Transition 2009 : Transition 2009 Learning Environment
Why are we talking about this? : Why are we talking about this? The success of our partnership relies on us attracting the right people with the right expectations
2008-09 was the first year that we tried to create a ‘global brand’ for the partnership
Many people in the network still have inaccurate ideas about the partnership
A quick bit of history... : A quick bit of history... Until 2008 there was no consistent messaging, as promotion focused on matching of the TNs, which was managed completely by LCs with support from Regional Coordinator
In early 2008 promotion became global, with launches at IPM & IC and creation of partnership wiki
Until August 2008 the partnership was heavily tied to ‘Entrepreneurship’ inside AIESEC, and also to Ashoka (joint launches, workshops & virtual spaces)
Contents : Contents What are we promoting?
Who do we want to attract?
What messages did we transmit?
What tools have we used?
Visual identity
Current brand assessment
What are we promoting? : What are we promoting? Specific activities within the partnership (internships, competitions)
Social Business as a field to explore and get involved generally
Who do we want to attract? : Who do we want to attract? People who:
are interested in solving social problems
have some business understanding (and are not ‘anti-business)
are open-minded, creative, and determined to make a difference
have the specific competencies / knowledge relevant to the particular opportunity being promoted
What messages did we transmit in 2008-09? : What messages did we transmit in 2008-09? The key brand elements for promotion of internships and competition were: entrepreneurial experience, professional development, social impact
We chose to use the Ashoka name much less, as we realized that people were remembering Social Entrepreneurship but not Social Business
Internships, competitions, workshops & virtual spaces are all a part of the same partnership (‘Social-Business Ventures’), which has the aim to get AIESECers involved in the field
What tools did we use in 2008-09?(1/2) : What tools did we use in 2008-09?(1/2) For internships: ‘e-flyer’ in 1st round, video in 2nd, classifieds, GEP Newsletter (AI)
For competition: video, dedicated wiki, banners in MyAIESEC.net
Conferences: launch at IC; workshops at IC, IPM, ILC, APXLDS & AP Heroes; competition video shown at IPM and all XPros
Partnership Wiki: ‘Hub’ for all relevant information, links to where to find more details, “Partnership News” regularly updated
What tools did we use in 2008-09?(2/2) : What tools did we use in 2008-09?(2/2) Facebook:Users can become ‘Fans’ of the partnership; status updates to promote opportunities with the partnership or information about Social Business in general
Blogs:Several of the interns (and coordinators) have blogs, but these have not been promoted; blog created by AI for interns and competition participants to write about their experience, but has not yet been published due to technical problems
IGN webpage:Débora has more information
Visual identity : Visual identity Developed in August 2008 by the same branding agency that developed Artemisia’s institutional visual identity
‘Social-Business Ventures’ logo, to symbolize all activities being tied into one partnership
PPT and doc templates available
Wikis and classifieds use the same visual elements as other materials
Separate logo developed for competition, but inspired by overall partnership logo
Learning points from 2008-09 : Learning points from 2008-09 Personal connections matter – e.g. sending a customized mail to a VPX can be the fastest way to get good candidates
Therefore it’s important to invest time in building / maintaining relations with relevant countries / LCs
Stories, quotes and pictures are very powerful tools
Feedback round in February showed that Wiki was messy and too complicated
Wikis are a good tool for providing information, but not great at ‘sucking people in’ to find the information
Results in 2008-09 : Results in 2008-09 Internships:
around 3.5 applicants per TN in 5th round
number increased significantly in latest round (in IGN)
majority of applicants to both regions are female*
Most applicants to both regions came from IGN, then WENA
Competition:
44 applications (2/3 male)
20 countries (all GNs except MENA)
Wikis:
Partnership - >4,600 hits & 2,200 unique visitors since 25th March; 2,200 hits just in June!
Competition - >5,000 hits & 2,400 unique visitors in just 8 weeks!
* does this reflect overall EP pipeline?
Current challenges : Current challenges TNs still seen as ‘DT program’
Partnership still seen as an ‘IGN initiative’
Gender bias?
Name ‘Social-Business Ventures’ is confusing to our other stakeholders in Brazil