CTPAA and Topics Education Survey

CTPAA and Topics Education Survey:
Uncovering the Role of
Technology in Public Affairs
Local cable system operators have found new
technology products and services to be major new
sources of growth and profits. This new focus is
changing the relationships between networks and
operators, including the rules of their public affairs
partnerships. Topics Education and Cable Television
Public Affairs Association conducted this survey of
CTPAA cable operator members to determine the
role new technology products and services could
play in future public affairs campaigns.
The three main objectives of this study are to:
• Identify the role of public affairs in supporting
operator initiatives
• Determine the current online capabilities,
interests, and restrictions of operators’ public
affairs departments.
• Understand whether networks should consider
integrating new technologies into public affairs
partnerships, and how that can be done in ways
that will appeal to operators.
>2
CTPAA and Topics Education Survey:
Summary of Findings
The Role of Public Affairs
The initial goal of this study involved determining the role public affairs departments play in supporting operator
initiatives. An obvious first step, then, was ascertaining operators’ main priorities. That is, we needed to know what
current initiatives garnered the most attention from operators (Figure 1).
Given the myriad articles in industry
publications, newspapers, and other
periodicals, one might assume that new
technologies would lead that charge.
And, in fact, several respondents
included Broadband Sales (27%) and
Digital Penetration (44%) among their
selections. Respondents appear to
embrace the idea that one’s best
customers are one’s current customers,
however; Customer Retention (71%) and
Customer Satisfaction (71%) bested all
other choices by a wide margin.
Figure 1
What are your three top local companywide priorities?
(Choose up to three.)
Customer
Retention
Customer
Satisfaction
Regulator
Relations
Basic
Penetration
Digital
Penetration
Broadband
Upon establishing operators’ priorities,
Sales
the next questions asked about the
On Demand/
involvement of public affairs
PPV Sales
departments at the local level in
VoIP Sales
meeting these priorities (Figures 2 Bundles
4). Again by a wide margin, the
answers were clear. Overwhelmingly,
School Sales
public affairs does have an important
role in at least some initiatives (29%)
and a majority of departments support
all operator initiatives (67%). In contrast, only 5% reported acting independently of other company functions.
Just as significant is the notion that these decisions are being made at the local level. A large majority of respondents
(70%) (Figure 3) answered that they make decisions such as these with their peers locally. In comparison, less than
one-third (29%) of those surveyed suggested their initiatives were determined at the corporate level.
Data from Figure 4 confirms information suggested in the previous figure. That is, public affairs professionals appear
to be working closely and collaboratively with their colleagues from other departments in order to meet operator
objectives. In fact, only 3% responded that they do not interact at all with other departments, while a majority
(57%) replied that they work together across departments, helping one another meet goals.
Uncovering the Role of Technology in Public Affairs
Figure 2
Is the public affairs department called on to
support these initiatives, or are its activities
independent from other company functions?
We support all of
these initiatives
We support some of
these initiatives, but
not all of them
Our activities are
independent from other
company functions
>3
Figure 3
What is the source of your major annual public
affairs initiatives? (Check all that apply.)
Handed
down from
corporate
Chosen by me
according to goals
and guidelines set
by corporate
I select with
others at this
location
I select alone
Figure 4
What is the state of public affairs’ relationships with other departments (customer service, sales, marketing,
government relations)?
We do not interact
We work together, but
my job is to support
other departments’
priorities
We work together, but I
determine which
initiatives to focus on
We work together
collaboratively, planning
campaigns together and
helping one another meet goals
>4
CTPAA and Topics Education Survey:
Public Affairs Online
The second objective of the study centered on the
online capabilities, interests, and restrictions of
operators’ public affairs departments. The results
suggest that not only do public affairs professionals
have the capability and authority to promote campaigns
through their own and third-party websites, but they are
open to opportunities for doing so.
To set the tone for consideration, we first wanted to
understand the online capabilities of our survey pool.
