Another Level

Anthony Thomson introduces Associate Membership, a new level of membership from The Financial Services Forum.
When The Financial Services Forum first began in July 2000, we established our selection criteria – members had to be responsible for, or directly influence, their organisation’s marketing strategy. That same criteria still applies today.
In the intervening six and a half years, the Forum has grown to over 300 members, comprising CEOs, directors of marketing, distribution, strategy, brand, HR and finance. Our agenda has expanded from around eight annual events a year to around 60 events. Most of that increase has come in Special Interest Group events, allowing members to address the specific issues that face them in their sector or discipline. Members can now choose to belong to one of twelve Special Interest Groups.
Our events, our website with its substantial archive and sophisticated search engine, our research and Argent, the journal of the Forum, are all designed to help our members improve their strategic marketing effectiveness.
However, our members have said to us that getting the marketing strategy right is only half of the equation. It is equally important to ensure that the strategy is being effectively delivered.
Based on this feedback and following research among our members (and in some cases their marketing team as well) we have now launched Associate Membership of the Forum, aimed at those marketers who are directly responsible for the delivery and implementation of their organisation’s marketing strategy. Typically, Associate Membership is aimed at current Financial Services Forum members’ direct reports.
The objective of Associate Membership is two-fold. First, to help them improve their experience and expertise and thereby, improve marketing effectiveness. Second, to help them better understand and respond to the strategic marketing issues affecting the industry and their company.
To read the full article, please download the PDF above.