ACFO has appointed a new members’ services organisation to aid further expansion of the leading UK representative body for fleet decision-makers.

Oxford-based communications agency JJ Marketing has been awarded a five-year contract to take on the role from April 2013.

JJ Marketing won a competitive tender to provide a wide range of members’ services and benefits and will also introduce a series of new initiatives designed to further increase membership.

Additionally, JJ Marketing will also be responsible for redesigning and providing new functionality on the ACFO website and managing the annual ACFO Awards, which in recent years has expanded to become a major industry event attended by 250 people.

ACFO chairman Julie Jenner said: “We have appointed a company that specialises in marketing and we believe has the knowledge and expertise to further aid the positioning of ACFO as an organisation that can deliver a wide range of benefits to everyone in the public, private and voluntary sectors that has fleet responsibility.

“Irrespective of job title anyone who has either full-time or part-time responsibility for corporate travel can benefit from ACFO membership.”

Among initiatives that ACFO wants to pursue - and which will be managed by JJ Marketing - are monthly webinars that will disseminate a wide range of latest information relating to the organisation’s business notably in relation to its work with a number of Government departments, including HM Revenue and Customs, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Department for Transport.
ACFO also wants to expand its programme of seminars held on key issues and run along similar lines to this year’s successful Olympic 2012 event that related to ensuring organisations’ transport operated efficiently during the Games and which was attended by more than 120 people.

Jenner said: “JJ Marketing’s expertise will also be responsible for the creation of an efficient customer relationship management programme. With comprehensive data about the members, what they are doing and what their key interests and concerns are we can make ACFO even more relevant and that, we believe, will also trigger further growth.”

JJ Marketing takes over responsibility for providing member services from Fleet Audits.

In 1988 Fleet Audits, a fleet consultancy owned by Stewart Whyte, started to provide a secretariat service on a voluntary basis to the expanding ACFO membership and that continued on a contractual footing for more than 20 years. Fleet Audits will continue to provide services until April next year.

Jenner said: “Stewart and his colleagues at Fleet Audits have done a superb job for more than two decades to promote ACFO and provide a wide-range of services. However, we now believe that the time for change is right.

“JJ Marketing will, we believe, bring a new approach and fresh thinking that will enable ACFO’s further development and result in membership growth.”

More articles on: