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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarketing Cmte - 07/20/2010 � � � PALM DESERT PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, July 20, 2010 — 2 p.m. Administrative Gonference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Sara O'Flynn called the meeting to order at 2 p.m. IL ROLL CALL CITY COUNCILACTION Members Present: ANY�tOVED _-1)l�.h'IF.D Sara O'Flynn, Chair REC�IVED e��� � OTHI:R � Emily Bird-Hrivnak, Vice Chair � Kimberly Bowers MEI:TING llATE �" � ����� _ Stephanie Loog AYES: 7� c-r1 P usc}�1 v���e�1 ' ��. c� �� � Theresa Maggio NOES: /����� Michael Shimer ABSENT: ����- Marlane Wolf AI3STAIN: ' '�� � VF,RIFIED BY• `� �� Staff/Others Present: Original on File with City C�crk's Of'fice Justin McCarthy, Assistant City Manager Kristy Kneiding, Marketing Manger Donna Gomez, Visitor Center Manager David Hermann, Management Analyst Lori Wimbish, Recording Secretary Jim Doyle, Palm Springs Life Michael Matthews, Palm Springs Life Peggy Cravens, Virginia Waring Piano Competition, President Gerald Benston, M.D., Virg�nia Waring Piano Competition, First Vice President III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JUNE '15 AND JUNE 29, 2010. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the June 15 and June 29, 2010, meetings as amended. Motion was seconded by Emily Bird- Hrivnak and carried unanimously. APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. REQUEST FOR SPONSORSHIP FOR SANTA ROSA AND SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS NATIONAL MONUMENT 10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Michael Matthews, Marketing Director for Palm Springs Life, distributed sponsorship packets to the Committee for its review. Mr. Matthews stated that the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument was the very first monument inaugurated by Congressional Order. Ansel Adams began photographing the Mountains many years ago; a hobby that has evolved through the years by many different photographers. Palm Springs Life engaged a local photographer, Tom Brewster, to take photographs for this project. Mr. Brewster has taken countless photographs over the past nine months. Mr. Matthews said Palm Springs Life partnered with the Friends of the Desert Mountains to help them celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The proposed sponsorship level is the $1 Q,000 "Friend Sponsor," which includes the City of Palm Desert logo on all promotional displays including brochures, posters, invitations, etc. They will produce over 200 posters announcing the celebration and 500 posters announcing a "kick-off' event. In addition, a half-page ad will run in the September issue of the "Living Edition" that would reach over 3.2 million people in print alone. They were also going to have 2 to 12 pages of photography in every issue of Palm Springs Life for the next 12 months. The celebration, which will last an entire year, will be promoted in the magazine and online. Upon question from Kristy Kneiding, Mr. Matthews responded that the half-page advertisement would be Palm Desert's creative with the Palm Desert logo. He suggested that the ad could salute the monument and its 10t" anniversary. In addition to the half-page ad there will be a sponsorship recognition page in the magazine. Logos will not be placed on any of the photography. A press release will be sent out announcing all of the sponsors involved in the celebration of the Monument. Mr. Matthews suggested that the September/October kick-off celebration could be held at the Palm Desert Visitor Center. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Donna Gomez stated that the Visitor Center would not be in its new location; however, the existing Visitor Center would be fully operational in September/October, and could easily hast the kick-off celebration event. Kimberly Bowers stated that would be an excellent opportunity to announce the new location of the Palm Desert Visitor Center. Mr. Matthews continued to describe the events that would take place throughout the year. Upon inquiry from Sara O'Flynn, Mr. Matthews stated that they currently have meetings scheduled with the other Valley cities, but have not yet secured any sponsorships. Upon inquiry from Stephanie Loog, Mr. Matthews responded that the campaign will begin in the September issue, the beginning of the 10tn anniversary. He stated that the September issue is produced in a hardbound copy that gets placed in many hotel rooms throughout the Valley. Because the celebration will last for one year, many visitors who stay in hotels wi�l see that they have an opportunity to enjoy the celebration. He added that the deadline for ad placement for this sponsorship would be this week— July 23, 2010. A discussion was held regarding the FY 2010/11, $7,000 budgeted for ad placement in the September issue of Palm Springs Life magazine. The advertisement offered through the sponsorship of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains Monument 10t" Anniversary celebration would be a separate expense. Upon inquiry from Ms. Bird-Hrivnak, Mr. Matthews responded that there may not be one sponsor for each level unless someone requests category exclusivity. Upon inquiry from Ms. Bowers, Ms. Kneiding responded that if the