.

Integrating public affairs into corporate strategy is not a matter of external communication, but of internal governance. It involves making bold decisions that are more responsible and more aligned with social and institutional interests. It is not just about lobbying: we are talking about creating companies with a vision, mission, and socially shared values.

Although the concept of lobbying has traditionally been associated with the idea of gaining political influence to defend one’s own interests, today it is a tool for dialogue, anticipation, and co-creation of regulatory and social environments that enable sustainable growth.

In this sense:

• They promote the predictability of the regulatory environment (key to investment)
• They improve the strategic alignment between corporate objectives and social expectations
• They reduce the risk of institutional or reputational conflict by integrating the public dimension into decision-making
• They open channels for dialogue and collaboration with public and social actors.

Committing to public affairs should not be a defensive strategy, but rather an exercise in strategic transparency to grow businesses in democratic societies.

But what are the key elements that new solutions and services should integrate?

At LLYC, we understand that data, artificial intelligence and cross-functional teams are the new drivers of public affairs.

In a highly volatile and information-saturated environment, the ability to analyze, interpret and act on relevant data is key to any strategic function. In fact, without data-driven intelligence, any advocacy or institutional positioning strategy runs the risk of being intuitive, biased or disconnected from reality.

Thus, data and artificial intelligence contribute to public affairs by:

– Monitoring the public and regulatory agenda: AI platforms can analyze hundreds of legislative, media, and institutional sources in real time, detecting changes, risks, and opportunities.

– Sentiment and public opinion analysis: algorithms applied to social media, surveys, or the media allow us to capture reactions to specific issues or positions in order to adapt discourse and strategies.

– Intelligent mapping of stakeholders and influential relationships: analysis of networks and institutional interactions allows the dynamics of effective influence to be identified.

– Impact assessments: data and AI make it possible to measure not only the scope of public affairs actions, but also their impact on reputation, public perception and changes in regulatory frameworks.

However, neither data nor AI can multiply the foresight, precision, and speed of professional teams, nor can they replace them. They cannot substitute professional judgment, negotiation skills, or the ability to interpret the political and social climate.

It is precisely these cross-functional teams of professionals that are key to giving this new direction to public affairs solutions that go beyond traditional public relations and lobbying.

We are talking about specialists in different fields:

• Productive sectors
• Politics and institutions
• Regulation
• Communication
• Positioning and leadership
• Data analysis and engineering

This multi-skilled network ensures that data is not only collected but also translated into actionable content. Because decisions need an empirical basis (data), but also a human, contextual and value-based interpretation.

At LLYC, this vision translates into a unique capability: we have a team of more than 60 engineers in 14 countries who have transformed the way we apply artificial intelligence, big data, and advanced analytics to our marketing and corporate affairs solutions. This cutting-edge technical structure allows us to develop predictive models, real-time monitoring systems and high-impact analysis that enhance every phase of public affairs work: from strategic planning to creativity, execution and measurement. It’s not just about having data, but about turning it into bold, informed decisions that are aligned with the context.

Among the many authors who could be cited on the topic of politics and business management, we would highlight Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society (2024), by Arun Gupta, Gerard George, and Thomas J. Fewer. This work has been recognized with the Gold Medal in the General Business category of the 2025 Axiom Business Book Awards.

The book proposes a new vision of how companies can collaborate with governments and society to address global challenges such as climate change and cybersecurity. The authors argue that if the business community, governments, and society work in a coordinated manner, they can contribute more to rebuilding trust and collaborating to seize a new generational opportunity and address the challenges of the current VUCA context.

Strengthening trust between the public and private sectors is essential to fostering an ecosystem where companies collaborate with governments and institutions for social innovation.

In short, the traditional concept of public affairs consulting must go far beyond institutional relations and combine political intelligence, narrative skills, and digital presence with multidisciplinary teams and a systemic view.

We live in an era of permanent transition, where the boundaries between public and private, institutional and social, communication and political influence are increasingly blurred. In this context, influencing is not just about accessing decision-making centers: it is about being part of the public debate, generating legitimate narratives, and articulating strategic alliances with a diversity of actors and channels.

Phil Harris, co-author of The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs (2022), describes a new scenario where not only policy making exists, but also public diplomacy, reputation, and interest management in increasingly complex environments.

It is no longer enough to have contacts; more than ever, the ability to read the scenario and build shared value links is necessary.

The new nature of public affairs is not just a question of technique or strategy: it is also a question of values.

We are at a historic moment in which society demands more transparency, participation and accountability from organizations, whether public or private. This forces agencies to understand their clients’ interests not only as legitimate, but also as part of an implicit social contract with citizens. In this sense, the narrative is not just communication: it is public commitment and transparency.

And all this without forgetting a key element: the global nature of markets. At LLYC, we understand that public affairs are now a strategic lever for impacting the four capitals of business: commercial, intellectual, social, and financial. We do this through data-driven solutions, powered by artificial intelligence and activated by multidisciplinary teams that combine international strategic vision with local knowledge. Our global structure and diversity of talent allow us to adapt precisely to different cultural and regulatory contexts, offering different responses to new challenges… and also to those that have always existed.