In an increasingly competitive landscape, advertisers who work with associations want to not only promote their brands, but also position themselves as subject matter experts and trusted partners. While conventional print and digital advertising remain an important part of The Townsend Group’s work, the company has increasingly focused on creating programs designed to meet these new goals.
When market leader IBM wanted to promote its predictive analytics software to law enforcement leaders, it turned to The Townsend Group for inspiration, ideas and execution. Predictive analytics is the evaluation of vast amounts of data to determine the likelihood of events ahead of time. IBM had little interest in traditional advertising, seeking instead to generate qualified leads and to align their brand with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), a client association of The Townsend Group. IACP serves as the professional voice of law enforcement.
Working closely with stakeholders at IBM and IACP, The Townsend Group crafted an integrated program that included webinars, case studies and targeted newsletters designed to help IBM promote its technology while simultaneously providing valuable information to IACP members. The webinars focused on several aspects of predictive analytics, with law enforcement professionals speaking about topics that included the reduction of crime rates in Toledo, Ohio, and the prevention of traffic accidents in Tennessee.
Complementing this webinar series, in-depth case studies published in IACP’s monthly Police Chief magazine highlighted predictive analytics at work in four police departments. At the same time, the IACP on Leadership e-newsletter featured content created by IBM that highlighted the same speakers and topics as the webinars while remaining relevant for readers interested in the topic of leadership. The Townsend Group and Information, Inc. partnered to develop the e-newsletter, creating a brand-new digital revenue stream for IACP.
This advertiser-centric, multichannel approach not only drove traffic to the webinars – with each audience member a qualified lead for IBM – it also positioned IACP as an association willing to collaborate with other companies seeking to position themselves as thought leaders in the law enforcement field.
Since 1983, The Townsend Group has built best-in-class, non-dues revenue programs for its client associations. From its initial focus on print advertising, The Townsend Group’s mission has grown to include specialized, content-driven programs, video production, and the sale of digital media, conference booths and sponsorships.
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