Committee recommended funding this sponsorship in the amount of $10,000, the funds would need to be appropriated. Staff recommended sponsoring this event for $5,000, which could be taken from the Special Events budget. This item will go to City Council for its approval. Ms. O'Flynn stated that the Committee needs to be mindful when looking at items not planned for in the FY 2Q10/11 budget. She said the photographs were outstanding and if this sponsarship request were being presented to the Committee earlier, she might consider it a little bit differently. Ms. Kneiding explained that the funds would be available from the Special Events budget vs. the Marketing budget, 3 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Upon inquiry from Ms. O'Flynn, Ms. Kneiding stated that she was comfortable with recommending $5,000 for this sponsorship. She said the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Moun#ains are in our backyard and are an important aspect of our city. A discussion was held regarding the kick-off celebration being at the Palm Desert Visitor Center at the $5,000 sponsorship level. Mr. Matthews said they would not be able to have the kick-off celebration at the Palm Desert Visitor Center at the $5,000 level. Ms. Bird-Hrivnak moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend staff's recommendation of a $5,000 sponsorship for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument 10t" Anniversary Celebration. Motion was seconded by Michael Shimer and carried 5-0; Marlane Wolf and Ms. Maggio had left the meeting at 3 p.m. B. PRESENTATION AND REQUEST FOR SPONSORSHIP OF THE VIRGINIA WARING INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION Peggy Cravens introduced herself and thanked the Committee for allowing the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition the opportunity to recognize the City of Palm Desert in many publications all over the world since 2005. Ms. Cravens believed that the Competition has made Palm Desert as well known as Palm Springs, and brings a cross section of people from all over the world to this very beautiful area. A number of documents were distributed to the Committee. Ms. Cravens recapped the information in the revenue document. She stated that the last two sponsorship amounts given by the City were less than the first amount and generated mare revenue. It was clear that the Competition was gaining great strengths, people were looking forward to it, and of course it continues to be placed in international and national magazines that cater to the piano world. They had an ad and insert in the January issue of Palm Springs Life. The City of Palm Desert is mentioned at all the competition events as well as in the printed program. Ms. Cravens stated they were very excited that the Senior Division winner in the Solo Division will win a sizable honorarium and will debut at Carnegie Weill Hall. Palm Desert wil! be publicized in that program as well. Ms. Cravens announced that Dr. Condoleezza Rice accepted to be the honoree at the Black and White Gala. Dr. Gerald Benston pointed out that non-hotel dollars spent in 2005, 2007 and 2009 were dollars spent by individuals involved with the Piano Competition. There were considerable amounts of money spent by the visitors, families and teachers. He emphasized that the upcoming 2011 4 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Competition includes Junior (ages 12 and under) and Intermediate (ages 13-17) categories, and competitors are always accompanied by family, parents, teachers and friends. Many stay at hotels and enjoy all the amenities Palm Desert has to offer. In 2005, the competition featured the International Chamber Ensemble with over 40 attendees from Rome. They bought thousands of dollars worth of inerchandise. The first cellist returned to Rome with gifts for his wife and young daughter purchased at Tiffany's, and they were all sporting polo shirts with the Italian and American flags on them. They discovered the mall and a beautiful street called EI Paseo. Needless to say, this is an important issue to point out as this competition brings a beautiful awareness of the City of Palm Desert to the world. He thanked the Committee for allawing him to appear before them and since "we" is a collective word, he personalized his comments by saying "I" respectfully request that you consider our grant sponsorship request in the amount of$25,000. Ms. O'Flynn complimented Ms. Cravens and Dr. Benston on the research that was done with regards to the return on the investment. As someone who has attended the Competition, she said it was a very beautiful and educational event that brings a great deal of culture to our community. With that she opened up the floor for comments and questions regarding the proposal. Ms. Cravens added that all publishing of printed materials were produced in Palm Desert. She said that Dr. Rice and her Executive Assistant would be seated at the City of Palm Desert table if so desired. There will be a special VIP reception for Dr. Rice at a very prestigious home in EI Dorado Country Club. The Council members will be invited to the reception. Upon inquiry by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Cravens responded that the gala is scheduled for February 20, 2Q11, to be held at the Rancho Las Palmas Hotel in Rancho Mirage, and the VIP reception is scheduled for February 19, 2011. The Competition begins at the end of March and the final concert at the McCallum is Sunday, April 3, 2011. Due to the attendance of Dr. Rice, she estimates having anywhere between 400 to 500 people at the event. Ms. Kneiding stated that the funds for this event were not included in the Community Events budget, so if the Committee recommends approval that would be noted on the staff report to City Council. Ms. Cravens added that because of the state of the economy they did not feel that it was appropriate to request the same amount that was given in 2009. They felt that $25,000 would be a better figure. