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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC22030 Full Gallop - Recycle CommercialREQUEST: CITY OF PALM DESERT COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement with the Lawrence Company for the development and production of a television commercial, and other recycling related materials and airtime to promote the City's recycling program(s). SUBMITTED BY: Frankie Riddle, Senior Management Analyst DATE: January 13, 2005 Recommendation: By Minute Motion, (1) authorize the Mayor to enter into an agreement with Lawrence Company of Santa Monica, California, in an amount not to exceed $132,040, for the development and production of a television commercial, a Recycle Grab Game (on CD), a coloring book, and other recycling related materials that are designed to promote the City's recycling program(s); (2) authorize the expenditure for airtime coverage of the commercial in an amount not to exceed $16,000; and (3) appropriate funds in the amount of $148,040 from Account No. 236-4195-454-3090. Executive Summary: Over the past several years, the City has been actively developing and implementing various recycling programs, e.g., residential, commercial, e-waste, household hazardous waste (HHW), and used oil programs and more recently construction and demolition (C&D), sharps, and school recycling programs. However, efforts to promote these programs and increase awareness of recycling and participation within the business, residential, and construction areas have fallen short of expectations. Therefore, this is an area that the City needs to focus on in the coming year(s). An educational campaign to promote these programs and to educate residents and businesses regarding the need to recycle has been developed. The City has created a recycling mascot, Recycling Binney (aka Binney), to give our efforts a name and face, similar to Smokey the Bear. The Lawrence Company will develop and produce television commercials starring Binney. The character developed was designed to be synonymous with Palm Desert, thus he is a desert tortoise. The City currently has in excess of $4.5 million in its Recycling Fund. This money must be used for recycling programs or education and promotion programs. The requested expenditure would not have a significant impact on the account, but would provide a needed program that is within guidelines for proposed uses related to recycling. The above costs include the design, production, and airtime of the commercial as well as the other items mentioned. The anticipated launch date for the educational campaign is March 2005. Discussion: Marketing Concept: Recycle Binney was introduced to the public in the December 2004 Brightside. His first "official" appearance was enclosed with the holiday card residents recently received for use during gift opening, encouraging people to recycle holiday wrappings. BINNEY, a desert tortoise, was created as the mascot for recycling for several reasons. The tortoise lends itself well to recycling in that it is indigenous to the City Council Staff Report January 13, 2005 desert and cares about its home; it has a long life span and therefore knows most trash hasn't decomposed in its lifetime; and it may be perceived as wise and hearty since it can survive extreme desert conditions. Additionally, he will become a known commodity, so that each time Binney is around, people will automatically be reminded to "Recycle". The right spokesperson for an educational campaign gets the attention of the target audience and makes a credible, lasting impression which is a key to success. Recycle Binney, an animated character, fits this need and has the ability to become a City icon. The target audience of our proposed recycling program is adults and adolescents. Kids are never too young to leam how and why to recycle, and as they become older, recycling becomes a healthy habit; while adults tend to need reminding of its importance and the television commercial provides that reminder. We have attached a copy of a sample storyboard, explaining in rough, the concept of how one commercial may unfold. The first commercial would introduce Recycle Binney and set the stage for Palm Desert's recycling campaign. The cost for the initial commercial, which includes the development and full articulation of a 3-D character, creative concept, copywriting, art direction, voice over talent, studio fees, and post -productive services is $74,790. Bids were received from three companies located outside the Coachella Valley, as no local company could provide the desired animated services. The three companies, all leaders in their industry, that submitted proposals included Kurtz and Friends, in Burbank; Calabash Animation, in Chicago; and the selected company, The Lawrence Company, in Santa Monica. The Lawrence Group was selected for their competitive, comprehensive bid that was the highest in quality and reasonable proximity. While a single television commercial would be an effective way to promote recycling, it also has limitations for effectiveness. The approximate shelf life of a single commercial would be up to four months, depending on its frequency. At this time we are requesting approval of just one commercial with the