Election year heightens the relevance of Communication and Public Affairs

Public Affairs stands out as one of the thematic pillars guiding Aberje’s agenda in 2026, a year marked by elections in Brazil and an increasingly complex institutional environment for organizations. This prioritization reflects the recognition that electoral cycles directly impact corporate communication dynamics and the way companies position themselves in relation to their strategic stakeholders. Aberje is a non-profit, nonpartisan professional and scientific organization.

“The decision to include Government and Institutional Relations among our key thematic priorities for 2026 stems from the increased attention the topic receives in election years and from the maturity the field has achieved, with a growing body of data, research, and legitimacy,” explains Hamilton dos Santos, Aberje’s CEO. “We are a nonpartisan organization focused on the professional and scientific dimensions of communication. In this context, we advocate for the recognition of the field as an essential function within organizations,” he adds.

At the “Aberje Agenda 2026” event, which brought together business leaders and experts in early March to discuss trends shaping the profession, the topic was one of the central highlights. Among the issues discussed was the growing intersection between corporate communication and Public Affairs, now regarded as a structural component of reputation management and institutional positioning.

“Public Affairs is becoming increasingly central to organizational communication because it directly relates to how companies position themselves and engage with society through institutions. This dialogue requires preparation, responsibility, and the understanding that communicating also means participating in the public sphere in a qualified manner,” says Paulo Nassar, President of Aberje and Full Professor at ECA-USP.

During the event, Andrew Greenlees, co-founder of FLAG Public Affairs, an Aberje member firm, highlighted the evolution of the field and its integration with communication. “There used to be a certain reluctance to engage with government. There was even some stigma associated with the activity,” he noted. According to him, this perception has been gradually overcome as institutional engagement is increasingly understood as a legitimate part of democratic processes. “The right to petition is legitimate and democratic,” he said, emphasizing the role of companies in contributing technical input to public policymaking.

Greenlees also noted that the relevance of Public Affairs tends to intensify in electoral contexts, when the need for scenario analysis and a deeper understanding of potential institutional developments increases. In such moments, the alignment between communication and Public Affairs becomes central to risk management, narrative development, and stakeholder engagement.

The strengthening of this topic within Aberje’s institutional agenda builds on the organization’s well-established trajectory in addressing Institutional and Government Relations (IGR), reflected in publications, debates, events, and educational initiatives. The Aberje School of Communication, for example, offers dedicated programs on the subject and is preparing the Brasília Expedition for 2026, an immersive initiative focused on the functioning of Brazil’s political and institutional system. The program includes technical visits, meetings with experts, and discussions on the role of communication in high-complexity decision-making environments, curated by Fabio Rua, Vice President at General Motors and a member of Aberje’s Deliberative Council.

“When we view reputation as an asset that reduces uncertainty and sustains trust-based relationships, the interface between communication and Public Affairs becomes unavoidable. It is often in this space that alignment between discourse and practice materializes, particularly in more sensitive institutional contexts, reinforcing the strategic role of communication in value creation for organizations,” says Hamilton dos Santos.

Public Affairs in numbers

The growing relevance of the topic is also reflected in market analyses. According to the “Origem Latam Yearbook 2025,” “no board of directors or CEO should forgo a function whose mission is to establish strategic, fair, and transparent relationships with stakeholders, particularly within the public sector.” The publication also highlights that the business environment is heavily shaped by the public sector, reinforcing the importance of qualified engagement at this interface.

Another key aspect is the relational and strategic nature of the field. The report states that IGR work involves “building trust-based relationships over different time horizons, depending on the interests of all parties and the external environment,” supported by scenario analysis, data use, and stakeholder engagement. This dimension further aligns the field with corporate communication, which likewise operates in building trust and reputation over time.

Data from the Yearbook survey, conducted in partnership with Consult-Master, LEC, and Vittore, helps illustrate recent transformations. The findings show that 84.4% of Public Affairs professionals work in companies with annual revenues above R$1 billion, with 63.8% in organizations exceeding R$5 billion. At the same time, there is a structural shift toward leaner teams, with fewer large departments and a rise in smaller structures, often composed of a single professional.

This shift is consistent with findings from Aberje’s Center for Applied Economic Studies in Communication (CEAEC), which identified a structural paradox affecting communication departments in Brazil. Based on five editions of the “Communication Trends” study (2020–2024), the analysis highlights a complex equation: while corporate communication gains strategic relevance and expands its scope, it continues to operate with limited teams.

A similar pattern is observed in Public Affairs, alongside the growing role of specialized consultancies and the increasing use of artificial intelligence, which have expanded analytical and execution capabilities. According to the Yearbook, the increasing complexity of institutional agendas is driving demand for external services, while technological tools are enhancing productivity and efficiency. In this context, Public Affairs is expected to become even more strategic, requiring closer integration with corporate communication and more sophisticated approaches to scenario analysis and narrative development.