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Upon inquiry from Ruth Ann Moore, Ann Greer, Executive Director of the Virginia Waring Piano Competition, responded that they work exclusively with Palm Desert hotels. Ms. O'Flynn moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend approval of the requested amount of $25,000, considering the amount of revenue realized by the City and the fact that they have taken the consideration to ask for a reduced sponsorship than what was requested in the past. Motion was seconded by Ms. Bowers and carried 5-0. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATI�N AND RECOMMENDATION REGARDING 2010 ! 2011 MEDIA PLAN Kristy Kneiding was asked to bring this item back to the Committee for further discussion and input. She stated that the questions from Council were specific to the Media Plan. Are the monies allocated for advertising in the Desert Guide and Palm Springs Life being spent wisely? Could the City create its own guide and distribute it at the Visitor Center? Upon inquiry by Ms. Wolf, Justin McCarthy said he sensed that the Council wanted a more focused plan. He recommended to the Committee that they could move the Media Plan forward and defer the items Council was concerned about. Upon inquiry by Michael Shimer, Ms. Kneiding responded that the Desert Guide portion is $13,600. With the inclusion of tourism advertising the total is $25,565. Ms. Bird-Hrivnak stated that the Committee's direction was to do more localized marketing to tourists that were already here. It did not make sense to shift away from Palm Springs Life when they have a distribution in the whole Valley and also outside of the area. She was curious about the change in the thought process of the Council members because it did not match what they previously discussed, Donna Gomez mentioned that the Visitor Center advertises in Travel Host, which is a local publication. The Visitor Center appears in the Desert Guide as well, and she believed it was a good value. From her point of view, directing people to the Visitor Center through local publications was working. 6 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Upon inquiry by Ms. Kneiding, Ms. Gomez said there were a lot of materials that the City produces, including the Dining Guide, which highlights just Palm Desert restaurants. The Vacation Guide lists all local attractions as well as local hotels. The Shopping Map highlights all of the shopping areas in the City. There are also individual advertisements for EI Paseo, Westfield, and The Gardens. As far as shopping, dining, and things to do, it is all very well covered. Ms. Maggio stated that in the past, Bighorn advertised in the Pacific Norkhwest, but in the past four years, more of their members and/or homeowners were coming from Southern California. She did not believe that advertising in the Palm Springs Airport was as important as before because most people are coming from the two hour drive market. She would like the City's marketing dollars to stay locally rather than looking outside the area. She was very confident with Ms. Kneiding's advice on advertising buys. Ms. Kneiding stated that the City was represented in the Northwest market through its co-ops with the CVA, Mr. Shimer suggested that a bounce back be placed on the ads in the Desert Guide, Travel Host, and Palm Springs Life, so that they could track the amount of people going to the Visitor Center based on those ads. Mr. McCarthy reported that in several forums the Council had some interaction with local businesses. He believed that dialogue between the Cornmittee members and Council's liaison to the Marketing Gommittee would help with coming to a concrete conclusion as to whether the path the Marketing Committee has chosen is the best path for advertising the City of Palm Desert. He was concerned about holding up the rest of the Media Plan for this discussion. He suggested that the Media Plan be approved with the deferment of the Desert Guide and Palm Springs Life placements. Ms. Kneiding said that recommendation could be entertained; however, it would mean missing September insertions with Palm Springs Life and the Desert Guide. September issues were critical, but it may not be worth holding up the entire plan. Ms. O'Flynn asked if there was a motion regarding moving ahead with the Media Plan with the exception of the two media placements, which can be deferred to September. Ms. Maggio stated that the September issues were placed in all of the hotels so she could not support that motion. She could support the motion only if they were able to keep the September buys for Palm Springs Life and the Desert Guide. 