Strategic awards programme repositioning for professional membership body
Client: Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
Campaign: Planning Excellence Awards strategy, messaging and content transformation
Services: Strategic audit, competitor analysis, messaging framework development, content architecture, stakeholder engagement
Business challenge.
The Royal Town Planning Institute, the UK's leading body for planning professionals, needed to revitalise its Awards for Planning Excellence programme to increase participation and engagement across both regional and national awards. Despite the prestige of RTPI recognition, the awards faced common membership organisation challenges: declining entries, inconsistent regional engagement, and entry processes that inadvertently created barriers for time-pressed planning professionals.
The strategic challenge wasn't about promotional tactics, it was about fundamental positioning. How do you transform an institutional awards programme into a valued professional development opportunity that planning practitioners actively want to engage with? The awards needed to serve dual purposes: celebrating excellence while being accessible enough to encourage broad participation across the profession.
Regional coordinators struggled with inconsistent messaging and lacked ready-to-use content, creating fragmented communications that failed to build momentum. The entry process itself had evolved organically rather than being designed from the entrant's perspective, creating unnecessary friction.
Strategic approach
Strategic diagnostic phase:
Conducted comprehensive programme audit covering strategy, messaging, content and user experience across regional and national awards. Performed competitor analysis of comparable professional body awards to identify best practices and differentiation opportunities. The diagnostic work revealed that the programme had been designed from the institution's operational perspective rather than the entrant's experience.
Strategic repositioning:
Reframed awards messaging from institutional celebration to professional development opportunity - making clear the tangible value of entry and recognition
Developed user-centred content framework that reduced barriers to entry while maintaining award standards
Created unified messaging architecture that could flex across regional and national contexts while maintaining strategic coherence
Designed and updated entry support ecosystem (guides, webinars, resources) that positioned RTPI as an enabler of excellence rather than gatekeeper
Content architecture and delivery:
Developed comprehensive messaging and content framework providing strategic foundation for all award communications
Created adaptable social media content templates, enabling regional coordinators to maintain consistent quality without extensive time investment
Wrote website landing page strategy and copy optimised for conversion (entries) rather than information provision
Updated "How to Win Awards" guide and “Best Practice tips” document with practical, user-focused guidance
Designed and delivered webinar providing entry support and best practice sharing
Drafted email sequences and website articles supporting awareness and entry journey
Streamlined entry process documentation to reduce complexity and time investment required from entrants
Stakeholder enablement:
Worked directly with RTPI's marketing team to ensure content framework could be effectively deployed across decentralised structure, recognising that regional volunteers needed plug-and-play resources rather than complex communications toolkits.
Business outcomes
Programme performance:
Record number of high-quality entries received (261 entries, significant increase from 2022 baseline)
Improved quality of entries alongside increased volume, demonstrating that accessibility improvements didn't compromise standards
Positive feedback from entrants on improved clarity and reduced entry friction
Operational efficiency:
Social media framework significantly reduced coordinator workload while increasing posting frequency and consistency
Regional coordinators reported content was "far simpler" to deploy, directly addressing previous barrier to engagement
Increased social media engagement both nationally and regionally, building award visibility and professional community connection
Knowledge transfer and capability building:
"How to Win Awards" webinar attracted 44 attendees, providing direct entry support while positioning RTPI as development partner
Webinar moderation and presentation of best practice guidance reinforced quality while demystifying awards process
Resources created continue to support ongoing award cycles, providing sustainable improvement
Strategic positioning:
Transformed Planning Excellence Awards from institutional programme into valued professional development opportunity, strengthening RTPI's relationship with membership while celebrating planning profession excellence.