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CITY OF VANCOUVER
POLICY REPORT
OTHER
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Date:
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June 11, 2004
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Author:
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Catherine Clement
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Phone No.:
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604-873-7270
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RTS No.:
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04122
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CC File No.:
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1161
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Meeting Date:
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July 8, 2004
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TO:
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Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
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FROM:
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City Clerk
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SUBJECT:
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City of Vancouver Advertising Policy
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RECOMMENDATION
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
On May 28, 1957 Council passed the following City policy on advertising
(Policy Number AG-010-07):
1. The responsibility for placement of all advertisements for any department is vested in the City Clerk.
2. Information emanating from City Hall shall be clearly identified as such, including a notice of this fact at the head of any newspaper column paid for by the City.
3. The use of City streets for the purpose of advertising is not permitted except with approval from Council.
4. Any advertising for the purpose of publicizing the City as a tourist and convention centre shall be done through the Greater Vancouver Tourist Association, and any advertising from an industrial point of view shall be done through the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Industrial Development Commission.
5. Taking space in special or commemorative issues of publications is prohibited.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to:
· advise Council of a consultation process conducted on the City of Vancouver's written policies and criteria that govern advertising
· present to Council draft language for an updated advertising policy
· advise Council of the budget implications of an updated advertising policy.
BACKGROUND
The City of Vancouver's Communications Division was first established in June 1993.
An October 1995 report to Council set out a comprehensive strategy for the new Division. This report is on the web site at www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/951109/csb1.htm
On January 1, 1995 the City established an in-house advertising agency. Since that time, the City's ad volume has grown significantly. Presently, Corporate Communications places approximately 1,000 individual insertions of print ads annually. The Division also produces and places radio ads, writes and designs four-page newspaper inserts that provide greater detail on a policy issue, and produces the occasional TV public service announcement.
City expenditures on communications and newspaper advertising have increased over the last five years:
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General
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CoV newspaper ad s**
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1999
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$620,411
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$466,000
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2000
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$630,178
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$503,000
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2001
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$819,318
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$530,000
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2002
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$871,601
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$462,000
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2003
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$1,024,262
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$532,000
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* general communication expenditures, including Park Board, VPL, VPD and VFRS.
** City newspaper advertising only. Does not include Park Board, VPL, VPD and VFRS.
Since it was first established, the Corporate Communications Division has been committed to public access and to diversity communications. The Division was a motivating force behind the Diversity Communications Project - an extensive, year-long consultation process that involved City staff and members of the community.
The Division was also a key partner in the Public Involvement Review (PIR) process.
On January 27, 2004, at a Regular Meeting of Council, Council requested the City Manager to report "outlining the policy staff uses to determine how and when advertising purchases are made and how publishers can seek clarification if they have concerns about how the policy has been applied in specific cases."
At its meeting of March 9, 2004, City Council referred a March 1 staff report to a future Standing Committee meeting in order to hear delegations.
Staff presented their report on City Advertising Policy to Council's Standing Committee on Planning and Environment on March 25, 2004. (This report is on the web site at www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20040325/pe5.htm)
At that meeting, Council adopted the following motions:
THAT Council receive Administrative Report City of Vancouver Advertising Policy, dated March 1, 2004, for INFORMATION; and
FURTHER THAT staff report back on strategies and budgeting implications to include media outlets relating to the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans-gendered and other diverse communities in the City's advertising policy.
EXISTING COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING PRACTICES AT CITY OF VANCOUVER
When a department asks for help from the Corporate Communications Division,
the Division brings to bear all the skills and resources of an effective communications office.
Each project is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In discussion with the department, the issues at hand and the objectives to be achieved are identified. The Division sets realistic communication goals, identifies the challenges, establishes the target audience(s), and the communication vehicles to reach those audiences.
Whether the campaign is educational, promotional, for information only, or to support a major public consultation process by encouraging involvement, Corporate Communications develops an appropriate communications strategy to suit the project budget (the budget has often been set before the department consults with Corporate Communications).
