Influence Alley

The age of the meme has officially reached K Street.

RAP Index, a government affairs firm based in Greenville, S.C., is aiming to grab a few eyeballs--and maybe some clients--with regular blog posts that overlay its pitch to potential clients on popular memes.

"I don't always succeed legislatively, but when I do it's because of my relationships," says Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World in one of the posts.

The idea for the laugh-eliciting posts (pictures below) came from RAP Index's marketing director Marco Nunez, founder Chip Felkel told the Alley.

"This presidential race is getting nastier every day. I think people are looking for a little humor," Felkel said.

RAP Index, whose clients include the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of Orthodontists, aims to help advocacy groups leverage their members' relationships to influence lawmakers.

How does it do that? The firm designs a survey that the client sends to its membership. The survey tests for relationships, "advocability" (a word not yet in Webster's Dictionary, Felkel says) and political capital. The result is a score that clients can use to guide how they advocate on an issue.

"This is common sense ... You ought to know who you know" said Felkel, who previously served as the Republican National Convention's deputy political director for the southeast.

Take a look at the memes below.