7 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Upon inquiry by Mr. Shimer, Michael Matthews responded that the deadline for the September issue was Friday, July 23�a Mr. Matthews, Palm Springs Life, addressed the Committee. He stated that everything that Palm Springs Life was doing, including the Desert Guide and Palm Springs Lrfe magazine, was available digitally. Everyone who accesses Palm Springs Life's website, which is 3.4 million people, has the opportunity to click on every page of the magazine. This was another exposure that they did not have in the past. Eighty percent of Palm Spring Life's internet viewers are outside of the Coachella Valley, reaching individuals in the Northwest, Midwest, etc. There are also 23,000 opt-in newsletter subscribers who receive information by e-blast, in addition to the magazine subscribers. He wanted the Committee to know about this information as it has only been in existence since January 2010. Mr. Shimer stated that the other option was to recommend what the Committee had previously recommended, and let the Council change it at will. Mr. Shimer moved, by Minute Motion, that the previous recommendation made by the Committee remain in place. Motion was seconded by Ms. Wolf and carried unanimously. Mr. McCarthy stated that the recommendation would be couched with the recommendation made by the Committee as well as an alternative from staff in terms of deferral and moving forward with the balance of the Media Plan. He hoped that there was not an objection and wanted to keep things moving forward. B. REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION AND RECOMMENDATION OF CREATIVE DESIGN SERVICES Ms. Kneiding said the Committee sat through the presentations, which she appreciated, and came out with a recommendation to move forward with the design of Scott Burch Design, but liked the testing of the messaging that Off Madison Ave. provided as part of their creative. When she went back to negotiate with Off Madison Ave., they explained that they were willing to take three of the five campaigns and test those three for audience appeal. The Committee had discussed the merits of both companies' campaigns so she felt it was important to bring the creative back to the Committee, as the previous recommendation was not negotiable. Upon inquiry from Ms. Wolf, Ms. Kneiding clarified that Off Madison Ave. was not able to test the creative from Scott Burch Design. 8 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Ms. Kneiding stated that Scott Burch Design would cost $5,500 and Off Madison Ave. was $15,000. A discussion ensued regarding the issue of testing. Ms. Kneiding added that whatever she takes forward to the Council will include the testing information. The Council will see all three agencies' campaigns. Ms. O'Flynn stated that if the Committee makes the decision to go with Off Madison Ave. based on their ability to test its campaigns, then they would have to choose three of the five campaigns submitted. Ms. Wolf stated that the Committee has two choices. The Committee could choose the Scott Burch Design campaign and use a different form of testing. It would not be the same as Off Madison Ave., but the Committee still has that choice. A discussion was held regarding the tracking of ads. Ms. Bowers asked if Off Madison Ave. would be willing to do more testing, such as JNS was willing to do. Ms. Kneiding responded that they would. Upon inquiry by Ms. Bowers, Ms. Kneiding stated that she did not get testing prices from Scott Burch because the testing would be done by JNS. She said the Scott Burch Design campaign would cost $5,500. Off Madison Ave. was asking $25,000, but offered the campaigns and testing for $20,000. Ms. Wolf had thought the Committee liked the feel of Scott Burch's creative better than Off Madison Ave. Ms. Bird-Hrivnak stated that the Committee coufd not agree on any one campaign submitted by Off Madison Ave. She thought that was where the testing would be valuable and testing is where Off Madison Ave.'s talent really lies. With Scott Burch there is only one option. She questioned whether or not the Burch campaign would equate to driving the ROI into the area. Ms. Bowers asked if Off Madison Ave. was worth $15,000 more, because that is how much more it would cast. Although, Ms. Bird-Hrivnak made a good point that Committee members could not decide on one campaign submitted by Off Madison Ave., the testing of three campaigns could really provide the opporkunity to see what people were responding to. Ms. Loog stated that they also discussed supporting a local vendor. 