The Division also offers a variety of editorial and creative services. As part of a comprehensive strategy, a combination of the following tools may be recommended (all tools can be produced in-house):
· news release or media advisory
· broadcast e-mail
· feature story in CityNews - a newsletter sent to taxpayers twice a year
· feature story in CityLink - the staff newsletter published three times a year
· mention in CITYweek - a weekly calendar of events
· dedicated website or pages
· poster campaign on bus shelters, in community centres, and libraries
· brochures and pamphlets
· newspaper inserts
· print advertising
· radio advertising
· special or community event
· feature story on GVTV - a half-hour TV show produced for Shaw Cable 4
· larger projects may have workers dedicated to community outreach, or multilingual phone line operator support.
This report necessarily focuses on print advertising. For though the City is increasing its use of electronic media (especially radio) -- and the criteria used for determining a media buy are similar -- the City's use of print advertising far exceeds that of any other advertising media.
PRINT ADVERTISING CRITERIA
There are dozens of publications in Vancouver. Each has a unique focus, editorial style and readership. They range in size from large, high-circulation dailies like the Vancouver Sun, to small, niche publications like The Creek (local paper for False Creek area).
Due to present budget constraints, it is not possible for the City to buy advertising space in every publication produced in Vancouver. Nor is that a prudent financial strategy. A choice must be made in which publications to place advertising. These choices are made on a case-by-case basis by the Corporate Communications Division, in consultation with the department initiating the project. The Division takes advice from the department on which communities should be reached for their project. Where necessary, advice is also sought from the City's multicultural planners on which audiences to target for a particular project.
The following criteria -- in order of priority -- are used to decide where advertising is placed:
Target audience
In determining target audience, Corporate Communications considers whether the issue is city-wide, at the neighbourhood level, or involves/affects a diverse community. As well as numbers, the Division also considers the needs of a particular community (whether or not that community has difficulty accessing civic information, etc). Finally, the Division considers whether the issue is simply informational or is soliciting public involvement or input.
The answers to these questions will influence which publications and communication vehicles are recommended to a department.
The City advertises in publications that are distributed in Vancouver. For example, while the Vancouver Sun is a large-circulation paper, many of its readers live outside city boundaries. It is not optimal to pay a premium rate to advertise one of the City's public meetings to the residents of Burnaby or Dawson Creek.
The Diversity Communications Project found that most City residents get local news from community and multicultural newspapers. So, where an event or an audience has a multicultural or diversity component, the City will choose a high-circulation newspaper that serves that particular community.
Where the audience for various publications overlap (for example, in the Downtown, or in the West End), the City chooses the most cost-effective option.
Budget
The department's advertising budget for a particular project will determine where and how often advertisements are placed. Some departments have very small budgets for advertising their event. In this case, the City seeks the most cost-effective way to reach an audience, which often means limiting ad distribution to one or two higher-circulation community papers only.
Deadlines
Advertisements are primarily placed in weekly and daily papers, as their deadlines can more easily accommodate the needs of departments. Publications that publish once or twice a month pose more difficulties in scheduling advertisements that are time-sensitive. Also, on many occasions, Corporate Communications is provided short notice of an ad request, thus necessitating quick turn-around and rapid placement, which is often better accommodated by weeklies and dailies.
Circulation
Advertisements are preferably placed in publications that have audited circulation numbers. Third-party auditing of a newspaper's circulation provides independent verification of its distribution. "Readership" is not considered a valid assessment of a newspaper's reach, as readership, or "pass-on" rate, is difficult to verify.
Statutory requirements
Some advertisements have strict requirements according to the Vancouver Charter as to where and when they must be placed. Advertisements for Public Hearing rezonings, for example, must be placed in two consecutive issues of a daily newspaper, 7-14 days before the hearing (Vancouver Charter 566 (3)). This limits which publications the City can use. There are also specific Vancouver Charter requirements for election advertising, and legal notices and meeting advertisements for the Board of Variance.
Journalism standards
The City does not advertise in publications where the editorial slant is perceived by general societal standards to be racist, prejudiced against minority groups, offensive, denigrating individuals, sexist, homophobic, ageist, or promoting hatred.
Proven record
Advertisements are placed in publications that have a proven "track record" in a very competitive market. Corporate Communications reviews back issues, a publication's circulation figures, distribution, and journalistic style, in advance of putting them on a "consideration list". Where necessary, the Division will seek advice from the City's Multicultural Planners on a particular publication's reputation in the community.
