How do you keep a century-old institution meaningful to a generation that's stopped joining things altogether? Lee-Sean Huang, Chief Community Officer of AIGA, joins Ethan Decker to talk candidly about AIGA's membership decline, the tension between community patronage and pay-for-service value, and what it actually takes to serve everyone from the casual event-goer to the die-hard super-user. Along the way, they trade real-world examples from Dove, Tiffany, and Prada, wrestle with the "old but innovative" heritage-brand tightrope, and confront a truth a lot of legacy organizations avoid: plenty of people have simply never heard of you. Ideal for association leaders, community builders, and anyone managing a brand with more history than headlines.
Main Topics:
The decline of membership-based associations — and why AIGA isn't alone in feeling it
"Bowling Alone" and the broader erosion of civic and social participation in America
The tension between patronage-style value ("you're supporting the mission") and transactional ROI
The Banana Curve: why most organizations have tons of light users and vanishingly few heavy ones
Why you can't force light users into heavy users — and why that's not even the goal
Building an offer ladder — cheap entry points, mid-tier products, and premium experiences
Positioning a heritage brand as both credible and innovative, without leaning on nostalgia alone
The hidden problem underneath every other problem: awareness. A lot of your market has simply never heard of you.
Links to Additional Resources:
AIGA — aiga.org
AIGA on Instagram and LinkedIn — @AIGAdesign
The AIGA Design Podcast, hosted by Lee-Sean Huang
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam — referenced for the broader decline in group participation
appliedbrandscience.com — for more on brand science frameworks like the Banana Curve
If you're running a legacy brand or membership organization and wondering how to grow without losing what makes you trusted, this episode is a must-listen. Subscribe to Cover Brand for more, and visit appliedbrandscience.com to dig deeper into the science behind the strategy.
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