understanding that after this trial period, several more would be budgeted for and developed in the next fiscal year. Topics for those commercials could include household recycling, construction and demolition recycling, and recycling for businesses. The cost of the additional commercials would be less than the original, as there is an economy of scale in their creation and production. In addition to creative costs, there are costs associated with airing the commercial. In order to reach our target market, we are recommending local network stations, as well as some cable stations: ABC, CBS, NBC, and Timer Warner Cable. The recommendation would be approximately $4,000 a month for four months as a test program. The total airtime costs would be approximately $16,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. In addition to the airtime we purchase, Full Gallop Marketing will negotiate a significant amount of free Public Service Announcements (PSAs), as recycling messages can be perceived as PSAs. To make this a multi -faceted campaign and to broaden Recycle Binney's reach, we are also proposing a few additional elements, a coloring book for first and second graders, and a computerized Recycle Grab Game for a variety of ages, a mascot costume, and bus shelter posters to reinforce the message. The coloring book would be black and white, 15-page book. The cost of creating and printing the coloring books is approximately $15,000. The Recycle Grab Game would be on an interactive CD -Rom. The program would open with animated music followed by a prompt to enter the user's name and age level. On the following page, several household items are arranged against a desert background. Most items are recyclable, but several ),\ 'C /4>Vit bleffiNEW_Il 0 *Continued to such time as staff is ready to return with the recycling audit information and more details regarding how the commercial would generate the desired results. 4-0 (Ferguson ABSENT). CITY OF PALM DES COMMUNITY SERVI STAFF REPORT REQUEST: BY MINUTE MOTION: 1. AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT WITH FULL GALLOP MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF A TELEVISION COMMERCIAL PROMOTING RECYCLING OF THE CITY'S WASTE STREAM. 2. APPROPRIATE $100,000 FROM THE CITY'S RECYCLING FUND FOR THIS PROJECT. SUBMITTED BY: DATE: CONTENTS: CONTRACT NO. C22030 TMEETING DATE /0 ' 42t SC CONTINUED TO �� -- ("O%r/ai/7 ❑ PASSED TO 2ND READING Robert Kohn, Director of Special Programs October 23, 2003 1. Full Gallop Marketing Proposal Recommendation: By Minute Motion: 1. Authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement with Full Gallop Marketing for development and production of a recycling television commercial. 2. Appropriate $.100,000 from the City's Recycling fund for this project Executive Summary: Council requested that staff evaluate alternatives for improving the City's Recycling Program to increase and implement new programs, which in turn, will result in additional tonnage being diverted from landfills. To accomplish this task, staff developed an agreement for services from Waste Management, Inc., to implement various strategies that will involve businesses, residents, City of Palm Desert staff, and the franchise waste hauler. In addition, staff has researched and received proposals to develop, produce, and air television commercial(s) to further promote recycling by residents and businesses. Discussion: Funds collected from Waste Management ($8.25/ton) and deposited into the City's Recycling account/fund have not been expended to any significant degree. The fund now has approximately $3.2 million and has served more as an insurance policy than anything else. Staff has begun to develop and implement projects funded through the Recycling CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT August 28, 2003 Recycling Advertising CONTRACT NO. C22030 Fund. Commercial waste assessments, an increase in the number of brochure editions from one to four per year, concentrated efforts on home owners associations, and purchase of recycling containers for city parks are some of the planned activities for this year. The recycling fee was originally developed as a cushion in the event not enough money was collected for the closing of the Edom Hill Landfill and to potentially provide funding for development of alternative disposal sites. There were a number of other reasons for collection of the fee including household hazardous waste (HHVV) programs, MRF/Transfer Station development, A6939 programs, closure and Post Closure of Edom Hill and other capital and operational costs. Since the Edom Hill Landfill closure is fully funded and a new transfer facility is in the process of being constructed without direct City funding, it would seem appropriate for the City to consider other activities and programs identified in the development of the ($8.25/ton) fee. AB 939 covers every phase of solid waste management. Any project or program that results in improvements to the reuse, reduction, or recycling of the waste stream would be appropriately funded from the City's Recycling Fund. Most avenues to make improvements and expand recycling efforts are being currently pursued. One opportunity to make a positive impact on the programs is to utilize