Non-informative ads ("Vanity" ads)
The City refrains from placing non-informative or "vanity" advertising. These types of advertisements typically comprise a "Greetings from...." or "Congratulations from ..." message. The City avoids placing vanity ads because they do not educate or inform our citizens, and therefore are not an effective use of resources.
Special or Commemorative issues
The policy passed by City Council in 1957 prohibits the City from "taking space in special or commemorative issues of publications" (policy number AG-010-07).
There may, from time to time, be exceptions to these criteria.
CONSULTATION ON COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING PRACTICES
The City has made great strides in reaching out to diverse communities in the past decade. In late 1993, Corporate Communications co-sponsored a year-long consultation process between City staff, the general public, and Council's Special Advisory Committee on Cultural Communities (the predecessor of today's Special Advisory Committee on Diversity Issues).
This consultation was called the Diversity Communications Project. It was a comprehensive process and formed the base upon which a long-range communication strategy for the City was built.
In 1995, City Council adopted a Communication Strategy for the City. This document incorporated many of the findings of the Diversity Communications Project, including ideas behind the present-day criteria for placement of advertising. The report, including the major findings of the Diversity Communications Project, is on the City's website at: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/951109/csb1.htm
Recent consultation
Staff consulted again with Council's Special Advisory Committee on Diversity Issues on May 5, 2004 regarding our advertising policy, criteria, and the appropriate publications through which to reach diverse communities.
The feedback received from the Committee was positive and encouraging. Committee members pointed out that print advertising is only one type of communication, and often not the best way to reach certain communities.
The Committee recommended that the City explore other methods to reach these audiences -- using targeted radio or poster campaigns, for example.
Corporate Communications also contacted a number of advocates within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered (GLBT) community for their comments. One of these was Donna Wilson, Executive Director of The Centre -- a Community Centre Serving and Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual People and Their Allies.
Here are some of Wilson's comments:
It appears that the City is already making significant efforts to communicate with the LGTB communities. I commend the City on efforts to date and the desire to expand potential means.
Outlooks [a locally-distributed national publication] is definitely read by the community. It likely has a different readership than Xtra West. I highly recommend using this publication.
Other community newspapers such as the Courier would be another route. The reality is that LGTB people live and work in every community so all community newspapers would reach members of the community. ...
Corporate Communications staff also consulted with one of the City's Multicultural Planners, and the operators of our four multilingual information phone lines, to get their recommendations about our advertising policy and practices.
(See Appendix A for the detailed results of this consultation.)
DRAFT AMENDMENT TO EXISTING POLICY
The City's written policy on advertising has not kept pace with the day-to-day practices of the division. Thus, it is appropriate that a policy update be considered.
After the consultation as described, the following is now recommended:
· existing criteria for City advertising continue to be used
· 1957 policy language be updated and re-ordered to reflect current practices
· an additional policy be added to recognize the importance of reaching out to diverse communities.
· an additional policy be added to encourage City Departments to consult with Corporate Communications about their advertising needs in advance of setting budgets for their project.
To update the 1957 policy, staff propose the following revised advertising policy
(revisions are in bold). For original policy language, refer to "COUNCIL POLICY" section on pages 1-2 of this report):
1. The responsibility for placement of all advertisements for any department is vested in the Corporate Communications Division.
2. Advertising and communications from the City of Vancouver shall be clearly identified as such.
3. The use of City streets for the purpose of advertising is not permitted except with approval from Council, as referenced by the Street and Traffic Bylaw sections 81-84.
4. The Corporate Communications Division will continue to use the following criteria to decide where advertisements are placed: community affected (target audience); budget; deadlines; circulation; statutory requirements; journalism standards; and proven record. The City places advertising that provides information for the direct benefit or uses of the public for City projects, programs and services.
5. The Corporate Communications Division will consider diverse communities in decisions regarding City communications and outreach that concern requests for public involvement. These will include groups such as ethno-cultural, aboriginal, and gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-gendered communities, people with disabilities, and faith-based organizations that serve targeted communities.
6. Any advertising for the purpose of publicizing the City as a tourist destination and convention centre shall be done through Tourism Vancouver. Any advertising promoting economic development shall be done through the Vancouver Economic Development Commission.
