HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO 01-19--c~ljj of--p] (KER 1 NG From: Subject: Tony Prevedel Chief Administrative Officer City of Pickering Magazine -File: A 1000-006 Recommendation: Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CAO 01-19 Date: January 7, 2019 1. That Council approve, in principal, the creation of a new City of Pickering magazine, intended to be delivered to all Pickering households; 2. That Council approve, in principal, to sole-source the project management of the magazine to Graymatter Marketing Solutions; and 3. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: Over the past term of office, Corporate Communications has successfully implemented a number of meaningful and effective communications initiatives to better inform and engage with residents, businesses and stakeholders with respect to the positive and progressive work that Mayor, Council, and staff are doing. Understanding that there is no 'one size fits all' approach, a robust integrated communications mix utilizes a number of vehicles in order to effectively disseminate information and key messaging across a broad spectrum. As such, Corporate Communications would like to introduce a bold and exciting new way to tell the story of Pickering as it unfolds. As Pickering is on the cusp of greatness, and invested in a number of transformational projects, staff recommend creating a special edition, professionally published, high quality, 36-page magazine to capture and convey all of the excitement. A polished, professional, and thoughtfully laid out magazine offers a unique sensory experience, and evokes a strong emotional response and connection with the reader. In terms of perception, a magazine is deemed more valuable than other print periodicals. In addition, it has a comparatively longer shelf life, as well as a greater pass-along rate than newsletters or newspapers. As this is unfamiliar territory for the City, staff have engaged with Graymatter Marketing Solutions (Graymatter) to better understand all that is involved in producing a magazine of this caliber. Graymatter is a Pickering-based firm that has decades of experience in marketing, communications, and magazine production. As such, staff .recommend that Graymatter be
CAO 01-19 Subject: City of Pickering Magazine January 7, 2019 Page 2 retained as the project manager to oversee branding, creative design, editorial, advertisement sales, production, and distribution. Ultimately, the goal would be to produce 40,000 copies of this inaugural magazine. Financial Implications: The total budget for the project is set at $57,500. Printing and mailing out 40,000 magazines will be the 2 largest expenses. Printing is budgeted at $25,000, and the mail out to 33,000 homes is estimated to be $20,000. The remaining $12,500 will go towards Graymatter's consulting and project management. Based on market conditions, and some preliminary feedback from potential advertisers, it is estimated that a Pickering magazine could potentially generate $50,000 in advertising revenues, which would almost offset the costs of the entire project. According to these estimates, it brings the real costs down to 18.75 cents per magazine, which is an incredible value in producing a magazine of this caliber and having it delivered to each household in Pickering. Discussion: Content The 36-page magazine will be printed at 8.5 x 11 with a 1 0Olb gloss cover, 801b silk internal pages -giving it a very polished and professional look and feel. In true magazine fashion, it will feature advertisements from a number of organizations and companies who will be carefully vetted to ensure their business objectives appropriately align with the City's brand and vision. Advertisements will be designed at either half-page, full-page, and/or an advertorial layout, thoughtfully positioned to complement the organic content, wherever possible. Staff will not permit business card sized advertisements to avoid cluttering the magazine. In addition to revenue generation, having advertisements is important to give the magazine an authentic look. Readers are used to seeing magazine advertisements. If the City forgoes advertising, the magazine will look more like a glossy newsletter, which will have an entirely different effect on the reader. City staff who manage a marketing budget for their various department programs, facilities, events or services will get priority ad buying should they choose to redirect a portion of their monies from their traditional options to explore a return on investment from this new opportunity. Corporate Communications will work closely with Graymatter to ensure the City's brand will continue to be positioned in a clear, attractive, and easily recognizable manner to its residents, businesses, and stakeholders.
CAO 01-19 Subject: City of Pickering Magazine January 7, 2019 Page 3 It should be noted that Mayor and Council will each be given space to promote their picture, as well as their key messages. Each Member of Council will have opportunity to provide editorial input as to how they want their section to be formatted, whether it will be a biography, interview/discussion, Q&A, short story, or fun fact feature. Distribution The total magazine run will be 40,000 copies. Approximately 33,000 copies will be mailed directly to all Pickering households. The remaining 7,000 copies will be distributed in City facilities, select offices and establishments, and to the personal networks of Mayor, Council, and senior staff. Graymatter Marketing Solutions Experience Graymatter is a Pickering-based company that has over 25 years of experience in the publishing world -working with companies and organizations such as Avon Canada, Kraft Canada, VRA Canaqa and Emergency Nurses Association. Graymatter creates and publishes custom magazines and periodicals such as Durham Region's MOVE magazine, Ontario's Navigate Magazine, and materials for various GTA law firms. Every publication is backed by Graymatter's branding and identity development process. This ensures that the Graymatter team delivers every client, whether an individual or business, a strong and recognizable brand. Communications The City consistently strives to strengthen its communications and outreach to create a more connected, engaged, and sustainable city. This approach has proven to be successful as reflected by the most recent election results. Now, more than ever, Pickering residents are informed, and they are engaged. And engaged residents are happy residents. As such, they have resoundingly endorsed all of the innovative and leading work that Mayor, Council, and staff have been doing over this past term of office. Corporate Communications would like to build upon that momentum by introducing this attractive and professional-quality magazine, and delivering it to every single Pickering home for maximum reach. Not only will the magazine increase access to information, and promote the programs, events, and projects that are shaping our community, it will do so in a vibrant and visceral manner. The final product will be something that Mayor, Council, staff, and all residents can be proud of. If the reception is positive with readers, stakeholders, and advertisers, Corporate Communications can look to make the magazine an annual and/or bi-annual publication.
Subject: City of Pickering Magazine Prepared By: (~ Mark Guinto Manager, Public Affairs & Corporate Communications TP:mg Recommended for the consideration of PickericPJ Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer January 7, 2019 Page 4