EBSI > NPS

Introducing a new measure of an employer’s brand strength that is more inclusive than Net Promoter Score.

On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?

If this question looks familiar, then you’re probably already familiar with Net Promoter Score® (NPS)1. For 20 years, it has been a bellwether metric for quantifying customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. With one easy-to-answer question, organizations of all sizes have been able to calculate the health of their customer engagement with a remarkably simple formula:

(Brand Promoters (scores of 9-10) − Brand Detractors (scores of 0-6)) ÷ Sample Size × 100

While the NPS formula is highly valuable in distilling customer sentiment down to a single number, the strategy team at Aloysius Butler and Clark (AB&C) felt we could develop a more robust measure of brand loyalty, especially in terms of recruiting and retaining talent. We put our 50-plus years of experience with qualitative branding research to use to develop a more complete measure of an employer’s brand strength, one that includes audience satisfaction, perception of employer reputation and NPS. It’s a calculation we call Employer Brand Strength Index™ (EBSI).

While it has the ease of use and simplicity of the traditional NPS, our proprietary EBSI measurement tool brings in more metrics that are tailored to individual organizations and their specific industries. Our measurement includes perceptions of current employees as well as external audiences, allowing us to benchmark external assessments of employer brands against internal reflections of employment experiences. Organizations are able to include their NPS and employment reputation into a measure that allows them to monitor the success of what is being promoted in the market.

And with the introduction of factor weights measured with a five-point Likert scale (see table below), we can refine the EBSI to help calculate overall employer brand health.

The EBSI can be used as a reliable predictor of employer brand strength and employee engagement. The inclusion of the EBSI in a recruiter’s toolbox provides talent acquisition and talent engagement teams a comprehensive additional key performance metric. The EBSI is a benchmark measure that should be reviewed over time to adjust operational practices and recruitment marketing messages to continually improve an organization’s employment brand to attract prospective employees and enhance employee loyalty.


  1. In 2003, Fred Reichheld, a partner at Bain & Company, Inc. created the NPS metric.
August 7, 2023

Actions Building Community: Volunteering the AB&C Way

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” These words from Arthur Ashe—a tennis legend who helped eliminate barriers for Black athletes in the U.S.—continue to inspire millions of people in their pursuit of a variety of goals and missions. Among these groups is the team at AB&C, who this spring took our commitment to giving back to our communities another notch higher. Year-round, AB&Cers engage in individual volunteer activities, and the agency as a whole offers opportunities to support local causes through events such as community walks, donations drives and more. But as a marketing communications agency that is always focused on innovating stronger strategies, we decided in May 2023 that it was time to apply “strategy” to elevate our impact on our neighbors and neighborhoods. We put our heads together, and Actions Building Community days were born.

AB&C facilitated opportunities for our team members to volunteer together and engage in causes that many of us didn’t realize needed our help. During Actions Building Community days, we supported four organizations that do great and critical work, and at the same time we learned more about each other, had fun and made meaningful connections with other volunteers that strengthened our resolve to keep community service central to the AB&C way.

Starting where we are

To determine our 2023 Actions Building Community opportunities, we “started where we are”—that is, in the areas where we operate our business and where clusters of our team members reside. This year, those areas were Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Being able to make a difference where we work, live, play and raise our families was a strong motivator for our teams to get involved.

Using what we have

Ability to do physical work. Transportation. Knowledge of ways our local leadership works to create thriving communities. Passion for helping others. These are some of our top assets, so we knew we could make a difference. Even time—which, in our industry, isn’t always readily available on a weekday—was added to the mix. AB&C gave all volunteers paid time off (PTO) for our time. We also staggered volunteer dates and times so that team members were available at the office to cover the work needs for staff who were out volunteering.

Doing what we can

From May 8 to 19, more than 50 AB&Cers participated in Actions Building Community activities. Our team members enthusiastically rolled up their sleeves and did the work that needed to be done, supporting programs that help families in food deserts and others that close the gaps of educational and wellness disparities. We proudly supported:

For all of us who volunteered—as well as those who kept things moving at the office while we did—these days were incredibly rewarding and strengthened our appreciation for, and loyalty to, a company that cares about fulfilling a purpose beyond the “business of advertising.” More than 50 years ago, AB&C planted roots in Wilmington, and never strayed. Those strong roots have branched out even further to support the growth and prosperity of other communities in Delaware and beyond. We are grateful to have opportunities to engage with our neighbors, support wonderful causes and help make an impact.

A New Thread in the Metaverse

On July 5, Meta launched its Twitter competitor: Threads, an Instagram App. Appearing in the App Store a day ahead of the announced launch date, Threads attracted at least 10 million signups—including celebrities, brands and political figures—within seven hours of launch, according to Meta.Read full post...

June 29, 2023

Welcoming Our 2023 Summer Interns!

This year, AB&C wanted to experiment with a concept truer to the agency experience by creating a new social media intern team in addition to our traditional interns. By collaborating hands-on in a true team setting, interns get a fresh and exciting portrayal of what agency life is really like. Read full post...