7. Taking space in special or commemorative issues of publications is prohibited.
8. In advance of setting budgets for their project/program/campaign, City Departments should consult with the Corporate Communications Division about the communication resources required to undertake effective outreach.
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
Informing citizens about city services, programs and public consultations/policy discussions is a priority for the City of Vancouver. The Corporate Communications Division plays a lead role in working with all city departments to help communicate Council policy, and to help engage the public in government decision making. One of the key ways that we inform residents is through various forms of advertising.
The City of Vancouver spent approximately $532,000 in newspaper advertising in 2003. About half of these advertisements were intended to encourage public involvement. The costs for this advertising are paid by individual departments, whose projects and budgets have been determined by Council. (The Corporate Communications Division has no advertising budget of its own.)
The City's Corporate Communications Division will continue to advise departments on the best type of communication to reach the target audience for a particular project.
If part of that communication takes the form of print advertising, the Division would also advise on which newspapers can most cost-effectively reach the target audience. Thus, we recommend the following:
Use existing criteria for advertising, with new policy language
Corporate Communications already has a process to target diverse communities with its advertising. We expect -- with a policy that clearly states the goal of reaching diverse communities, with feedback from recent consultation, and if departments are required to consult with Corporate Communications to develop an outreach strategy before going to Council (items 4 and 7 in the draft revised policy) -- this could increase advertising expenditures.
The exact cost is difficult to ascertain, as it depends on the type, numbers and complexity of projects in any given year. Also, not all of the increase would be in print advertising. Some may be incurred through use of other media such as radio ads, posters, and web use.
It is anticipated that additional expenditures in the range of 10-20 per cent (or $50,000-$100,000 per year) would be incurred, however funding at this point is not being requested. Instead, Departments would identify their advertising needs separately to Council when obtaining project approval.
CONCLUSION
Revising the policy language around advertising would bring City of Vancouver policy in line with the existing practices of the Corporate Communications Division.
However, the revised advertising policy will not prevent publishers and sales representatives from soliciting more of the City's business. Nor will it prevent publishers from calling the Corporate Communications Division, or approaching members of City Council, and insisting that a particular ad should have been placed with their publication. Staff in Corporate Communications are approached on a weekly basis by sales representatives from Lower Mainland newspapers. This will continue.
Where communication takes the form of print advertising, City staff will still have to make case-by-case judgments and will still have to consider the three main criteria -- target audience, budget of the project, and deadlines -- when considering which publications to use for advertising a particular project. Updated language on advertising policy and use of existing criteria will help in these considerations.
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APPENDIX A -- PUBLICATIONS USED BY THE CITY OF VANCOUVER
Below is a list of papers in which the City has placed ads over the last five years.
The list also includes recommended additions from recent consultations with Council's Advisory Committee on Diversity Issues, various GLBT advocates, one of the City's Multicultural Planners, and the operators of our four multilingual information phone lines.
To reach ethno-cultural communities
South Asian
The City places ads most often with two papers:
For larger public involvement processes (such as elections), the City has also placed ads in:
The City has been advised that this list is appropriate.
Spanish
The City occasionally places ads with El Contacto Directo.
For elections, The City has also placed with:
The City has been advised that Milenio and El Spanglish would also be useful.
Chinese
The City typically places ads with three daily papers:
The City has also placed with Chinatown News.
Vietnamese
The City has occasionally placed ads with Thoi Su.
The City has been advised to include the following additional papers:
For other ethno-cultural groups, the City has also occasionally placed ads with:
To reach aboriginal communities:
The City has used First Nations Drum
To reach gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-gendered communities:
The City has used XtraWest and Georgia Straight
The City has been advised to include the Vancouver Courier (already in use), as well as the following additional small papers or newsletters:
· Outlooks
· GALE BC (Gay and Lesbian Educators of BC)
· Prime Timers
· Gazebo Connection
· The Centre
· Gayway
We have also been advised to include Co-op Radio as part of outreach to the GLBT community (especially The Lesbian Show and Fruit Salad)
To reach faith-based communities:
The City has not sought to reach this audience in the past (though we have placed with Jewish Western Bulletin on occasion)
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