Full Membership

Full members have access to all APA resources and the opportunity to input at all levels into APA's initiatives, decisions and activities; including APA ASK. To ensure that APA membership represents a 'stamp of approval' that clients can trust, there are certain criteria that must be met before full membership is granted.

Benefits

One voting seat on APA's council and the opportunity to join working parties, project groups and Principals' Forum. All full members are asked to nominate a principal and secondary contact.

  • Free access to APA research
  • Access to Effectivenss Measurement Programme at generous discounts
  • Free Mintel annual Report on customer publishing
  • Eligible to enter APA Customer Magazine Awards (Effectiveness and Creative)
  • Double page entry in Annual Customer Publishing Guide
  • Inclusion in APA's online member directory (full page entry, link to members' own website, full list of publications, agency culture)
  • Access to member-only section of APA website
  • Networking
  • Profile at APA events
  • PR & press relations
  • Reduced delegate rates at APA events
  • Use of APA logo
  • Access to PPA resources

Criteria

To be eligible for membership, any company should provide answers to the following questions to the satisfaction of APA's membership committee:

  • Can you demonstrate your commitment to customer publishing industry?
    e.g. Are you a specialist customer publishing company, or the separate customer publishing division of a media owner or agency group?
  • Is the principal activity of your company to produce publishing solutions that meet a client's marketing objectives, for a fee?
  • Are you a member of PPA?
    It is a condition of membership that all APA members must first be members of PPA.
  • Can you demonstrate the probity of your business, and that you are financially secure and efficiently run?
    e.g. Can you supply one year's audited accounts if an independent company or separate business unit, or demonstrable support from a parent company?
  • Do you have the experience to produce high quality customer publications that will achieve a client's objectives?
    e.g. Do you have an existing portfolio of customer publishing clients, has the company been in existence long enough to have a demonstrable track record?
  • Do you have the resources to support your company's proposition and service your clients properly?
    e.g. Do you offer a least four of the following services: editorial, design, advertising sales, production, distribution?
  • Do you agree to abide by APA's Code of Practice?

Cost

Annual subscriptions are based on a member's turnover from customer publishing activities.

One-off joining fee for new members £2,000+VAT

Turnover £20 million + £15,000+VAT
Turnover £15 million- £19.9 million £12,500+VAT
Turnover £10 million- £14.9 million £10,00+VAT
Turnover £5 million- £9.99 million £7,500+VAT
Turnover £1 million-£4.99 million £4,500+VAT
Turnover £0-£999,000 £1,500+VAT

* please note all fees are subject to 3% inflation

APA's financial year runs from 1 July-30 June. Annual subscriptions are invoiced in July: any member joining part-way through a financial year will be invoiced a pro rata subscription fee.

Membership is granted at the discretion of APA's membership committee, and subject to ratification by full Council. Any company whose membership application is turned down by the membership committee has the right of appeal to full Council.