American Civitas

Audience Analysis

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Brand Identity

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Key Messaging

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Audience Analysis 〰️ Brand Identity 〰️ Key Messaging 〰️

America was founded on the revolutionary idea that power belongs in the hands of the people, not an elite few. Yet somewhere along the way, the tools of civic engagement—the knowledge, networks, and expertise needed to truly influence policy—became concentrated in the hands of well-funded corporations and special interests.

American Civitas exists to right this fundamental wrong and give power back to the people because your government’s priorities should reflect your interests.

After serving in the Navy during the Global War on Terror and earning five degrees in public policy, American Civitas’ founder Brianna Cowan began to notice the same pattern across politics: brilliant, passionate Americans who care deeply about their communities but feel shut out of the political process. Small business owners watching regulations pass without understanding their impact. Nonprofit leaders with vital missions but no pathway to influence policy. Everyday citizens who want to engage but don't know how to cut through the sensationalist noise.

This is the challenge American Civitas exists to solve.

American Civitas is not just another government affairs firm. The team believes that knowledge—accumulated, shared, and discussed—is the bedrock of a civil society by the people, for the people. And they honor that principle by providing the same caliber of policy analysis, legislative monitoring, and advocacy expertise that Fortune 500 companies pay tens of thousands for monthly, and makes it accessible to small businesses, nonprofits, and individual citizens through cost-effective subscriptions and tailored services.

With a focus on straightforward, credible information and analysis, American Civitas is diligent, detailed, and community-minded, giving people the tools to come to their own conclusions about what’s right for them, their business, or their cause.

America is an ever-evolving project that needs citizen involvement to continue shaping its future. American Civitas believes the majority shouldn’t need major spending to make their voice heard.

Every policy brief, every strategic consultation is an investment in a more democratic America—one where voices carry weight not because of wealth, but because of commitment to civic engagement.

Because our constitutional republic works best when everyone has a seat at the table.

Brand story

Audience 1

Who: Businesses in Action

Small business owners and business communities who don’t have the tools or capital to be hiring big ticket firms but want to make an impact and advocate for themselves. They tend to be middle-aged, centrist, and overwhelmingly white according to census data (85% of small business owners). While as individuals they may be politically active, as business owners, their primary concern is understanding the implications of and involving themselves in the public policy process locally and federally to advocate for their businesses and business communities.

They tend to be looking for even-mindedness and resources driven by numbers and keen analysis rather than agendas. They do not have the time to get caught up in political firestorms and are simply looking for resources like American Civitas to help them better understand the implications of process on their business and advocate for their businesses in the halls of power.

What They Need: “Just the Facts” Political Analysis, Advocacy, & Business Implications

Messaging Priorities

90% of small business owners were engaged in the 2020 election. That said, at the time only 52% thought they would be better off if Donald Trump was elected again, and 41% thought they would be better if a Democrat won. This disparity is important because it tells us there is an audience deeply interested in the ways politics impacts their work, but not clear consensus on solutions.

There is a misconception that small business owners overwhelmingly “lean” a particular way, but more studies reveal that they’re swayed by policy, not ideology. For American Civitas to reach this audience, it is needs to prioritize clear-eyed, focused business policy and transparent analysis that doesn’t make decisions for business owners or impose any beliefs on them which would erode its distinctiveness in the market.

Instead, American Civitas’ priority needs to be on staying true to its core belief of equipping and educating without trying to sway opinion.

Brand Identity

Key Messaging

Audience: Businesses in Action

  • We inform. You decide. American Civitas provides business-focused research and data-driven insights to give them the power to make informed decisions based on policy implications.

    American Civitas makes advocacy scalable for small businesses. This speaks to a pain point many small businesses have when it comes to advocacy—they don’t have the time or money—

    and offers a solution.

  • Numbers, not narratives. Analysis, not agendas. Emphasizes American Civitas’ clear focus on “just the facts” policy reporting and analysis.

  • Turn policy knowledge into a competitive advantage. You need to be able to communicate the value of policy knowledge and by extension American Civitas as that knowledge repository.

    It and you are competitive advantages a business can’t do without!

  • Strategic policy insights and implications for your bottom line. Position American Civitas as the go-to resource helping business owners understand how policy affects their operations.

  • The platform that paves the way from Main Street to Capitol Hill. This makes clear A) the platform B) that it is for everyday businesspeople and thus is easy to use C) creates a road imagery linking audience and government.

Audience: Constituents With A Cause

  • Bridging the gap between government and the governed. The core value proposition for American Civitas is how it gives the people access to their government, i.e. bridging the gap and making them closer.

