NASA, White House, & PeTA Lead Government, Non Profit & Industry Trade Groups in Social Media, Online Strategy

First-of-its-Kind Study Ranks the Digital IQ(R) of 100 Public Sector Organizations

NASA, the White House and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) outpace other public sector organizations when it comes to social media savvy and online strategy, according to the first annual Digital IQ Index(R) for the Public Sector. Authored by dean of The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), Doug Guthrie, NYU Stern Professor Scott Galloway and a team of experts from L2, the index measures and ranks public sector organizations’ Digital IQs across four dimensions: effectiveness of an organization’s site, digital marketing, social media and mobile platforms. The index found that while digital participation was nearly widespread across the 100 public sector organizations studied, most organizations are still taking an old media approach. The categories created for the organizations analyzed are: independent agencies, executive branch, advocacy organizations, armed forces, political parties, industry associations and multilateral organizations.

“Social media and other online strategies are critical tools that public sector organizations use to encourage transparency, engage constituents and serve the public in an era of cost cutting” Link to Study: http://www.l2thinktank.com/publicsectordigitaliq/

“Social media and other online strategies are critical tools that public sector organizations use to encourage transparency, engage constituents and serve the public in an era of cost cutting,” said Dean Guthrie. “Our leaders and public sector organizations need to embrace these powerful new tools.” The following are the top 10 most social media savvy organizations ranked in the 2010 Digital IQ Index(R) Ranking:

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
2. The White House
3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
4. United States Army
5. Democratic National Committee (DNC)
6. World Wildlife Fund – U.S. (WWF)
7. Republican National Committee (RNC)
8. Nature Conservancy
9. American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
10. Department of State (DOS)

Key findings of the Digital IQ Index(R) include:

* NASA is the clear leader and is innovating on every platform. The 26 point IQ spread between NASA and the next organization is the largest seen in any L2 Digital IQ Index(R) to date.

* The Armed Forces category registered the highest Digital IQ at 117. Industry associations and multilateral organizations posted the lowest Digital IQs.

* Many government institutions, including the White House, are bypassing traditional media to get their message out.

* Social media is increasingly important to driving traffic to organization sites: 69 percent of organizations count Facebook among the top eight sources of referral traffic. Two organizations, People for the American Way and the American Farm Bureau Federation, receive more traffic from Facebook than any other source including Google.

* More than 80 percent of organizations are present on at least one social media platform, 63 percent host a blog and one in five have some presence on mobile platforms.

* 51 percent of the organizations measured were characterized as either “challenged” or “feeble” in the index.

* There is substantial low hanging fruit around basic digital marketing tactics. Only 18 percent of organizations are purchasing search terms, only 15 percent have mobile sites and nearly one in five organizations still do not allow e-mail opt-in.

“The advent of the social web has fundamentally changed our nation’s public sector organizations,” said Professor Galloway. “We’re likely to see a transfer in power and influence from organizations that are digitally inept to those who are digitally deft.”

On Thursday, Jan. 20, 2010, Dean Guthrie and Professor Galloway will host the Social Graph Clinic at GWSB to highlight findings from the Digital IQ Index. Please visit the following link for the registration and full agenda: http://l2socialgraphdc-DigitalIQPressRelease.eventbrite.com/.

The GWSB prepares students for professional management careers. The depth and variety of its academic and professional programs, including five specialized master’s programs, provide rich opportunities for students in the school’s core bachelor of business administration, master of business administration and doctoral programs. GW’s undergraduate- and graduate-level international business programs rank among the world’s best.

L2 is a think tank for digital innovation. L2 helps brands navigate the changing marketing landscape through events, research and advisory services. The capstone research offering, the Digital IQ Index(R), was created and developed by NYU Stern Professor Scott Galloway and measures and ranks a firm’s digital competence on metrics including site strength, digital marketing, social media and mobile. L2 has measured, the Digital IQ of firms in the luxury, beauty, automobile, pharmaceuticals and retail industries.

To speak with GW’s Dean Guthrie, please contact Caroline Broder at 202-994-0884; cbroder@gwu.edu or Jill Sankey at 202-994-6466; jpsankey@gwu.edu. To speak with L2’s Scott Galloway, please contact him at scott@stern.nyu.edu.