2010 Membership StudyBOARD PRESENTATION

November 12, 2010Prepared by:

Ketchum Global Research Network

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Questions This Study Answers

This membership study was designed to address several key qualities for the Arthur W. Page Society (AWPS):

1. How are members presently connected to AWPS?

2. How do Brand Ambassadors differ from other members, and how does AWPS drive ambassadorship?

3. Does AWPS deliver on those aspects of membership that are most important?

4. What drives member engagement? Are there barriers to more involvement?

5. Should the AWPS reconsider any of its programs?

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• AWPS members are highly familiar with, and knowledgeable about the organization.  However, their overall impression and connection to it are mediocre.  Despite this, they are highly likely to renew and to recommend membership.  This would suggest that they are not joining for what the organization itself does, but more for a sense of a key “club” to which they feel they should belong.

• Networking, thought-leadership and learning opportunities are reasons why members join AWPS. However, there are large gaps in how well the organization delivers on these attributes versus how important they are to members.

• Exclusivity, considered by some a key reason to join and an attribute to emphasize, is not particularly relevant.

Key Findings: Why Members Join

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• Members want to learn from one another. Less important are business opportunities, access to research, global connections, or exclusivity. White papers of best practices by members also have value.  However, regional meetings and teleconferences are not particularly important. It is much more about the member’s ability to interact with others and share what works and what doesn’t versus more meetings or lectures from “experts.”  The annual conference and spring seminar should be continued. The other activities should be reconsidered, with the exception of distributing white papers by members.

• Resources should be used most for the annual conference and creating social functions that allow for a greater interaction. Given that time availability is what constrains participation most, it probably makes sense to build one great annual meeting, rather than to create multiple events or activities over the course of the year.

• PR Seminar, IPR and PRSA are the organizations within in the industry that most compete for the limited time of Page Society members.

Key Findings: Where to Allocate Resources

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• The key drivers to engagement are thought-leadership, learning opportunities, networking opportunities, professional development opportunities and conferences.

• Access to research, global opportunities and business development opportunities are relatively unimportant for members—not shaping attitudes or behaviors.

• New member orientation is a hidden driver. This is an area which members don’t always cite as important, but could increase member’s likelihood to recommend and renew membership within AWPS.

• There are some barriers to engagement, including some members feeling there is exclusivity within the organization, where some members think they are not included as much as others. Other members find that work and personal schedules don’t allow them the opportunity to attend events.

Key Findings: Drivers and Barriers to Engagement

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Page: From Familiarity to Advocacy

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89% familiar

with AWPS

86% know the AWPS mission

56% have positive image of

AWPS

83% are likely to renew

membership

76% attended an annual conferenc

e

78% are likely to recommend AWPS

Image and General Behavior

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• On a 0 to 10 scale, 56% rate their image of AWPS as 8, 9 or 10. Furthermore, 32% rate the organization’s image as 6 or 7. Just over one in 10 rate the organization as five or less.

• The majority of members describe AWPS as a professional (84%) and credible (57%) network that is thought provoking (51%) and relevant (50%) .

o Nearly half of all members believe the organization is beneficial (48%) and provides learning experiences (48%).

• Members value annual conferences (65%) and spring seminars (54%) most, and white papers published by AWPS are utilized more often than any other event or resource but are only valued among half of all members (86% used vs. 48% valued).

o Only one-quarter of members value page one teleconferences (26%), yet more than half have attended at least once (52%).

AWPS’ Image

Q8: In general, how would you describe the Arthur W. Page Society? CHECK ALL THAT APPLY

• The majority of members view the society as a professional organization.

• AWPS is also described as a group of leaders who are credible, thought provoking and relevant. Learning and beneficial are words which resonate with nearly half of members.

• Very few members find the organization overwhelming, meaningless or alienating.

• Innovation and action-oriented do not describe AWPS.

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• Attributes that are most important are being best delivered, but networking opportunities is the only attribute which more than half of members agree is delivered.

