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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Marketing Committee 01/18/2005APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2005 - 2:00 P.M. ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Rodriguez called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Emily Bird Norine Bowen Melinda Byrd — Vice Chairman Rick Darius Ric Mandelbaum Ray Rodriguez, Chair Staff/Others Present: Sheila Gilligan Kristy Kneiding Donna Gomez Piper Close Mike Osgood, Desert Willow Gary Sherwin, CVA Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary Member Absent: Michael Shimer III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Meeting of November 16, 2004. Motion made by Norine Bowen to approve the November 16, 2004, meeting minutes, seconded by Ric Mandelbaum. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 V. NEW BUSINESS A. SELECTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR Motion made by Chairman Rodriguez that Norine Bowen be appointed Chairwoman for 2005, seconded by Ric Mandelbaum. Motion carried unanimously Motion made by Chairwoman Bowen that Emily Bird be appointed Vice - Chair for 2005, seconded by Ric Mandelbaum. Motion carried unanimously. Sheila Gilligan complimented Ray Rodriguez for a job well done in 2004. B. CONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSAL FROM THE NATURAL SCIENCE COLLABORATIVE TO SPONSOR A DESERT NATURE FESTIVAL Kristy Kneiding introduced Joanna Stark, Project Director, of the Natural Science Collaborative. Ms. Stark gave a presentation that included all aspects of the Festival to be held April 8-10 at the California State University San Bernardino Palm Desert campus. Ms. Kneiding asked about the advertising campaign planned for the Festival. Ms. Stark said the advertising campaign would begin in the valley, and the Festival would be promoted outside of the area as well. She added that eco-tourism includes such a specific group of people that advertisement would be directed to those individuals also. Ms. Bird asked how much traffic the nature festivals attract. Ms. Stark said it usually depends on the type and location of the festival. Attendance can range from 500 to 200,000 people depending on whether the festival is specialized or general. She said the Desert Nature Festival has been designed to be more general in nature so as to attract individuals interested in all areas of eco-tourism. Mr. Mandelbaum asked Ms. Stark if she would be contacting the Desert Adventures or the Nature Walkers. Ms. Stark said they have encouraged those groups to participate and have received some positive responses. Mr. Rodriguez asked Ms. Stark what he would experience at the Festival. Ms. Stark said one would first choose a field trip or a lecture series, and after would probably share the experience with friends. The field trips and 2 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 lectures are specifically timed so that people can enjoy more than one activity. Donna Gomez asked Ms. Stark if she would work with the local visitor center regarding recommendations and/or reservations for hotels. Ms. Stark said she would. Ms. Gilligan asked about the Festival's budget. Ms. Stark said the budget is $93,000, which includes salaries for a staff of three, speaker's fees, transportation for out-of-state speakers, utilities, and security. The Committee expressed concern that nearly 50% of the budget was allocated for salaries. Ms. Gilligan asked if they have approached other cities. Ms. Stark responded that they came to the City of Palm Desert first because they wanted to find a city home and she was hopeful that Palm Desert would be amiable to that idea. Although they have started to seek sponsorship from other cities, she said the Festival would be held whether or not they raise the projected budget. Melinda Byrd asked Ms. Stark what advertising is going to be done locally for the event. Ms. Stark said they would utilize as much free advertising as possible. They have contacted the local media and have arranged a press conference for the first week of February. There was further discussion regarding the Festival's current and future plans in the areas of budget, advertisement, and location. Gary Sherwin offered the services of the CVA to Ms. Stark. Mr. Rodriguez asked Mr. Sherwin if he had any experience with a festival like this and if so, was it successful. Mr. Sherwin said he could not speak specifically to eco tourism festivals, but he has experience with festivals in general. From a tourism perspective the festivals that usually to work the best are truly unique and have some indigenous correlation to the community. This generally takes a long time to establish. In order to have any festival succeed it has to have a significant marketing budget and an aggressive outreach program. Ms. Stark said the Natural Science Collaborative has an extensive membership list of institutions that they will partner with for marketing purposes. 3 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 Ms. Bowen inquired as to whose marketing dollars would be spent on the individual institutions outreach program. Ms. Stark said the individual institutions would be using their own marketing dollars. She added that there is no fee for being a member of the Natural Science Collaborative. Therefore, the members are always willing and supportive when the Natural Science Collaborative needs help. Motion made by Mr. Rodriguez to approve staff's recommendation of $5,000 with the proviso that the committee could reconsider an elevated participation next year, based on results, seconded by Mr. Mandelbaum. Motion approved unanimously. C. CONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSAL FROM THE DESERT SUN TO SUPPORT THEIR NEW PUBLICATION 92260 Michelle Krans, Advertising Director for The Desert Sun, thanked the committee for the opportunity to present their new magazine "92260" to them. She gave background information regarding the development of the magazine and an overview of the demographics of Palm Desert. Debbie Clark, Custom Publishing Manager for The Desert Sun, addressed the committee. She said the one thing that excites her the most, outside of the editorials, is the graphics of the magazine. Mr. Clark presented a sample board that displayed the cover of the magazine, which will premier on March 18th. She explained in detail the distribution of the magazine. Kathy Strong, Editor of "92260" magazine, addressed the committee. She gave a brief bio on herself. She said Palm Desert is the center of culture, entertainment, education, and a happening place. They wanted to develop a magazine that would capture the essence of the people who live in Palm Desert, and they feel they have done that with "92260". Mr. Mandelbaum thought it sounded like a wonderful magazine. He asked Ms. Clark about polybagging. She responded that they will be address specific and delivered in the mail. He also inquired about the ad to edit ratio. Ms. Krans said they were shooting for 50/50. The first publication would be 100 pages, perfect bound, and the ratio will not go below 50/50. She said the plan is to have a content driven magazine. Mr. Rodriguez congratulated Ms. Krans, Ms. Clark, and Ms. Strong on their hard work. A discussion ensued about the viability of advertising in "92260" magazine. 