AIESEC INTERNATIONAL

OPERATIONS GUIDE FOR BRAND positioning

   

What is in here?

1. WHY: do we run communication activities for operations? 2. HOW can we do it? The simple process of ‘GTCM’ 3. WHAT kind of promotion activities are there? EwA

framework for operations 4. When and why to choose each channel? 5. How can I measure the efficiency of the promotion

activities?Conversion rate 6. How to manage my communication strategy in 3 simple

levels? 7. How to ensure brand implementation in communication

acticvities?

This guide aim is to:

• Bring clarity on what is the role of communications area

• Standardize the communication process

• Align every activity with the brand

*It is reffering to MCPs/MCVPs/LCPs/LCVPs

 

   

EwA funnel

Micro XP

MKT PR

Do you remember AIESEC’s purpose as an organisation? We aim to develop change agents for society!

How do we do that? Through providing the oportunitty for youth to live our ELD programmes!

But, in order to achieve the ELD goals, we must develop EwA strategies and activities, so as to reach as many people as possible and let them know about the why-how-what of AIESEC!

Change  

Agents  

WHY do we run communication

activities for operations?  

   

Interaction Information Application Selection Operational

process (RA, MA, RE)

But how does a customer get in touch with AIESEC?

We have some steps for it!

Role of Branding and Communications Responsibles:

The role of COMM/Marketing/PR people is to:

1. Create and facilitate touch points for people to interact with AIESEC in order to create more promoters and customers of AIESEC

2. Comms people also serve as brand guardians, ensuring that AIESECers and other stakeholders are constantly supporting and aligning with the desired reputation of AIESEC (through operations and every day practice)

Communications is contributing directly to ELD growth!!!  

   

oal G arget T hannel C essage M

GOAL  • Define  the  goal  of  the  strategy  (Ex:  100  RA  OGX  GIP).  It  should  always  be  based  only  in  ELD  MoS.  

Target  • Define  to  whom  the  product/program  is  going  to  be  offered  (Ex:  IT  student,  2nd  year  of  university).  

Channel  • Define  with  what  kind  of  channels  the  audience  is  going  to  be  approached  (Ex:  Online,  classroom  presentaSon).  

Message  • Define  how  the  communicaSon  of  the  product  is  going  to  be  done  to  the  target  audience,  what  is  going  to  be  said  to  them.  

?

Every time you have to define a communication strategy for supporting your operations, you must follow the SIMPLE ‘GTCM’ PROCESS!

It is based on defining the strategy in 4 steps:

HOW can we run a simple and

efficient communication strategy?  

   

But HOW SHOULD each one be defined?

• Check  internal  current  state,  internal  needs,  LC  strenghts  and  weakenesses  and  Supply  &  Demand  (for  X);  

• Check  historical  growth  and  data;  • Check  external  reality  (trends,  period,  opportuniSes);  • Check  LC  resources  (HR,  financial);  • Take  into  account  ambiSon  and  desired  impact.  • PAY  ATTENTION:  Before  your  target’s  definiSon,  make  sure  you  have  a  specific  goal  based  on  product  and  sub-­‐product  (Ex:  oGCDP  Human  Rights).  

Goal  

• Define  demographic  characterisScs  of  your  audience  (studies,  age,  educaSon  level,  locaSon,  occupaSon);  

• Define  your  customer’s  profile  (personality,  social  profile,  financial  condiSons,  a\tudes,  values,  interests/hobbies,  lifestyle,  behavior)  

• To  get  all  these  info,  you  may  do  an  external  market  research  first!  

Target  

• Check  previous  data  about  how  many  customers  from  your  target  audience  come  from  each  channels;  

• Channels  should  have  direct  or  indirect  connecSon  with  the  customer;  

• Follow  the  80-­‐20  pareto  rule  and  choose  the  most  efficient  channels  (best  results)  with  the  less  effort;  

• Find  out  the  most  effecSve  approach:  online  or  physical  

Channel  

•  It  should  reflect:  • The  program  you  are  promoSng  • The  profile  of  the  people  you  are  adverSsing  to  

•  It  should  be:  • Catchy  • Short  • Clear  

•  It  must  be  brand  aligned!  (see  brand  filter  guide  here)  

Message  

   

Once you've decided on a target market, be sure to consider these questions:

• Are there enough people that fit my criteria? • Will my target really benefit from my product/service? Will they see a need for it? • Do I understand what drives my target to make decisions? • Can they afford my product/service? • Can I reach them with my message? Are they easily accessible?

Market Research

WHY: Understanding your customers’ needs

HOW: You need to get information from different groups of your student market. Proposed ways are through:

v print or online survey, v focus groups (small teams you interview) v youth organisations similar data

WHAT: You need to take the data either to validate your assumptions (the Economic students prefer enterpreneurship issues) or to understand even deeper factors that influence them (financial, personal)

   

EwA framework Engagement is about providing value to an individual through an activity that enables them to experience AIESEC. The engagement activity should be so effective that the young person either: - wants to join an ELD programme - wants to promote AIESEC

Through these activities we aim to create:

To illustrate that, we use the engagement funnel:

Promoters ELD customers

WHAT kind of promotion activities can I use?  

   

There are 3 types of activities that can be run: MICRO EXPERIENCES Activities that create micro AIESEC experiences for young people, giving them a small taste of what is AIESEC. These activities create a separate value proposition from our core ELD programmes. For example, non-AIESECers be part of the OC of an event/conference. PUBLIC RELATIONS PR activities increase our organisational reputation. These activities manage the flow of information between AIESEC and the general public. For example, media appearances. MARKETING Marketing activities that drive sales in our core ELD programmes. These activities use the value propositions of our core programmes and promote them directly to the target audience. For example, info stand in a university.

