The Association of Publishing Agencies (APA) is a not-for-profit

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 trade body that promotes the interests of companies involved in the production customer publishing.

Structure

The APA is based in London, UK

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and is run by Patrick Fuller, CEO, and Julia Hutchison, COO. It is situated just east of Kingsway

Kingsway (London)

Kingsway is a major road in central London in the United Kingdom, designated as part of the A4200. It runs from High Holborn, at its north end in the London Borough of Camden, and meets Aldwych in the south in the City of Westminster at Bush House. It was built in the 1900s...

(A4200) in Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields

Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...

, Holborn

Holborn

Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...

 in the London Borough of Camden

London Borough of Camden

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...

.

Customer publishing

Customer publishing, also known as ‘contract publishing’, refers to publications, websites or digital work produced by agencies on behalf of clients who are brand owners, including companies from sectors as far ranging as automotive, retail, and financial services to charity, public sector

Public sector

The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...

 and travel and leisure

Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...

. Customer publications and digital work have been shown to boost brand recognition and loyalty, in addition to helping sales uplift.

The two sectors which account for the biggest share in customer publishing are retailers and financial services, with almost 30 per cent of the market combined. The customer publishing market was estimated to be worth £904m in 2008 and is projected to reach £1bn in 2011.

APA ASK

APA ASK is the APA’s free client consultancy service which helps potential clients new to the customer publishing industry draw up a pitch list.

APA Planners

APA Planners are part of an initiative by the APA to improve communication with media agencies and lure more business to the industry. The initiative encompasses services for planners such as monthly briefings and seminars, a dedicated website and an extension of APA ASK.

APA Digital

APA Digital supports the membership’s digital growth and expertise. APA agencies work with brands to create customer relationships through digital content across a range of platforms and technical solutions.

APA Events

The APA organize a number of events throughout the year, all of which either promote the medium of customer publishing to clients or help their members do business in a more effective way. These events include an annual Marketing Directors conference, monthly Digital Breakfasts, regular Affiliate Member Seminars and the annual International Customer Publishing Awards.

The Digital Audit

In 2007, the APA commissioned the APA Digital Audit to provides an in-depth measurement of the role of digital within the customer publishing industry. An independent digital research agency conducted a digital audit of all members assessing their online credentials. The audit results showed an increasing appetite for digital content from customer publishers.

External links

• APA official website
• Custom Publishing Council - U.S. trade association
  Industry trade group
  A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
  
   of custom media providers.
• American Business Media, Custom Media Committee - U.S. trade association of business-to-business
  Business-to-business
  Business-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
  
  media companies providing custom media services.