The Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA) has hired The BrainStorm Group as a “strategic partner” to enhance its marketing communications and become what president and CEO Ron Lund characterized as a “first call” for its members on marcom related issues.
While the Toronto-based ACA has worked with numerous agencies over the years, Lund told Marketing that those partnerships have typically been on an “ad-hoc” basis and focused on specific projects.
Lund said internal discussions from earlier this year identified the need for an agency partner that could serve as a “good strategic sounding board” for the ACA, which marked its 97th anniversary in August.
BrainStorm, he said, offers “a great combination of creative energy and really good strategic insights.”
While there are no plans to rebrand or abandon the ACA’s “Driving Marketing Success” platform – which Lund called the product of “tons of work” three years ago – BrainStorm will be tasked with growing the association’s digital and social media presence. The ACA currently has “very little” presence in social media, said Lund, posting occasional conference videos on YouTube and operating a LinkedIn account. It does use Twitter, he said, but not in a “strategic fashion.”
“[Social media] is a big nut for anyone to crack, but it’s one of the areas that when we were looking at our capabilities, we thought The BrainStorm Group could really help us build,” said Lund.
Lund said a key objective is to make the ACA synonymous with advertiser advocacy and information on marcom-related issues. The economic downturn took its toll on industry associations, with groups including the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Marketing Bureau shutting down in 2010 and others seeing declines in membership.
Lund said ACA membership has grown slightly during the downturn, although that masks a pronounced shift in the organization that produced historical highs in terms of both members gained and lost. The ongoing economic uncertainty places additional onus on associations such as the ACA to be a valued resource for members, he said. “Every line item is scrutinized in today’s world, so the need to continue to be relevant and demonstrate your value as an association is absolutely paramount.”
