How to rethink government communications in tough times 

In an era of fiscal constraint, governments face the dual challenge of achieving policy goals while maintaining public trust. Communication — often overlooked as a core policy tool — has the potential to drive large-scale behavioral change foster trust equity, and ensure policies resonate with citizens.  

Mark Pender, who leads WPP’s Government & Public Sector Practice for the United States and Canada, advises government and public sector communicators. He’s also leading the upcoming PPF Academy course, Leveraging Communications for Public Policy Delivery.  

In this Q & A with PPF, he shares insights on how governments can effectively deliver policy priorities in a time of belt-tightening, such as the one facing the Government of Canada.  

Q: In an era of cutbacks, what’s the biggest opportunity often overlooked by governments in meeting their policy goals?

A: Belt-tightening offers governments a unique opportunity to rethink how they approach both communications and policy delivery.  

For example, leveraging AI to automate routine processes frees up resources for human communicators to focus on crafting narratives that resonate emotionally with citizens, increasing our likelihood of success when communicating a policy. This dual approach — augmenting human creativity while automating efficiency — ensures that limited budgets are spent where they matter most: driving behavior change and building trust. 

Q: Can you share your thoughts on the potential presented by AI-driven campaign adaptation?

A: AI-driven campaign adaptation represents a powerful way to maximize impact while minimizing costs. WPP uses a concept called the Empathy Gradient, which emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between tasks that benefit from human empathy and those that can be automated.  

For instance, at WPP we use our AI platform which allows us and our clients to simulate audience reactions, refine messaging and optimize content delivery across channels all without sacrificing emotional relevance. 

Q: What about the impact on government communications employees?

A: In times of budgetary restraint, governments should embrace new ways of working such as those enabled by AI tools. Automating low-empathy tasks such as data ingestion, basic analytics and scaled content personalization can reduce operational costs while improving outcomes. Meanwhile, AI can augment human employees in high-empathy areas, freeing them to focus on strategy, creativity and citizen engagement. For government communications employees, this shift requires a mindset change: seeing AI not as a replacement but as a collaborator. 

Q: Why is it crucial to weave communications into policy design rather than simply at rollout?

A: Policy success hinges on understanding and influencing citizen behavior, which is why communication must be integrated into policy design from the outset. Through our work with governments in over 70 countries, WPP has seen that integration of communications can significantly increase the likely of successful policy adoption by citizens. 

When communication is treated as an afterthought, it risks being reactive and disconnected from citizens’ realities. Instead, governments should adopt processes that gather insights early in the policymaking process and empower human communicators to translate these insights into actionable strategies. This integration ensures policies are not only understood but embraced, fostering trust and driving long-term behavior change. 

Q: What’s a behavioural objective that’s ambitious but realistic under tight budgets?

A: Laying the building blocks for addressing the declining levels of trust between government and citizens. Trust is a critical foundation for effective communication, especially during moments of crisis or significant policy change. Building “trust equity” ensures that governments can communicate with citizens more effectively when it matters most.  

AI presents an exciting opportunity to aid in this effort by enhancing campaign planning and optimization. For example, AI tools can analyze citizen sentiment in real time, enabling governments to craft messages that resonate with specific audiences.  

Additionally, AI-driven insights allow governments to anticipate potential barriers to trust and adapt campaigns dynamically to address them. This ensures that communications are not only efficient but also empathetic and relevant, reinforcing citizens’ confidence in their government over time.  

Q: How does real-time optimization work effectively?

A: Real-time optimization is most effective when it combines AI’s ability to automate low-empathy tasks with human oversight for high-empathy adjustments. AI tools can monitor citizen sentiment, test different approaches, and adapt campaigns dynamically, ensuring maximum relevance and engagement. For example, automated ad evaluation systems can suggest improvements based on cognitive impact metrics, while human strategists ensure cultural and emotional resonance. 

The key pitfall to avoid is over-reliance on automation without human intervention. At WPP, we believe that empathy is critical for tasks that require relatability and nuance. Governments must strike a balance, using AI to handle repetitive processes while augmenting employees to make more creative and ethical decisions. 

Q: Is there a creative channel that punches above its weight in driving behaviour change?

A: Social media is arguably the most cost-effective channel for driving behavior change, especially when paired with grounded behavioural insights and personalization. These platforms allow governments to engage directly with citizens, amplify trusted voices and create shareable content.
Advances in generative AI show great potential for automating the targeting and personalization of social media campaigns (low-empathy tasks), while human communicators focus on crafting relatable stories and visuals (high-empathy tasks). 

While social media on its own may present the opportunity for scale, the true value lies with more precise messaging and targeting.  

Q: How can leaders see communication as a core policy tool rather than an afterthought?

A: Leaders must recognize that communication is not just about disseminating information, it’s about shaping public behavior and building trust.  

The key mindset shift is to view communication as integral to policy delivery, not separate from it. By investing in tools and training that augment human capabilities across communications and policy, governments can ensure their messages are both efficient and effective.  

Recognizing that how communications is executed is as important as what is communicated.  

Mark Pender also leads WPP’s executive education faculty at Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and National University of Singapore. Leveraging Communications for Policy Delivery is also being offered in Canada by the Public Policy Forum’s Academy in October.