9 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Ms. Maggio liked the look of Off Madison Ave.'s "Seasonai" campaign, but would someone really read the ad? Upon inquiry from Ms. Bird-Hrivnak, Ms. Kneiding stated that the "Plan to Be Spontaneous" campaign headline is going away, so there will need to be some online shifting, and the Vacation Guides will need to be revised. The changes would be subtle; not a complete redesign. The Committee discussed the translation of the campaigns to the website. Ms. O'Flynn stated that Off Madison Ave.'s cost includes testing of their campaigns, whereas Scott Burch Design's cost does not. She was concerned with giving away the local relationship and/or investment with not choosing Scott Burch Design. In light of what needs to be accomplished, she was comfortable making a recommendation that the Committee go with Off Madison Ave. She believed that they needed to go with what was going to work as far as testing and getting the best results for the money. Ms. Kneiding added that she has enlisted Scott Burch Design's assistance in designing some other collateral pieces. He knows the Palm Desert look and feel so she will be using him for event advertising. Ms. O'Flynn stated that was good to know because he is local and he brought a lot of enthusiasm with his campaign Ms. Bird-Hrivnak moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend Off Madison Ave. for the creative and testing of that creative. Motion was seconded by Ms. O'Flynn. Motion was not carried. Ms. Loog really liked the whole concept of the Scott Burch Design campaign. She thought it was very different. She felt that Off Madison Ave.'s submittals were dated. She has always been a big proponent of keeping everything local. She said it sends a message to our residents, merchants, and vendors that they really do care about people who are local. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that the two were so close, she would choose Scott Burch Design. Upon comment from Ms. O'Flynn, Ms. Laog said she liked that Ms. Kneiding was going to be using Scott Burch Design in other areas of marketing for Palm Desert. Ms. Maggio felt strongly about using local vendors as well. However, she has witnessed the incredible testing that has taken place over the past four to five years, which is why she believes that �ff Madison Ave. was the best choice. 10 APPROVED MINUTES � PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Upon inquiry from Ms. Bowers, Ms. Kneiding responded that 25% of the budget is spent on online advertising; 25% is co-op advertising; 25% is print; and the remaining 25% is electronic. Off Madison Ave. will be testing 50% of the media online and print buying budget. Upon inquiry from Ms. Wolf, Ms. Kneiding responded that there will not be focus groups; it would be online testing conducted in the City's targeted demographics areas. Those online ads will rotate and response will be monitored. Ms. Bird-Hrivnak moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend Off Madison Ave. for their creative and testing abilities. Motion was seconded by Ms. Bowers and carried 6- 1. Ms. Wolf voted no. After much discussion, the Committee requested that Ms. Kneiding ask Off Madison Ave. to test four campaigns. Ms. Kneiding stated that she would ask Off Madison Ave. to do that. She would leave the decision to Off Madison Ave. to select which campaigns they thought were the strongest. Ms. O'Flynn moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend that staff make a request of Off Madison Ave. to test four campaigns for$20,000. If they choose to test only three then those three will be chosen by Off Madison Ave. Motion was seconded by Ms. Wolf and carried unanimously. (This item was considered first on the agenda.) IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS A. City Council None X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Ms O'Flynn reported that Anthropologie will be opening early and Teavana would be opening soon as well. Everything at EI Paseo Village is on schedule for opening September 1, 2Q10. B. Committee Members Mr. Shimer reported that EI Paseo Putt Putt was this Thursday evening and encouraged everyone to join in on the fun. Ms. Bird-Hrivnak reported that everything was good at the Marriott. 11 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE JULY 20, 2010 Ms. Bowers reported that Zoo Camp is in fult swing. It has been great this year. The educational staff continues to amaze her with their passion for educating the children. Ms. Bowers stated that the Children's Discovery Center is going to open in early November. The building was finished and they were beginning to move in the exhibits. They have a unique event that they are launching with the opening called "Zoo Fest" on November 11 t". They anticipate a wonderful event. B. Staff Ms. Kneiding reported that Lee Morcus has resigned from the Marketing Cornmittee. She said there were a couple of individuals interested in joining the Committee. Ms. Kneiding reported that Ruth Ann Moore organized meetings with the top 25 retailers in May and with the general managers and sales managers from the hotels in June. Ms. Kneiding attended the June meeting and stated that it was very productive. She announced that Terence Sullivan, Director of Sales & Marketing, Palm Desert Embassy Suites, has joined the meeting today to observe the Marketing Committee. Ms. Moore reported that there will be a staff meeting to go over all of the information and comments gathered from those two meetings. Their goal was to formulate some new and additional co-op opportunities with the City's retailers and hoteliers. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Center Report Ms. Gomez reported that the Visitor Center ended this fiscal year with sales up 4% and visitor numbers up 17%. XII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence the meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. a ; � � �� � ���/'�`�l l.� Lori imbish, Recording Se�retary 12