May 18, 2023

Aloysius Butler & Clark Announces New Office in the Heart of Wilmington, at 600 N. King St.

Aggressive growth and new workplace model have paved the way for AB&C’s new location with open, modern office space.

WILMINGTON, Del. (May 18, 2023) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, recently transitioned from their previous Wilmington, Delaware headquarters at 819 N. Washington Street to a modern office on the third floor of Courthouse Square, located at 600 N. King Street. AB&C’s new Delaware home is nearly 10,000 square feet and integrates features that foster optimal connectivity and productivity in today’s hybrid work model and provides the flexibility needed to accommodate the agency’s continued growth.Read full post...

Greater Philadelphia Region Local Tourism Survey 2023

As the world slowly but surely starts to open up again, travel enthusiasts everywhere are itching to get out and explore their own backyard. Whether it’s a day trip to a nearby county or a weekend getaway to a city, the concept of being a “local tourist” has never been more appealing. In fact, according to a recent survey of 500 people living in the Philadelphia region, 77% of people said that “traveling with their family or a group” was the best thing about being a local tourist.1

Read full post...

Local Tourism 2023 Survey

AB&C recently conducted a survey of consumers in the five-county Philadelphia region, Southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware. The survey covered topics including upcoming local travel plans and preferences, anticipated day and overnight trips, key catalysts for deciding to visit new places, as well as preferred media for learning about destinations and attractions. Below is a preview of the survey that was shared at the Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Tourism Turning Point: Growing the Philadelphia Region’s Travel Market” seminar. (Note: A detailed analysis of survey results will follow in the weeks ahead).

View a preview of the report (PDF, 1MB)

March 6, 2023

Aloysius Butler & Clark Collaborates with Adventure Aquarium in “BIG” Membership Drive Marketing Campaign

Stand-out creative helps generate thousands of new memberships in January, blowing campaign goal “out of the water.”

WILMINGTON, DE (March 6, 2023) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, recently teamed up with Adventure Aquarium to help thousands of area families and individuals reap the benefits of membership at the Camden, NJ educational and entertainment attraction. AB&C put its award-winning creative talents to use to focus attention on, and create urgency for, a limited-time membership sale. At the end of the 25-day campaign, the marketing strategies and execution exceeded the Adventure Aquarium’s goal by more than 66%. All told, the campaign also exceeded the Aquarium’s anticipated revenue by more than 85%.

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December 21, 2022
September 27, 2022

Aloysius Butler & Clark Announces Leadership Changes, Including Retirement of CEO Tom McGivney

WILMINGTON, Del. (Sept. 21, 2022) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the largest independent full-service marketing communications agencies in the region, today announced that CEO Tom McGivney will be retiring on Sept. 30, 2022. In addition, AB&C is implementing several leadership changes to ensure a seamless transition after McGivney’s departure, as well as to support the projected short- and long-term growth of the agency.

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June 20, 2022
April 19, 2022

Aloysius Butler & Clark Acquires Mangos, Creating One of the Largest Full-Service Independent Marketing Communications Agencies in the Region

Agencies immediately demonstrate the creative power of their collaboration by leveraging the Cameo platform to spread the news.

WILMINGTON, Del. (April 20, 2022) — Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), a full-service marketing communications agency, today announced the acquisition of Mangos, an agency based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, best known for its strategic planning, branding and advertising. The acquisition will make AB&C one of the largest full-service independent marketing communications agencies in the Region. AB&C and Mangos, two of the longest-standing independent agencies in the Delaware Valley, are excited to unite under a single mission to apply elevated strategic and creative thinking to deliver on a commitment to produce exceptional results that exceed client expectations.Read full post...

Consumer Travel Survey Finds 78% of Individuals Likely to Travel in 2022

Research provides insights on attitudes and preferences for future travel.

More than three-quarters (78%) of travelers from Greater Philadelphia are very or somewhat likely to travel in 2022, with 69% stating they are likely to visit a regional destination within 250 miles of their home. This data comes from a travel survey of 200 consumers living within 80 miles of Philadelphia. AB&C conducted the survey in January 2022, using Pollfish, a national quantitative online survey platform.Read full post...

Is The Cautious Traveler a New Market Segment?

A couple months ago, I went to Phoenix on a business trip. While there, I went to several restaurants. At many of them, it seemed as if the pandemic didn’t exist. People were welcome without masks, often without the familiar request to wear a mask until you get to your table. Yet, in one restaurant we visited, guests were turned away if they couldn’t produce a vaccination card—even in a private area of the restaurant, as well as in outdoor seating.Read full post...

November 19, 2021

AB&C Wins Eleven Healthcare Awards

WILMINGTON, Del., March 26, 2020Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C), one of the region’s largest full-service marketing communications agencies, emerged as an 11-time winner at the 38th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards. The Healthcare Advertising Awards is the oldest, largest and most widely respected healthcare advertising awards competition.Read full post...