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Why IDI

Strength in Connections: Communications and Technology

Over the last decade global communication has grown exponentially. Technology and the 24-hour news cycle allow businesses and organizations to effectively reach more people in less time and success depends on their ability to engage those people in interactive relationships. Companies who don’t embrace a new standard of communication will be at a disadvantage in the future.
Many public affairs firms now offer services that try to harness new communication technologies. At IDI, we don’t try, WE DO! Not only do we understand, develop, and provide cutting edge interactive services that create two-way communication avenues between clients and their targeted audience, but we are the proven innovators and leaders in the field.

  • We were the first company to engage technology for consumer and public issues, as well as, the first to use online communication for public policy.
  • We were the first company to create an online petition and online letter-writing campaign, effectively revolutionizing the world of public affairs and raising the bar for grassroots campaign management.
  • We were the first company to run an online campaign, conducting the first ever online chat with a government official. 
  • And, we were also the first company to coin the phrase “Blogger Relations” to describe our “netroots” Blogger outreach and communication practices.


Strength in Connections: Strategic Alliances and Issues Management

At IDI, we have pioneered the concept of bringing corporations and communities together to find win-win solutions to shared regulatory and legislative problems. With our multitude of established corporate and third party relationships and our years of unparalleled expertise, IDI sets itself apart through our strength in connections – our understanding of the public affairs arena and our ability to formulate strategic alliances to push issues forward and gain winning results.
We are innovators in stakeholder relationship management, effectively building alliances between companies and activist groups for over 20 years. Unlike many other public affairs firms, we understand the value of establishing relationships with all types of stakeholders, so when necessary, we can engage and align our clients with the support they need to gain campaign victories.    
On top of that, our staff is made up of trained experts who come directly from within the communities with whom our clients are connecting.  Each client receives a top-tier, experienced client manager who works with them directly to develop, tailor and execute a communication and campaign strategy to achieve their targeted objectives.  
 
IDI’s tradition of developing strong connections between clients and stakeholders for winning campaigns demonstrates why we are considered true pioneers in the world of public affairs and communications:

  • Brought together a coalition of advocates and industry to force CMS to change rules that were denying Medicare eligible seniors access to electric wheelchairs. (2004)
  • Brought together ISPs, privacy advocates, industry representatives, and the education and library communities to defeat RIAA’s attempt to violate individual online privacy rights (2003). 
  • Brought together Ameritech, the National Urban League, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create an electronic tutorial on safe Internet surfing for children and families (1999).
  • Brought together disability rights advocates and the phone companies to negotiate the accessibility provision language that became Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (1995).
  • Brought together senior executives from the telephone companies and members of the education community to spearhead the creation of a collaboration on policy issues that began in 1990 and continues to this day.
  • Brought together the American Library Association, National Education Association and the National School Board’s Association in a collaboration that resulted in the development of the E-rate campaign to help bring internet access into America’s libraries and schools. (1994)
  • Brought together advocates promoting access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology which resulted in the creation of the American Telemedicine Association (1993).
  • Brought together for the first time in a “Consumer Forum” industry representatives, consumer and third party group stakeholder advocates, and government leaders for off-the-record dialogues on a range of telecommunications issues (1986).

At IDI, we specialize in building strong connections that last decades; we win for you… and for the public interest!