Important(Top-3 Box)

Delivers(Top-3 Box)

Thought-leadership 79% 47%

Learning opportunities 78% 40%

Networking opportunities 76% 51%

Professional Development Opportunities 62% 37%

Conferences 57% 45%

Access to Research 49% 23%

Exclusivity 32% 37%

Global opportunities 32% 15%

Business Development Opportunities 28% 15%

New Member Orientation 20% 17%

Q10. Please rate how important these attributes are to your membership on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Not at all important” and “10” is “Very important.” Q11. How well does the Arthur W. Page Society deliver in regard to the following attributes on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Does not deliver” and “10” is “Exceeds my expectation?”

Attributes

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21% (n=37)

21% (n=37)

48% (n=85)

48% (n=85)

6% (n=11)

6% (n=11)

25% (n=45)

25% (n=45)

Knowledge vs. Connection

• Half of AWPS members (48%) are Brand Ambassadors for the organization with a high intellectual and emotional connection to the organization. Twenty-five percent of respondents have a low emotional and intellectual connection to the organization.

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Q2. How well do you know the mission of the Arthur W. Page Society on a scale of 0 to 10, where “0” is “Do not know at all” and “10” is “Very knowledgeable?” Q3. How connected do you feel to the mission of the Arthur W. Page Society on a scale of 0 to 10, where “0” is “Not at all connected” and “10” is “Very connected?”

Brand Ambassadors

Others Difference

Professional 86% 84% 2%Credible 67% 50% 17%Leaders 67% 47% 20%Thought provoking 65% 40% 25%Relevant 62% 43% 19%

A learning experience 55% 45% 10%Beneficial 51% 51% -Cliquish 32% 51% -19%Exclusive 38% 39% -1%Advocates 41% 29% 12%Honest 35% 32% 3%Authentic 44% 20% 24%Welcoming 40% 19% 21%Social 32% 30% 2%Best-in-class 37% 25% 12%Important 53% 31% 22%Enlightening 37% 21% 16%Elite 26% 24% 2%

Q8. In general, how would you describe the Arthur W. Page Society? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY11

• Brand Ambassadors have a better perception of AWPS than other members, using words such as credible, leaders, thought provoking and relevant more often to describe the organization.

• Likewise, those that are less involved consider the organization to be “cliquish.”

Brand Ambassadors: Describing AWPS

• When members were asked to state what they find most valuable about their membership, networking was cited as four times more important than any other aspect of membership.

Q24. What do you find most valuable about your Arthur W. Page Society membership?

“Ability to meet and talk with a peer group of thought-leaders.”

“A focused opportunity to interact with the most senior people in the field.”

“Access to those that have a similar job in major organizations.”

“Meeting people who I can call on and bounce off ideas.”

Drivers of Membership: What Members Say

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• When members were asked if anything was missing from membership, many cited a sense of exclusivity within the organization; many members expressed feeling less valuable than other members.

“As the Society has grown, it seems less inclusive, much more cliquish and far too few fresh faces on the programs. Surely there are more than a dozen people who can lead sessions or be on panels.”

“It seems to be a cliquish, elitist group that is very political. I feel like an outsider because I can't get to the functions as often as others.”

“Opportunity to contribute through service on committees, etc. There's a tendency to only utilize members with the highest titles or represent the largest corporations.”

Q25. What, if anything, do you think is missing from your Arthur W. Page Society membership?

Membership: What’s Missing?

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Percentage

Cliques 19%

Broader 15%

Thought Leadership 11%

Meeting Locations 9%

Exclusivity 9%

Board Positions 7%

Speakers 7%

Research 6%

Time 5%

Social Media 3%

Job Postings 3%

Internal Focus 3%

Transparency 1%

Relatively Low Stated ImportanceLow Stated Importance Relatively High Stated ImportanceHigh Stated Importance

HIDDEN DRIVERS• New Member Orientation

KEY DRIVERS• Conferences• Learning Opportunities• Network Opportunities• Professional Development

Opportunities• Thought Leadership

RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT• Access to Research• Business Development

Opportunities• Global Opportunities

TABLE STAKES• Exclusivity

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Stated ImportanceH

Derived Importance is determined by correlating members perceptions of AWPS on organizational attributes (Q10) with overall image (Q5).

