Research & Strategic Advice

The Dober Partners team has strong expertise in conducting research for European associations.  We help break down the issues that define an industry’s or association’s reputation with key audiences to its basic elements. By understanding which elements are most or least important, we enable industry communicators to know the key issues that define and drive the industry’s overall reputation.  We also dissect issues through qualitative interviews and focus groups in Brussels, as well as larger surveys of policy-makers and opinion-formers around Europe.

The number 1 challenge facing any association is finding consensus.  As a group of independent experts, Dober Partners can help associations analyse issues objectively, reach the right decisions and act on them.

The Dober Partners team has worked with over 50 European associations on diverse projects, from EU public affairs strategy to in-depth research on an industry’s reputation among policy-makers and key stakeholders. For instance, one of our first assignments was to interview corporate CEOS and Director Generals of national member associations on key challenges facing the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), and compiled a strategic report with long term recommendations.

We also conduct our own proprietary research into key issues affecting our corporate and association clients, on subjects as diverse as remuneration to association leadership and what make a high-performance secretariat.

For some clients who require sophisticated opinion polling techniques with statistical rigour we work closely with Phil Riggins, who founded the Brand & Reputation Collective (the BRC).   Prior to creating the BRC, Phil worked at senior levels with the world’s leading communications agencies, including the Brunswick Group, Weber Shandwick, APCO Worldwide, and Leidar, advising clients on reputation, brand and issues management. Phil has created a variety of successful approaches to opinion research, stakeholder engagement and reputation management. He brings deep insight, creative thinking and senior counsel to his clients’ challenges.