  • A lobbying firm in the hands of every citizen. Playing in rhetorical structure of political legislation, this phrase frames American Civitas—and its promise to let you make your voice heard—as a right every person should have.

  • Empowering patriots to shape their government. This phrase clearly communicates the Americanism intrinsic to American Civitas and its broadest, most aspirational mission of bringing people to politics.

  • Sensationalism is the greatest adversary to political literacy. Direct and strong, this phrase confronts you when you read it and makes very clear how firm American Civitas’ values are.

  • Government affairs, reimagined for real people. People perceive government affairs as a faraway industry of movers and shakers. This phrase speaks to American Civitas’ desire to democratize it.

  • Make your community and your concerns heard. This is the sort of phrase that could sit on your website or other marketing materials underscoring the motivational and grassroots elements of the American Civitas brand.

Audience Analysis

Audience 3

Who: Already Activated, Already Organized

Organizations and nonprofits who are looking to advance their cause and impact on policy through economical options. Though not exclusively political organizations, they all need to have an understanding of the political landscape and are engaged in some sort of policy work.

In order to best do their work, they need to pull from high quality, trusted resources who can quickly provide them information about issues that are important to their organization. American Civitas can help support or outright replace expensive internal hiring by being an organization’s policy resource that curates quality, credible sources. It can provide robust analysis that can help organizations already often strapped for resources do their work better and faster with the level of quality assurance they require.

What They Need: Policy Backfill or Research Assistance

Messaging Priorities

Because these organizations already have some level of knowledge and access to political activity, to reach this audience, you’ll need messaging that speaks to them at the level of knowledge and action they’re already at.

For this audience, focus your messaging on efficiency, ease of use, quality of service, and results. While they may be looking for ways to save money and maintain quality, this audience already has some sort of existing political presence. American Civitas will be in the position of convincing these orgs of its use to them.

Audience 2

Who: Constituents With A Cause

Most political messaging these days is written intentionally inflammatory or clickbait-y regardless of where you get your news. But the average American is tired of it and increasingly looking for more “balanced”, “honest”, “trustworthy” sources outside the mainstream. Importantly, however, they are not just keyboard warriors. These are real people with a real interest in policies that affect their everyday lives.

This audience of tech-savvy individuals, between 18-50 years old who identify as centrist or right-leaning, are seeking the tools to not just be informed but be active parts of shaping their communities often at the local level. Unlike businesses and nonprofits, they do not have one clear policy need from a place like American Civitas. Instead, they’re looking for a general resource that is reliable and can help them stay abreast of a range of issues that matter to them.

This audience is still a largely untapped market with few true competitors who are providing both the facts AND the balanced expert analysis this group needs in order to truly feel they are on a level playing field with deep-pocketed lobbyists.

What They Need: Accessible, Digestible, Data-Backed Insights

Messaging Priorities

The best way to reach this audience already skeptical of bias is to remain as rhetorically neutral as possible to establish your name for what you want to be known for (just the facts data and analysis). You can accomplish this by ensuring that American Civitas’ messaging tightly ladders up to its overall goals and proposed value in the market:

  • Inform them about key issues in a balanced, centrist way, maintaining a tone of authority but accessibility

  • Provide them with expert analysis that is factually accurate, rich, and curated

  • Give them the knowledge and confidence to take action in their communities

Brand Goals

1. Provide constituents with easy access to trusted experts’ data-based analyses about the issues that matter most to them.

2. Establish American Civitas as the go-to source for unbiased government relations and policy research.

3. Inform, empower, and inspire communities to take action.

Voice & Tone

confident not boastful

firm not fixed

fair not impartial

clear not plain

analytical not dry

Audience: Already Activated, Already Organized

  • Inform and Inspire with American Civitas. Clear and to the point, this phrase frames what you do within the vital framework of what these organizations can and should be doing.

  • Faster insights. Deeper analysis. Better advocacy outcomes. Up-level your policy impact with detailed policy breakdowns, alerts, analyses and reports designed for organizations like yours.

  • Up-level your advocacy capacity with professional policy support. Turn your policy positions into legislative victories with seasoned government affairs professionals who understand how to win.

  • Strategic advocacy support that adapts to your organization’s needs. Advance your mission with policy expertise that helps you navigate complex regulatory environments and funding landscapes.

  • Our mission is to help you elevate yours where it matters most. Articulate the specific value American Civitas has of meeting organizations where they are, on their terms, and the service’s custom quality.

  • A platform that houses all your policy expertise in one place. This signals to your audience the capacity of American Civitas as well as its simple but robust value proposition communicating how it fits within an organization.