October 10, 2025
Learn how two-time IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel branded the IRS to build trust and engage communities in a digital age.
Branding a government agency – especially the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – is no ordinary challenge. As the nation’s tax collector, the IRS is constantly under the microscope and often faces a torrent of skepticism and media scrutiny.
Danny Werfel is the only person to have served twice as IRS Commissioner, first during a turbulent period in 2013, and again a decade later in 2023.
Through both terms at the IRS, Danny took on the task of rebranding an organization millions interact with, all while navigating major reforms and a news cycle that’s more fragmented and faster-moving than ever.
Below are some of Danny’s practical insights from leading the IRS through high-stakes media scrutiny, along with actionable strategies that public affairs and communications teams can use to build trust and future-proof their brand in today’s complex media environment.
Why Does Brand Perception Matter?
People are your organization’s greatest asset, but your brand determines how their work is seen and valued. A strong brand builds public trust, boosts engagement, and makes it easier to deliver on your mission. A weak brand can undermine even the most dedicated teams and well-designed programs.
This is especially true in the public sector, where trust is the currency that drives cooperation, compliance, and community buy-in. Effective stewardship is the bottom line, because without it, trust erodes, and without trust, even the best policies and programs will struggle to gain traction or deliver effective results.
“A new playbook is needed to understand what matters in the media landscape between traditional print media, nightly news versus cable news versus digital media, social media, podcasts. All of that is shifting dramatically. The main message that I always have for people that I'm talking to is: don't rely on your old playbook, update that playbook.”
The New Media Reality
But building and maintaining trust has become far more complex in recent years. The media landscape is no longer centralized. News breaks through countless channels – podcasts, influencers, social media, and niche newsletters – often simultaneously. This explosion of information sources means that traditional PR tactics alone no longer guarantee positive public perception.
Danny emphasizes the need to rethink old communication playbooks. Instead of chasing headlines at top-tier outlets alone, public affairs and communications teams must figure out where their audiences truly live and breathe, whether that’s local radio stations, community forums, specialized newsletters, or emerging platforms. Meeting people where they get their information is key to ensuring your message lands and your organization’s brand resonates.
“Where do you have an audience? Sometimes, even though the message isn't exactly the way you want it, it is having net positive impact. So it's better to have broader resonance of the imperfect message that's having net positive versus almost 0.”
How Do You Build Trust With Stakeholders?
Many organizations default to pitching major media outlets and national interviews when trying to rebuild public trust, but Danny’s experience leading crisis communications at the IRS shows the highest impact often comes from smaller, community-focused efforts.
During periods of heightened scrutiny toward the IRS, Danny shifted the organization’s communication strategy from broad national messaging to engaging local audiences through community channels and sharing practical, useful tips. This approach made the IRS feel more approachable as an organization working hard to help citizens navigate a complicated tax system.
Building trust through community-oriented and niche channels may not work for every organization, but it’s critical to regularly assess where your target audience consumes information and engage them there.
To effectively build trust, Danny recommends the following tactics:
Engage in local and alternative media. Don’t underestimate the power of smaller, community-focused channels like local radio programs, niche newsletters, specialized podcasts, or even grassroots forums. These smaller platforms often have more direct, genuine connections with community members. In today’s fragmented media landscape, your message might actually land better and get more attention through these channels than via traditional national outlets.
Humanize your organization. Put a face on your brand. Don't just publish polished corporate messaging. Share real stories, practical advice, and relatable content that makes your organization feel approachable.
Focus on delivering value for your target audience. Instead of pushing your agenda, concentrate on how your organization can add tangible value to your audience’s lives. By meeting your audience where they are and aligning with their priorities, you can still communicate your agenda while staying relevant to what matters most to them.
Use simple, relatable narratives. Ground your stories in universal values. Think about what matters to your audience – whether it’s transparency, fairness, or practicality – and build your messaging around those themes.
Adopt a stakeholder-centric approach: Make listening a core part of your communications strategy. Actively gather feedback from your target audience through surveys, social listening tools, or cross-functional collaboration with frontline and community teams. Use these insights to tailor messages that speak directly to their needs and make every interaction feel relevant and personalized.
“Start with your values, and if they interrupt you or you're getting beat up, always come back to your values.”
The Importance of Humanizing Your Brand
When an organization faces intense scrutiny, the natural tendency is often to rely on carefully crafted messaging. But Danny’s experience at the IRS shows that building trust is less about broadcasting polished statements and more about humanizing the organization and its leaders.
Danny recalls a critical time when the IRS was under heavy media scrutiny over a new project. His team initially focused on national interviews with polished messaging and soundbites, but the public didn’t connect with or trust those narratives. As a result, the media was also less interested in amplifying these messages, resulting in very limited reach.
To rebuild public trust, Danny turned to local TV, speaking directly to everyday Americans about practical issues they cared about – like how to avoid tax scams. Communicating through trusted local channels not only made Danny and the IRS more relatable and approachable but also helped increase public engagement and improved the organization’s credibility.
People connect with people, not faceless institutions. By focusing on practical help and honest communication instead of abstract reform talk, Danny fostered stronger relationships with stakeholders and increased trust in the IRS as an organization.
How Do You Establish Strong Organizational Values?
No matter which channel you decide to share your messaging, a strong communications strategy is always rooted in clearly defined values. Danny recommends establishing a “value umbrella” well before any crisis emerges, so your organization always has a solid foundation to return to. This approach provides a permission structure that empowers leaders to confidently navigate difficult questions, handle hostile interviews, and address public criticism.
Danny’s approach centers on consistently rooting every public response in core values and guiding conversations back to these established principles. To do so, you must:
Articulate your core values openly. Clearly name principles such as integrity, service, fairness, and transparency at the beginning of public statements or responses. This signals to audiences what your organization stands for, building credibility and framing the narrative on your terms.
Use values as your guiding framework. Anchor all responses in your values to maintain consistency across messages and channels, no matter what the specific circumstances or questions are.
Give examples of values in action. Don’t just state your values; demonstrate them. Share concrete stories and examples that show how your organization lives those values daily.
Maintain a values-first mindset during crises. When challenged or under pressure, return to your core principles as a steady reference point. This tactic prevents you from getting distracted by adversarial tactics or misleading narratives.
Build a communications construct that centers around your values. Develop a model that frames responses to any question within your values. Even when cornered by hyper-specific questions, steer the conversation back to your message and the values you want to communicate.
By embedding your core values in every communication, you create authentic, trustworthy, and resilient messaging that serves as a foundation for lasting public trust, especially amid unexpected crises or challenges.
Conclusion
In today’s fractured media landscape, government affairs teams face a unique set of challenges. Instead of leaning on traditional PR tactics, Danny Werfel advises taking a proactive approach focused on building trust and protecting your organization’s reputation. Start with strong core values, prioritize local and community engagement, and meet your audience where they actually get their information. Don’t just rely on conventional media channels or polished messaging. Focus on being genuinely helpful and responsive to your audience’s concerns, and strive to humanize yourself or your client’s organization.
Communications is not just about selling a product or promoting a message. It is essential for managing and understanding risks in an ever-changing environment. Smart PR investments enable organizations to anticipate challenges before they arise and prepare response strategies that mitigate any potential damage. Proactive risk management doesn’t just protect your brand during a crisis – it also builds lasting trust that can carry your organization through any controversy or disruption.
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