We found that, by and large, public affairs professionals
have control over the relevant content published on
operator websites. When asked about their online
capabilities, a majority claimed to have the authority to
place content on the local company site (Figure 5).
Moreover, only 14% indicated their company has no
online presence at all, while 16% indicated that content
is placed per corporate directive.
Figure 5
What are your current online capabilities?
I have no
online presence
I have a stand-alone
site (or sites)
Content is
placed on the
local company
site per
corporate
directive
I have authority
or capability to
place content on the
local company site
It is important that networks and other potential partners know of this online capability. It is equally important,
however, for them to have a sense of the extent of this capability. Not surprisingly, for those who had an online
presence, there was a negative correlation between placement capability and an item’s complexity. That is, there
was widespread capability to add simple text (96%) or web links (83%) on a site. In comparison, only 46% could
place video on their site, and only 38% could place multimedia content — such as interactive Flash-based games
(Figure 6).
Even so, it is interesting that nearly half of
all respondents are capable of adding video
and audio (44%) content to their sites, and
more than one in three can place interactive
content. This suggests there may be a
growing interest in seeing more broadband
intensive offerings integrated into public
affairs campaigns.
Figure 6
If you have online capabilities, what is the extent of
those capabilities? (Select all that apply.)
I can place text
on the site(s)
I can place links
on the site(s)
I can place audio on
the site(s)
I can place video on
the site(s)
I can place multimedia
content (Flash games,
etc.) on the site(s)
I can collect and manage
email addresses through
the site(s)
Uncovering the Role of Technology in Public Affairs
>5
Integrating Technology into Public Affairs
The crux of this survey, of course, centers on its third stated objective. That is, to understand how, given the
knowledge gleaned from the first two sections, networks can integrate new technologies and other offerings into
public affairs initiatives that will appeal to operators in ways that will increase adoption and reach. Getting at this
understanding requires a three-pronged approach: What technology items/content can operators accept from
networks; which of those items are most attractive to operators; and under which circumstance would accepting those
items be most plausible?
And the answer? In short, if networks can provide content — from text to multimedia components — that matches
with an operator’s existing corporate priority OR with a local initiative, AND there’s a co-branding opportunity, then
that operator is likely to consider it. But there must be a fit somewhere, and the onus is on the network to find it.
The following series of graphs bears this out (Figures 7-10).
Figure 7
If you have online capabilities, what is the
focus of your online efforts?
Other
Educational
Figure 8
If a cable network provided the following item(s) as
part of a campaign, which could you use? (Check all
that apply.)
Text
Customer
Service/
Retention
Links
Local
Initiatives
Audio
Video
Multimedia
Content
I can’t approve the usage
of any outside items on
our site(s)
>6
CTPAA and Topics Education Survey:
Figure 9
Which of these items would make a network public affairs campaign more attractive to implement?
(Check all that apply.)
Content for my site
A co-branded
independent site
A networkbranded site
Whatever the corporate priorities, local public affairs
departments still put much of their focus on education
(25%) and other local initiatives (47%). As a result,
networks would be wise to investigate local priorities
and existing plans before initiating any partnership
offers with operators. This extra effort could get
networks into doors that would otherwise be closed.
Results from this query are encouraging for those
networks looking to make a big splash on the web. It
indicates that operators are willing to move beyond
simple text announcements of projects toward
inclusion of more bandwidth intensive content
(especially content that emphasizes broadband! – see
Figure 9). The fact that more than half (51%) of
survey respondents said they could include video
content and another 44% indicated an ability to
include multimedia content should compel networks to
think outside the traditional text box when conceiving
the array of components provided as part of their
initiatives.
On-demand
programming
Tie to other new
technology product
(VoIP feature,
digital feature)
Other
Figure 10
Under what conditions would you be able to
incorporate an independent network-produced
site (or a specific series of web pages from a
network site) as part of a public affairs
campaign?