• All  three  acSviSes  are  closely  linked.    • For  example,  MICRO  EXPERIENCES  can  be  combined  with  MARKETING  acSviSes  to  create  a  high  conversion  rate  of  customers  to  ELD  programmes  

AcSviSes  combinaSon  

• There  are  some  acSivSes  ex  Y2B  that  cal  be  both  Micro  XPs  and  PR.    

• You  need  to  have  clear  what  the  outcome  of  each  one  of  these  acSviSes  should  be    

AcSviSes  overlapping  

   

Examples of activities you can run:

• Short-term volunteering[non-AIESECer as OC in a conference] (Micro XP)

• Press releases and media (PR) • Recruitment campaigns (Marketing) • Global village (Micro XP) • Publications (PR) • Advertising of programs (Marketing) • Youth to Business (Micro XP) • External reports on projects/initiatives (PR) • Email marketing to databases(Marketing) • Youth forums (Micro XP) • University presence & promotion[info stand, classroom

presentation] (Marketing) • Developing leaders days (Micro XP) • Flash mobs (Marketing) • ELD Programme info session (Marketing) • Needs-based volunteering (Micro XP)

   

• Make  sure  you  have  the  needed  balance  between  PR,  MarkeSng  acSviSes  and  Micro  XPs    

Balance    

• You  should  choose  the  channels  that  bring  you  more  ELD  results  on  a  short-­‐term  level  

Short-­‐term  results  

• According  to  your  resources  (financial,  HR)  you  can  decide  the  range  of  channels  (e.g.  if  you  have  4  people  in  a  team  then  PR  might  not  be  the  first  opSon)  

Resources  

Concerning online channels, check the outputs for Online Branding

Concerning physical channels, one of the most common activities is the events building. Below you will find some guidelines

IMPORTANT: You should always try to align your online and offline image in terms of message, feeling, information.

WHEN & WHY should I choose each

channel?  

   

Here is a direction map on how to manage your external participation events:

   

Here is a direction map on how to manage the events you create:

   

Conversion rate is when people from the interaction phase with AIESEC, go to the information phase, where they learn more things about AIESEC and its opportunities and they finally become ELD customers.

•  InteracSon    • Physical  or  

online  

AcSviSes  

•  informaSon    stage    

Data    • ELD  program  parScipaSon  

ELD  MoS  

How can I measure the efficiency of my

promotion activities?  

   

Tips on stages for converting your customers

v Always provide information how someone should follow up from the interaction phase (after a classroom presentation you diverge them into coming to the AIESEC office or visit the website), so as to get all needed information for AIESEC and ELD programs

v Accessibility is everything! Make sure you have all needed information for a customer, available either on a physical (info meeting) or an online way (website)

v You need to collect their personal contacts and create a database so as to keep the follow up for their engagement and information

• InteracSon    • Physical  or  online  

AcSviSes  

• informaSon    stage    

Data  

STAGE 1  

   

If you promotion activity is an event/seminar, then getting a feedback forms after its execution it is going to help you:

• Generate a database • Get feedback on the event execution • Assess brand perception of the participants • Lead participants for future Engagement and ELD

participation

This feedback forms for micro XPs feedback and event participating feedback here:

http://www.myaiesec.net/content/viewfile.do?contentid=10237336

• When you have the database, what you need to do is to have a clear strategy on how to engage these people and convert them into ELD (e.g. external newsletters based on their preferences, personal meetings, come in touch with returnees)

•  informaSon    stage    

Data  

• ELD  program  parScipaSon  

ELD  MoS  

STAGE 2  

   

Tracking    

• of  promoSon  acSviSes  execuSon  (quality,  quanSty)  based  on  plan  (e.g.  classroom  presentaSons  executed  VS  planned)  • of  metrics  of  these  acSviSes  (#  of  parScipants)    • of  Smeline  of  acSviSes    

Evalua?on    

• check  the  efficiency  of  promoSon  acSviSes(conversion  rate  e,g,  sign  ups  from  this  classroom)  • evaluate  the  efficiency  of  the  promoSon  plan  and  adapt  the  acSviSes/message  as  necessary    • LCVP  COMM  and  LCVP  OGX/TM/ICX  should  make  an  evaluaSon  together    

HR  management  

• team  structure  based  on  needs  (product  based  teams)    • clear  roles  &  responsibiliSes  of  each  team  member  • every  member  has  an  individual  plan  based  on  the  communicaSon  plan  needs  • coaching  on  plan    

How to manage my communication strategy

in 3 simple ways?  

   

Here are some recommendations:

• Educate the involved stakeholders(LCs,LCVPs) on the brand policies  and  brand  management  based  on  them

• Include the brand policies in your national compendium. The violation of them by the LCs should have some consequences (financial fines etc.)

• Have NSTs monitoring if promotion activities are brand aligned (physical, online).

• LCs send their promotion materials to the MC in order to check their brand alignment

Things to take into account and direction:

Planning  brand  filtering  tool    

Refreshed  visual  

guidelines  

NaSonal  brand  policies  

AIESEC  essence  focus  

How to ensure and monitor brand implementation while in promotion phase?  

We are all responsible for

brand protection!

   

This Document is an output of the Brand Experience Summit of AIESEC International held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on 13th-16th of November, 2012.