Key MetricsStated vs. Derived: Importance for

Image

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Attributes that have a high stated importance and a high derived importance show that these attributes are valuable and contribute to driving overall image of the organization.

• Note attribute designation (i.e. high/low) is determined based on importance of the attributes relative to the average.

Attributes Importance(Top-3 Box)

Delivery(Top-3 Box)

GAP

KEY DRIVERS

Thought-leadership 79% 45% -34%

Learning Opportunities 78% 40% -38%

Networking Opportunities 76% 51% -25%

Professional Development Opportunities 62% 37% -25%

Conferences 57% 45% -12%

TABLE STAKES Exclusivity 32% 37% +5%

RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT

Access to Research 49% 23% -26%

Global Opportunities 32% 15% -17%

Business Development Opportunities 28% 15% -13%

HIDDEN DRIVERS

New Member Orientation 20% 17% -3%

Q10: Please rate how important these attributes are to your membership on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “not at all important” and “10” is “very important.” Q11: How well does the Arthur W. Page Society deliver in regard to the following attributes on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Does not Deliver” and “10” is “Exceeds my Expectations.”

Drivers of Engagement• Gaps exist in meeting members’ expectations.

• Thought-leadership, learning opportunities and networking opportunities are the most important attributes among members. However, when it comes to delivering against these attributes, many members do not think AWPS is exceeding their expectations.

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Key Drivers:Thought-leadership Opportunities

Thought-leadership Opportunities

Derived Importance Index

Valuable(Top-3 Box)

Not Valuable(Bottom-6 Box)

Attending conferences 153 52% 19%

Expertise on a specific topic 118 44% 24%

Attending industry event 116 42% 29%

Serving on a board 74 37% 38%

Speaking engagements 80 37% 37%

Giving speeches at seminars 87 34% 39%

Serving on a committee 88 32% 41%Publishing articles 85 29% 42%

Q11. How well does the Arthur W. Page Society deliver in regard to the following attributes on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Does not deliver” and “10” is “Exceeds my expectation?”Q18: Among the following, on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Not very valuable” and “10” is “Very valuable” please rate the following in terms of their contribution to thought leadership opportunities.

• Attending conferences, showing expertise and attending industry events are attributes of thought-leadership that members value. These attributes are important drivers of member engagement.

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Networking Opportunities

Derived Importance Index

Valuable(Top-3 Box)

Not Valuable(Bottom-6 Box)

Annual meetings 126 58% 17%Socializing with like-minded individuals 131 49% 21%Establishing connections to develop your career 109 37% 34%Serving on committees 106 32% 40%Regional meetings 66 29% 45%Building relationships with potential business partners 99 21% 55%Cocktail parties 80 21% 51%

Q12: Among the following, on a scale of 0 to 10 where “0” is “Not very valuable” and “10” is “Very valuable” please rate the following, in terms of their contribution to your networking opportunities.

• Annual meetings are the most valued networking opportunity with socializing with like-minded individuals following behind. These attributes both help to drive member engagement. Building relationships with potential business partners within AWPS is not highly valued, but could be an area of opportunity to drive engagement.

Key Drivers:Networking Opportunities

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Recommendations• Determine image objectives

• Find ways to connect members both physically for networking and through information (CEC like data)

• Discuss program implications with both Tom (Spring meeting) and Gary (Annual Conference)

• Decide how to use this information to inform what we are doing in terms of other meetings, programs, and professional development

• Find ways to show membership we are listening

• Determine how to disseminate results of this survey back to the full membership

• Create opportunities for less engaged members to interact with those that are more engaged. This could be done by assigning mentors or partners within the organization. This also would increase knowledge and familiarity for new members.

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2010 Membership StudyBOARD PRESENTATION

November 12, 2010Prepared by:

Ketchum Global Research Network

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