By Josh RosenfeldOriginally published in PRovoke Media Nonprofits are often described as the backbone of civil society, stepping in where government falls short. They deliver essential, mission-driven services that help those in need, lifting up local communities. That framing is true—but in this moment, it is incomplete. It is no longer enough for nonprofits to
By Matt Di Taranto Originally published in City & State New York This year, Pride arrives amid ongoing political and cultural tension surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, raising questions about how companies can authentically support and rebuild trust with the community. Across the United States, policies targeting LGBTQ+ people — particularly transgender and nonbinary individuals —continue
By Cedric Grant, Partner, Government Relations Co-Lead A lot of clients have been asking what a change in House control might mean for them. The short answer is that most organizations are going to come at it the wrong way. They’ll start with access — who to know, how to get in the room, how to navigate a new set of relationships.
By Shafian Rahman, Manager, Insights, Audience Intelligence & Performance (Analysis timeframe: January 1– March 31, 2026) When Zohran Mamdani took office as Mayor of New York City, the question wasn’t just whether his digitally fluent campaign operation would carry into governing — it was whether his team could maintain narrative control in an increasingly nationalized
By Jonathan Scharff, Vice President and Shafian Rahman, Manager Every March, Houston becomes the center of the global energy universe. CERAWeek draws heads of state, energy executives and policymakers from more than 80 countries. For one week, the conversations that happen in those rooms shape markets, investment decisions and policy debates for months to come. This year, Avoq’s audience intelligence team
By Jeff Smokler Originally published in MM+M Anyone who has ever worked as a marketing and communications consultant to drug manufacturers knows that the relationship between brand marketers and their corporate affairs colleagues is a little like that of Professor X and Magneto from X-Men: aligned on the mission, often divided on the strategy, and
By Jonathan Scharff, Shafian Rahman and Alex Lewis Anyone close to it knows the talk of the energy industry, technology world and increasingly business news, is now focused on Artificial Intelligence Data Centers. Where should they go? How will they be powered? What is the community benefit? Behind the announcements of billions in investment is
by Mimi Tan and Yoni Gedan As you refine your communications plan for 2026, you might be overlooking one of your most critical audiences for shaping your brand, swaying your stakeholders and influencing your influencers. That audience is AI. With nearly 40% of Americans starting searches on AI platforms like ChatGPT/Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity, the
As teams plan for 2026, the question is not what is new. It is what is still worth doing. We asked Dan Sallick, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, to start his lists of what is “in” and what is “out” for the comms world. His list reflect what we have heard from clients, reporters and teams
The end of the year naturally encourages perspective — especially in Washington, where 2026 planning is already well underway. What began as an internal tradition of pausing to assess the landscape, has now become something we’re excited to share more broadly: the advice and guidance our Government Relations team will be carrying into the year