4 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 Ms. Byrd asked if there was any interest in making "92260" a monthly magazine. Ms. Krans said the goal was to do just that. Mr. Rodriguez shared his concerns about the relationship between the press and a municipality. He apologized because, he would not hold another organization to that high of a standard but felt he believed the standard was there for a reason. Mr. Sherwin responded to Mr. Rodriguez's concerns. The CVA does not receive any more favorable coverage from The Desert Sun because of their contract with them. It is a separate operating unit and their people have a lot of integrity. If the Marketing Committee decides to pursue this, in his view, knowing something about The Desert Sun, there would not be an adverse impact to the City of Palm Desert. Ms. Gilligan said the difference between this presentation and the one we had a year ago, was that last fall we were being asked as a City to make a $100,000 contribution. She felt this presentation was seeking our support of it as a community magazine. Advertising in it would not be much different than what we do with Palm Springs Life. Ms. Gilligan felt Executive Management would support the inaugural edition. She felt that this was a different request than last's years and mentioned that staff's recommendation is for approval. Mr. Sherwin asked if this was a custom publishing project that allows Palm Desert some editorial control. Ms. Krans responded that they would welcome input and encourage story ideas, but this publication is independent and the City does not have control. Motion made by Mr. Rodriguez to approve staff's recommendation to advertise and add "92260" magazine to the City's media plan, seconded by Mr. Mandelbaum. Motion approved unanimously. D. RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) AS SUBMITTED BY STAFF TO SECURE AN ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Ms. Kneiding gave a brief history and presentation regarding this item to the committee. Ms. Gilligan added that bringing the marketing in-house has saved the City about $100,000 to $200,000 per year, including Ms. Kneiding's position and Full Gallop Marketing's retainer. The City has been able to put that money back into the Marketing budget. 5 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 Mr. Mandelbaum noted that he has experienced both the advertising agency and in-house marketing with the City. He said the in-house marketing is 100% better than the advertising agency, but not only in dollars. The quality of the advertising is so much better than it has ever been before. Motion made by Mr. Mandelbaum to recommend extending Full Gallop Marketing Communications contract for one more year, seconded by Mr. Rodriguez. Motion approved unanimously. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. CRITIQUE OF 2005 ROSE PARADE Ms. Kneiding asked for comments from the committee regarding the 2005 Rose Parade. Ms. Gilligan gave an overview of the comments she received from some City Council members. She wanted feedback from the committee on whether they felt it was a good investment of advertising dollars. Mr. Sherwin gave some history about the conception of the rose parade float, and its current status. Ms. Kneiding agreed that the float should definitely reflect the Valley and build the brand. She also felt it was a great opportunity to get an amazing amount of exposure for the area. Mr. Rodriguez felt everyone would like to see a great float. Mr. Mandelbaum suggested that each city have a liaison work with the float builder. He thought the involvement of meeting planners was a great idea and the exposure on that one day was good, but if it becomes an annual event that would be even better. Ms. Bird said it was a good event. However, she would not be comfortable donating another $20,000 next year. She could support the idea if other cities got involved with the project. Mr. Sherwin asked the committee if they were positively inclined towards pursuing this project. Ms. Byrd said if it were better organized she would be supportive. Ms. Kneiding agreed. Mr. Rodriguez added that a proper message would need to be addressed as well. 6 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 VII. REPORTS AND REMARKS Ms. Kneiding announced the creation of Recycle Binney, the desert tortoise that will be used to educate the community about recycling. She elaborated on all of the aspects of the recycling program. A. Chair Mr. Rodriguez congratulated staff on the creation of Recycle Binney. Ms. Bowen was pleased with Palm Springs Film Festival's use of the Palm Desert logo in its advertising. B. Committee Members Ms. Byrd announced that she has resigned her position as Marketing Manager at The Gardens on El Paseo to be a stay at home mom. She has also resigned her position as a member of the Palm Desert Marketing Committee. She expressed her sadness about leaving and said she enjoyed working with everyone, and it had been very educational. C. Staff 1. Table top book Ms. Gomez said the Visitor Information Center received copies of the book on November 24th. Since that time, about 350 books have been sold. The percentages are 60% hard cover and 40% soft cover. They are now considering having the book available at other venues. Ms. Kneiding announced that the Randall Henderson Trail Dedication is being held on February 5, 2005, at the Santa Rosa San Jacinto Mountain National Monument Visitor Center at 1:00 p.m. A reception and guided tours will follow the dedication. VIII. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Visitors Information Center Activity Report 2. Dateline — December 2004 7 APPROVED MINUTES MARKETING COMMITTEE JANUARY 18, 2005 IX. ADJOURNMENT Chairwoman Bowen adjourned the meeting at 4:00 p.m. Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary 8