promotional ads on television. It appears from the proposal provided by Full Gallop Marketing that a unique commercial ad can be developed and produced in 3D for approximately $60,000. Airtime on local network and cable stations is estimated to cost $3,000/month or $36,000 per year for an overall estimated total of $96,000. An appropriation of $100,000 for this project would be adequate. Submitted by: ROBERT KO N, Director, Special Programs Assistant City Mana er of Community Services Approval: CARLOS ORTE, City Manager L GIBS N, Finance Director SHEILA GIL IG PROPOSAL City of Palm Desert Recycling Television Campaign A L L 0 P CONTRACT NO. C22030 The City of Palm Desert requested a proposal for television commercial that will promote recycling among its residents as a way to fulfill the AB939 mandate. While a single television commercial would be an effective way to promote recycling it also has limitations for effectiveness. The shelf life of a single commercial would be approximately two months (depending upon its frequency) before people would tune it out, and a single commercial could only offer a broad -brush message and really not teach or impart much specific information. My proposal fulfills the request of creating a television commercial as well as to create an entire program that the City can utilize in a variety of ways and combine with other established events that take place in the City. THE TARGET AUDIENCE Adults and adolescents are the target market. Kids are never too young to learn how to recycle and as they become older they learn the importance of it. Adults, often the most lazy about recycling, need reminding of the importance of recycling. THE SPOKESPERSON A spokesperson is a very important decision; the right person who will get the attention of the target audience and make a credible, lasting impression. It needs to be someone who can grab the attention of people, sound credible to adults, yet not condescending to youngsters. For these reasons I propose an animated character. Kids will stop and listen and even respond to a cartoon character and, if the message is presented on their level, adults will listen also. An animated character, if developed properly, will allow the City to present subjects on recycling that will last and be able to be recycled with less likelihood of boredom. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 760/568-9744 PHONE 760/568-97E14 FAX 41-750 RANCHO LAS PALMAS DR. BUILDING D, SUITE NUMBER 3 RANCHO MIRAGE, CA 92270 FULLGALLOP@Q DC.RR.COM CONTRACT NO. C22030 Such a character has the ability to become a City icon as a mascot much the same way we have Smokey Bear, Woodsey Owl, and McGruff the Crime Dog, and make appearances at the Golf Cart Parade, SpringFest, and other City events. Teachers can have the character attend their class when they teach about recycling and offer handouts such as color books promoting recycling, lapel pins/stickers for accomplishments. The concept of an animated character also lends itself to development of other recycling subjects; sharps, e-waste, green waste, etc., with additional cartoon character friends that can be created. The possibilities are endless and ageless. The development of such a character and program is in the category of Smokey Bear, Woodsey Owl, and other icons that are memorable and give the public memorable messages. Such a program would put the City of Palm Desert in the spotlight for establishing a commitment to'recycling in a way that reaches all of its residents. INITIAL BUDGET I have received bids from three sources. Each of the companies presented bids ranging between $57,000 $60,000. The first commercial would establish the character and set the stage for the City of Palm Deserts Recycling Campaign with a clever tag line. The message would be a general recycling message. The initial investment would include character and supporting character design and animation, development of pencil tests through completed composites, concept, writing, art direction, post -production services, voice over talent and studio fees. Voice over talent rights (1 yr. or buyout). The major differences in the bids is the end product, that is a 2-d line animation vs. a 3-d fully articulated animation. Examples of all work will be presented. $60,000.00 Additional commercials would use the character and friends but would become specific in message to recycling programs such as motor oil, e- waste, sharps, green waste, bulky items, and perhaps even offer fun facts about waste. Because the initial investment established the main character subsequent commercials involve can be created at a slightly reduced rate, creating ascale of economy. Those costs would have to be estimated once the scope of work for the entire project is established. Savings ranging from 15 to 25%, and possibly more could be realized. Air -time on local network and cable'stations; ABC, NBC, CBS, Time Warner Cable $3,000.00 per mo. CONTRACT NO. C22030 FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS Live Character / Mascot Costume Lapel Pins / Stickers Brochures for Various Age Groups Coloring Books Additional Commercials for specific programs Bus Shelter Posters Graphic rendition of character for newsletter column or helpful hint reminder