ICAI launches new ad campaign
Author:
Ronan O'Brien
Those of you who watch TV or who have children that are glued to satellite channels, and those who are fans of shows like ‘Sons and Daughters’, have probably seen the ICAI student recruitment advertisement at this stage. If not check it out on YouTube or on www.icai.ie. Over the next couple of weeks the ICAI ad will also be appearing in cinemas and on radio. The campaign, which started on September 10th, is running in Northern Ireland and in the Republic and the ICAI has sent a DVD to each member firm. The ad is also available for incorporation into ICAI member firms’ websites.
In developing a television/cinema commercial the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) has followed the example of fellow chartered bodies in Australia and New Zealand who have advertised extensively in these media. The ICAI advertisement differs in that it focuses on promoting student recruitment rather than overall brand enhancement as is the case in the antipodean.
As Stephen Quinn from Atomic, the advertising agency used by ICAI to develop the ad, puts it: “With its quirky animation style backed up by a cracking soundtrack, the campaign focuses on the advantages that a career in Chartered Accountancy brings, including excellent financial has rewards, global mobility and unparalleled career prospects.”
The cost of the ICAI campaign is in the region of €200,000 including production costs. Obviously we will be able to run the ad in future years without the production costs recurring. It is a lot of money but not a huge amount in marketing terms. By targeting the ad at the student market, and by producing an animated ad rather than a live action feature, we believe we have kept costs to a reasonable level while remaining effective in targeting our key audience. The other beauty of producing an animated ad like this is its adaptability for online usage, so the campaign will also run on youth networking websites ensuring awareness of Chartered Accountancy as a career choice passes on to another generation of potential students.
Why do professional accountancy bodies advertise? The answer is relatively simple: one of the features that distinguishes the accountancy profession from other professions is the level of competition that operates within the sector. While other professions have been the subject of examination of late by the Competition Authority, the accountancy profession has not featured. This is hardly surprising: there are now nine prescribed (not proscribed!) bodies under Irish Company Law regulated by the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority. The accounting environment is entirely different to that operating in the legal profession. Therefore there is a need for the different professional bodies to set out their distinct characteristics and to promote their particular brand of accountancy. The ultimate measure of the success and viability of any professional body is its success in securing member satisfaction and recruiting future potential members as students. These bodies are obviously also competing against other business qualifications.
Research undertaken by ICAI a few years ago indicated member dissatisfaction that the Institute wasn’t doing enough to promote the standing of Chartered Accountancy.
The Strategy Review Group responded to this criticism by placing a particular emphasis on promoting and managing the ‘chartered brand’. Subsequent market research has confirmed the importance of maintaining a strong brand presence in the market place.
ICAI responded to this challenge in 2004 with the re-branding of its ‘Talk first to a Chartered Accountant’ campaign as ‘Make sure your Accountant is a Chartered Accountant.’ The campaign ran on radio and in the national press. The campaign was expanded in 2006 with an ad specifically referring to tax filing issues, a campaign which was rerun last month and well received. ICAI was also the first professional body to sponsor a radio broadcast – the Newstalk business show ‘Down to Business’. Others have followed since.
Promoting the profession to students is critical not just to ICAI but to its member firms and businesses.
ICAI’s international competitors are well resourced and it is important that ICAI invests to compete. As the demand for trainee CAs has grown in recent years ICAI has redoubled its efforts to support the marketing work undertaken by member firms.
In 2005 ICAI launched a radio and outdoor campaign to increase the profile of the Institute and the profession among students. It was re¬run in 2006. The campaign, adopting a humorous tongue in cheek approach, sought to suggest that sensible young people chose Chartered Accountancy as a career. ICAI won an award for its outdoor campaign of that year – ‘Don’t take the corporate ladder, take the elevator’ at the Irish Independent sponsored Excellence in Recruitment advertising awards. The campaign was even extended to college washrooms!
The next few years will probably see the competition between the professional bodies intensify further. Even the Law Society has been advertising of late. At ICAI we have been keen to lead the field in this as in other areas. We are not Proctor & Gamble though. Our budgets are limited; we will never secure, nor would we want to secure, saturation coverage. Creativity and innovation are the order of our day.
Recent Comments:
At
9/27/2007 5:59:00 PM
al
said:
I have to congratulate the ICAI on these ads. I've seen them on Sky and in the cinema and I think they're great. Well done to whoever came up with the idea and let's see more of them!