We could not/would
not use it under any
circumstances
We could use it, as
long as it was a Public
Affairs product
We could use it
only if it tied to
a major
company
objective (as in
Question 1)
The web
pages/site
would require
co-branding
The web pages/site must
be a component of a
campaign we’re
implementing
Uncovering the Role of Technology in Public Affairs
What do operators want from networks? They want content — either presented as theirs for their own site (59%) or
for a co-branded, independent site (54%). What kind of content? As we have seen above, they want content that fits
with existing local campaigns. They also want content that touts new technology products (broadband, VoIP, etc). In
sum, networks should develop affiliate relations initiatives that consider:
• How the initiative will help operators promote local campaigns and/or corporate priorities. (Will the campaign
help promote literacy in the operator’s local community?)
• Which, if any, new technologies integrate well into the campaign. (Is there a place for Video on Demand (VOD) in
this project?)
• What type of content can we offer operators that goes beyond simple text descriptions. (That is, can our
content/products be optimized for broadband?)
• Whether co-branding independent sites or providing content directly to operators makes more sense. (Is this
project big enough to stand on its own, or is it one piece of a larger puzzle?)
These survey responses do not offer answers to every potential question or problem a programmer might face when
developing affiliate relationship ideas. However, they do present programmers with clear direction for adapting the
designs of their public affairs campaigns to appeal to operator priorities.
Methodology
Topics Education and CTPAA developed a 13-question online survey hosted by Zoomerang.com for CTPAA members.
The survey included 12 closed-ended multiple-choice questions designed to produce tables and/or graphs to show
response frequency. One open-ended question was included, seeking examples of recent public affairs initiatives.
The survey was active from June 2, 2004 through June 30, 2004. CTPAA and Topics Education were clearly identified
as the sponsors of the study. In order to make people aware of the study, CTPAA ran two separate calls for
participation in its bi-weekly e-newsletter, which included a link to the survey. Additionally, Topics Education sent two
separate emails with survey links requesting participation to the CTPAA membership list, and Cable in the Classroom
sent one email to its distribution list as well. To garner as much feedback as possible, participants were able to enter
a drawing to win an iPod Mini by providing a valid email address. One person won the giveaway.
In total, 86 people provided at least partial feedback to the survey, approximately 25% of
the roughly 350 individuals within the CTPAA membership employed by operators. Largely,
the respondents came from local operators representing the largest MSOs, including Comcast,
Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, and Cablevision. Smaller
MSOs were also represented, but in much smaller percentages.
>7
About Topics Education
Topics Education helps organizations understand, support, and
communicate with the education world. The company creates
customized education outreach initiatives that drive learning in
schools, homes, and communities, thereby reinforcing brand identity
and building goodwill for its clients. Topics Education offers a
complete range of services including public affairs strategy, project
architecture, curriculum development, creative services, marketing
and outreach, and evaluation and measurement.
About the Author
Josh Thomas is VP of
Research and Technologies
for Topics Education. Josh
joined the company in 1996
and has extensive experience
in content development,
technology integration and
project workflow.
Josh heads Topics Education’s
research division, which
provides practical, up-to-date
information on issues relevant
to the education industry.
If you have questions or
comments about this paper,
contact Josh at
[email protected].
About CTPAA
CTPAA is the only national, professional organization
specifically addressing the issues, needs, and interests of
the cable industry's public affairs professionals. Its mission is to
develop and promote public affairs excellence to help achieve
industry, corporate and social goals. A strong advocate of
the public affairs professional's participation in all aspects of
corporate decision-making processes, CTPAA works to enhance each
member's status and influence through skill building
and professional development.
Discover how organizations
like The Weather Channel,
SCI FI Channel, Court TV,
USA Network and BET are
turning to Topics Education
for their educational
outreach programs.
To learn more, visit us at
www.topicseducation.com,
or call us at 704 358 3198.
Topics Education
809 West Hill Street,
Suite C
Charlotte, NC 28208
PH 704 358 3198
FX 704 358 3199