Canadian Public Relations Society ( Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter )

1. Canadian Public Relations Society (Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter) TEAM EAGER Ednar Araujo Abhay Tiwari Gaurav Thakur Eliza Klimuszko Raquel Genio

2. Agenda • Background • Problem Statement • Research Objectives • Methodology • Qualitative • Quantitative • Limitations • Research Findings/ Conclusions • Qualitative • Quantitative • Recommendations • Questions and Answers

3. Background CPRS: Canadian Public Relations Society • Leading professional association for PR communicators across Canada. • Number of Members (1600 existing). • The projections of PR practitioners relevant to CPRS Association (40,000). • The pathway to the PR profession in the Ottawa Region.

4. Background • Decreasing participation rate of full members in events. • Professional events are less attractive than social events. • Declining renewal rate of full members.

5. Problem Statement What does CPRS need to implement to retain, attract and increase the participation of their full membership?

6. Research Objectives The research objectives which the research team focused on are as follows: • To identify what events generate higher levels of interest among the target audience. • To determine the benefits that attract the target audience. • To identify the preferred methods of communication to reach the target audience. • To determine the price sensitivity of the target audience. • To evaluate the user experience of the CPRS current website by the target audience. • To determine the effectiveness of the renewal process.

7. Methodology: Research Design Multi-mode methodology both with current and former members:

8. Methodology: QUALITATIVE • Tool • In-depth interview • Unstructured interview guide with open-ended questions • 20 minute interviews • Pretest • CPRS members, Algonquin College research team members, friends and the professor coordinator. • Recruitment • Current Members: Out of the 90 current members 24 members were telephoned, where 18 members were away from the telephone and six were available for the in-depth interviews. • Former Members: Out of the 24 former members, only four were reached and had no interest in participating.

9. Methodology: QUANTITATIVE • Tool • Pre-tested structured questionnaire implemented through an online survey using FluidSurveys’ platform. • Pretest • CPRS members, Algonquin College research team members, friends and the professor coordinator. • Population • 111 CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau (89 current members and 22 former members) • Online Survey Performance (1st Mar – 24th Mar) • Response Rate: 29% • Completion rate: 100% • Average Time Taken: 9:01

10. Limitations • Out of the total e-mail invitations sent, 12 e-mails bounced as “out of office replies” thus limiting the access of the survey. • No participation from former members in both the survey and in-depth interviews. • Delay on launch date due to the need for a French version identified at a later stage in the study. • Due to this delay the survey was online during March break.

11. Research Findings/ Conclusions

12. Research Findings - QUALITATIVE Motivations and benefits to join CPRS; • networking opportunities • professional development • information about the industry • accredited public relations professional Types of events, times, and locations; • PEI, 2002/2003 National Annual Conference • Take the Leap event of Feb 29th • all day events through out the year at different locations • weekend events

13. Research Findings - QUALITATIVE Types of activities to organize in the future; • webinars during lunch hours • online activities with presence on Facebook and Linked-In • mentoring/coaching and mentorship programs • join forces with IABC and CCO • five minute introductory presentations Communication methods of delivery; • e-mail • meeting invitations • information about industry • average pay for different positions • blogs of professionals

14. Research Findings - QUALITATIVE Thoughts and reasons for visiting the website; • effective, intuitive, and user-friendly • national resources library • job postings for professional development • event registration Value in “members only section”; • differentiation between members and non-members • access to premium information Suggestions and thoughts about membership renewal process; • both National and Local notice by e-mail to renew membership • on-line process • option to pay monthly instead of annually

15. Research Findings - QUALITATIVE Reasons to renew membership; • commitment to CPRS • local networking • potential of being an APR • include something on resume • general good of society Additional comments about membership; • promote accreditation and the value of it • have regular and executive accreditation • bring more humor into the events • members are too anonyms • CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter is not as active as the Toronto Chapter

16. Q:Approximately, how many times did/do you attend CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter events within a year? Event attendance by topic

17. Q:Please rate the following events’ topics that are most important to you:

18. Q: Please indicate your preference for the scheduling of the following events: Timing preference for Social Events Timing preference for Case Studies Timing preference for Conferences

19. Q: Please indicate your preference for the scheduling of the following events (cont.) : Timing preference for In-depth workshops Timing preference for Panels Timing preference for Expert speakers

20. Q: Thinking about the benefits offered by CPRS Ottawa /Gatineau Chapter membership please rate the following according to your interests Importance associated with Credibility Importance associated with Networking Opportunities

21. Q:Thinking about the benefits offered by CPRS Ottawa /Gatineau Chapter membership please rate the following according to your interests (cont.) Importance associated with Opportunities to participate in events Importance associated with Knowledge sharing and learning opportunities

22. Q: Thinking about the benefits offered by CPRS Ottawa/ Gatineau Chapter membership please rate the following according to your interests (cont.) Importance associated with Access to Job postings Importance associated with Priority notice of events Importance associated with Recognition

23. What mode of communication would you prefer to be contacted by CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter for the following information? Preferred mode of communication by type of message

24. Q: According to you, how important are each of these features, if offered by CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter website? Expectation towards a members-only section on the CPRS website Importance associated with Members-Only Section Importance associated with Academic Publications

25. Q: According to you, how important are each of these features, if offered by CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter website? (cont.) Importance associated with Online Membership Subscription Importance associated with Online Membership Renewal

26. Q:Are you satisfied with the membership fee structure in comparison to the benefits that you are receiving as a CPRS member? Members’ opinion on CPRS pricing structure

27. Q: Do you think that the CPRS renewal process is user-friendly? Members’ opinion about the user-friendliness of the Renewal Process

28. Recommendations

29. Promote Accredited Public Relations (APR) Professional • Work with Universities to promote and create awareness for the APR exam; • Advertise on newsletters and magazines; • Create different levels of APR (such as student, young professional, professional or executive); • Mentorship Program • Create an accreditation program for PR companies;

30. CPRS Events • Realize events based on topics of social media, crisis communications and media relations; • Webinars based on case studies over lunch hours; • Increase members’ engagement in the events through the following initiatives: • Post event feedback; • Increasing network activities such as 5 minute member presentations or icebreakers; • Events in different venues such as factories, schools, and museums; • Promote more events in Gatineau.

31. Redesign CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Website • Officially bilingual • Addition of a ‘Members-Only’ section with: • Privileged materials like slide decks presented during the events; • Academic publications; • Board of directors meeting minutes; • Job Postings (first members only then open to public) • A Members Directory that enables members to search and find other members from every CPRS Chapters across Canada;

32. Redesign CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Website • Create an online membership subscription and online renewal process that will: • Facilitate the subscription process; • Decrease the level of paper-work for CPRS; • Reduce subscription and renewal process timings; • Increase the subscription and renewal rates.

33. Redesign CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau Website • Provide information about Awards for PR professionals and a section with tips related to PR careers (average salaries, industry statistics, and interesting readings); • Reactivate CPRS Ottawa/ Gatineau Newsletter to create engagement among members, mentors and educational institutions; • Available through email and in the local website.

34. Social Media • CPRS should be more active in social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter; • CPRS should increase awareness of RSS Feeds; • Social Media platforms such as Blogs should also be used for the mentorship program as a communication/ discussion tool.

35. Questions?