Reshaping public affairs in Germany amidst political fragmentation

Times have changed. Political flux, intense geopolitical pressures, polarised views and a struggle for signs of growth have seen to that. In parallel, digital platforms and the use of data have begun to offer more precise, informed, targeted and effective methods of reaching and engaging stakeholders in this much-changed environment.

Yesterday evening, BOLDT BPI’s Berlin team hosted the panel “Redefining Public Affairs – Where is Political Communications Headed?”, attended by 50 people from politics, a wide range of industries and the media and special guests Andrew Bleeker, CEO of BPI, as well as, Jeremy Galbraith, Managing Partner and Europe Lead of BPI. The discussion was hosted by Jardena Lande, Associate Director at BOLDT BPI.

In today’s world, your brand’s reputation isn’t shaped by the news people seek out, it’s defined by the content that floods their feeds. Mike Schneider, BPI’s global lead on data and innovation, showed how in today’s world information often comes from unexpected sources. BPI’s newly launched tool ChangeOS is built for today’s world, where TikToks spark news cycles, influencer posts drive market moves, and the volume of content makes it harder than ever to know what actually matters. It not only tracks the content that’s really driving the conversation, but also tells you how much a piece of content is impacting your brand’s reputation.

When MPs from fringe parties step up to the lectern in the Bundestag, they aren’t participating in the parliamentary debate, they’re filming TikToks and Reels for voters. That’s the reality Rixa Fürsen, host of POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook podcast, put on the table. While established parties long avoided actively using social media to spread their political agenda, fringe politicians have mastered this craft, often eclipsing parliamentary debates with short-form content strategies. The results are clear: Germany’s most famous politicians on social media hail from the far-right and far-left, not the centre.

In the UK, a two-party system that has existed for more than a century has been shaken up within a year. Matt Carter, BPI’s UK lead and former General Secretary of the Labour Party under Tony Blair, highlighted how fragmentation has redrawn the political landscape. Party loyalties are weakening, voter groups are splintering, and smaller parties are increasingly able to dominate parts of the national conversation. For brands and campaigners alike, this means the challenge is no longer just winning a broad audience, but navigating a fractured one where influence is scattered across multiple, often competing, channels and communities.

It’s clear that public affairs needs to be redefined. Jan Töpfer, Partner at BOLDT BPI, argued that public affairs has to unite the power of new technologies and campaigns with a human-centered approach, highlighting dialogue and lasting connections with audiences and political stakeholders alike. Jan shared his insights based on his experience from numerous digital and data-driven campaigns and advisory mandates.

We provide the necessary navigation and the right tools to address these complex and new challenges with a client-tailored campaign model that combines our global expertise with local political know-how.