Quarterly newsletter, Volume 2 - July 2007
What’s New @ ICCO
With the aid of graduate students at New York University, ICCO conducted a comprehensive audit during the first half of the year in order to guide the organisation’s planning and strategic direction. Primary research included interviews with board members and an internet survey of member firms, while secondary research focused on other PR associations and global professional services groups.
Findings from the external, “competitive” analysis show that ICCO fills a clear niche in the global communications industry. Its charter is consistent with that of other global professional services organisations, as are its challenges – including: communication with members, member involvement, the dues structure and resource / staffing constraints.
Meanwhile, interviews with the Board of Management reveal a universally positive outlook for the industry, with talent & staffing seen as the main issue. Our board members are highly committed to the organisation and see a clear role for ICCO. They are excited about the new Executive Director and encouraged by the activities they have seen so far this year. However, they do express concern on a number of issues, including: the dues structure; the focus and frequency of meetings; and the balance of interests between established and emerging markets.
For their part, individual member firms show a high level (96%) of awareness of the national affiliation with ICCO in their respective countries and value the global perspective, which is seen to be growing in importance. There is active engagement with the ICCO website, e-mails and events as well as strong agreement on what ICCO’s priorities should be, namely: collecting case studies of global campaigns and sharing best practice, providing templates for documents and contracts, and upholding a code of ethics.
