52. Exit survey www.memcom.info for awards transcripts and photographs
Editor's Notes
Professional bodies and all membership organisations face huge challenges and opportunities in todays fast changing world where we hear every day about the balance of economic power moving East and to once third world countries. Targeting the young in the UK is an on-going challenge and as one head of a university career service put it ‘ “Most [students] are not sensitive to the notion of professionalism and trying to reclaim this is key. …….the concept of a professional identity which students need to move towards when they leave university.”
Last year professional bodies supported the launch of Total Professions as a collaborative effort to address common issues of engagement and there are a number of exciting developments planned for the site. I urge you to continue your support and for those who have not done please consider enriching the content by expanding your entry – all professional bodies are on there with a minimum of a live link. …some 280. The awards today are probably the most diverse we have seen and show the creativity and professionalism humming away in the sector. They show an increasing use of technology, social networking and a growing global approach to supporting professionalism and through your members a commitment to serving society.
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Judging the first ever Young Marketing Executive of the Year Award was a daunting task as the quality of applications was exceptionally high. All (without exception) showed real determination from a membership marketing perspective and it was clear that all applicants were making their marks, within their respective organisations. What stood out clearly was the desire to market via fully integrated marketing campaigns and this should be recognised and commended. A segmented approach to marketing was evidenced in most applications and this is also to be commended. This year's winner stood out from the competition as SHE not only executed effective and segmented campaigns, and played a central role in the rebranding of her organisation, but SHE delivered measurable results that increased member satisfaction levels significantly. This year the judges felt the winner of this year's first ever Young Marketing Executive of the Year Award (sponsored by ASI Europe) goes to Tricia Cruz from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
"This year's entries were of a very high standard indeed with a theme running through them of using genuine members with photos and quotes to personalise the communications - and very much focussed on how the respective Societies could benefit existing and prospective members.
The CII membership packs came from a brainstorm on the content of Knowledge Books which could be updated on a Filofax basis.
The winner of this category demonstrated how impactful a carefully developed piece of communication can be - it is a considered piece, clearly setting out through colour coding the range of benefits on offer so that members can better understand what is available to them. They included carefully selected quotes from members together with a wide range of images to ensure members could empathise with at least some of these. However what made this entry stand out above the others was its clear objectives and statistical evidence of how this piece of communication had impacted on the Society. 86% of recipients remembered receiving this communication piece and it increased likelihood to renew by nearly 25%. At the same time knowledge of the benefits on offer improved before and after receipt by over 55%."
As part of CIBSE’s brand building the agency were briefed to provide a very cost effective solution to the annual report due to the then current recessionary climate. The result for CIBSE is an intelligent, easily navigable, interactive, digital format that can be easily emailed and downloaded from their website. CIBSE were also not constrained by the amount of content as throughout there are roll overs - areas that provides additional pop-up information and links to click that take you to websites and online webcasts for additional content if the viewer needs further information. The judges were impressed by this interactive approach which not only saved money but also 453kgs of Carbon impact on the environment .
Provision of careers advice and guidance is a key RSC activity. In 2010 the RSC migrated its flagship careers event, “ChemCareers”, to the digital world, utilising innovative online technologies to expand the scope, range and impact of the event. Moving ChemCareers 2010 online enabled 2,464 unique visitors to attend, exceeding the target of 600 and a 400% increase on attendance at previous physical events. Delegates from across the globe attended the virtual fair throughout the day and night. Of those surveyed, 87.5% said they would attend again in 2011.
This site caught the judges attention with it’s remit to – turn the publics perception that the construction industry is filled with rogue tradesmen. Getting across a sector that is full of cutting edge technology, ideas and the ability to change peoples lives was behind the creation of this international digital photographic competition which even in its pilot year attracted 1100 entries across 40 countries. The web site enabled speedy entry and successfully connected social media conversations with the competition and allowed public voting.
Since setting of with a social media strategy in 2008, the ACCA Facebook page had over 47,000 fans at the time of submitting their entry and as of this week it is already up to 52,500. Linkedin has 4000 members and Twitter has 7000 followers. The ACCA social media team monitors and develops activity on an on-going basis as well as supporting student and member platforms. As they put it when e mail fatigue sets in these audiences are keen for the ACCA to find new ways to interact. There are various spin off interational groups and the judges were impressed by the ACCA’s structured approach based on the Forrester guidelines of listening, talking, supporting, engaging and energising the users.
Design and layout is consistent with the brand, good navigation, uses in house templates tomaximise cost efficiency, segmented by geography tailored for audience and with excellent open rates
Very professional modern look and feel. They introduced a daily newsletter with a good balance between customer focused content and commercial necessity. Aimed at the broader HR profession, not just CIPD members. Clear and uncluttered. Does what it says ‘on the tin’ a focus on people management. Good evidence of results with very high daily readership.
The judges found this a challenging and competitive category and selecting an overall winner wasn’t easy. All the entries had an impressive understanding of their remit and needs of the readers.
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One of the objectives of this magazine’s recent development initiative was to improve the ‘fluidity between the magazine and e-newsletter and the website’, an appropriate and potentially very effective way of helping to strengthen member communities - and add value to membership. The newly-designed magazine has made a good start, with features connecting readers to website developments such as the launch of RCM i-learn and covering discussions from the online communities as well as a letters page which signposts these communities to encourage readers to get involved in the debate.
There has been well defined and purposeful development of this magazine, with evident and measured results. The distinctive design uses images and graphics creatively and coherently and has been enhanced by colour-coded contents and section tabs which improve ease of use (89% of readers agree). Content is well structured and signposted and gives the sense of a carefully-considered editorial plan and an appreciation of how to engage and interest different groups within the membership. This intelligent, professional magazine brings simplicity and clarity to complex membership and editorial issues and has an impressive commitment to continuous improvement.
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NDCS Families is a deserved winner. It successfully recast a corporate magazine into one which really engages with the journey which deaf children take. The strong family context paid dividends in improved readership with fro example those readers feeling inspired by the content increased by a third to 84% - surely a measure which many magazines would aspire to.
The CILT made a transition to a structure of Professional Sectors to show members and potential members that they fully support the multi discipline nature of Logistics and Transport. There are 8 main sectors. Under each there are specialist networking forums. There are also 30 special interest forums which are often common to more than one sector. So how to get this across – a tube map. The judges were impressed by the tube map which exemplified the re-positioning of the organisation as one which addressed your needs and interests whatever area of logistics and transport you were interested in .
Judges were impressed that ICSA developed their brand ‘in-house’ from concept to implementation. The project included a significant change of their corporate identity, including promotion of the “Chartered Secretaries” brand. They set out their aims clearly and delivered well .
‘ The judges were impressed with the targets achieved by CIMA’s marketing team and the collective approach taken to communicate their message to both potential and existing members. Careful research about the needs and aspirations of their members needs were analysed and segmented, allowing the team to produce some really effective campaigns through a variety of channels, including social media - where appropriate. Their team work sets a very high standard for others to aspire to!
