[ARCHIVE] Leveraging HTD Online for Member Acquisition

Driven by the pandemic, registrations for AAA’s online How to Drive course increased by 89% in 2020. Aside from helping novice drivers learn behind-the-wheel basics, the program is a positive introduction to AAA for the highly coveted 15 to 18-year-old demographic.

Studies have shown that – across the association – the majority of registrants are typically non-members. To capitalize on this valuable audience, AAA Club Alliance created a targeted acquisition campaign, adding more than 100 new members since April. Given that the How to Drive program is sold to teen families by club-owned driving schools, the Approved Driving School Network, and select independent driving schools, increasing sales of the program expands the pool of non-members for membership acquisition efforts.

To continue to fulfill both the mission of driver education and the opportunity for member acquisition, AAA completed development of an updated online course this year. Since the program is fully customized to meet state content and timing requirements, state-specific courses will launch following local approval. Club and teen focus groups provided feedback on the new content and design, with high praise for the instruction methodology and high-engagement student activities.