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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Marketing Committee - December 21, 2010PALM DESERT PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE APPROVED MINUTES Tuesday, December 21, 2010 — 2 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Michael Shimer called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Michael Shimer Kimberly Bowers Marlane Wolf Theresa Maggio Staff /Others Present: Robert Spiegel, Councilmember William Kroonen, Councilmember Members Absent: Sara O'Flynn, Chair Emily Bird-Hrivnak, Vice Chair Stephanie Loog CITY COT JNCILACTION A1111IMVED DENIED RECEIVED --I(' 0TIIER. Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development flR# Sc DATE Donna Gomez, Visitor Center Manager AYES:Fi)ei,f 4, 1416a-l— David Hermann, Management Analyst NOES:,�<,J _ Robin McCormick, Recording Secretary ABSENT: _4L)A, e ABSTAIN: III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS VERIFIED BY:a�` Original on File with City Clerk's Office None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF NOVEMBER 16, 2010. Marlane Wolf moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the November 16, 2010, meeting. Motion was seconded by Theresa Maggio and carried 3-0. Michael Shimer abstained because he was absent at the November 16 meeting. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE DECEMBER 21, 2010 A. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT WITH DESTINATION CONNECTION TELEVISION (DCTV) Ruth Ann Moore explained that DCTV is in 25 valley hotels and timeshare resorts with running entertainment of what is available locally. This advertising also promotes the shopping and dining locations in the Coachella Valley. For the past two years, the City has had a 60-second spot running within the 40-minute loop. DCTV has submitted a contract for renewal at $3,500, which is the same price as last year. Some additional money will be needed to update the Palm Desert spot, such as the new location of the Visitor Center, with a few new slides and new voiceover. Upon question, Ms. Moore responded that Palm Desert is the only city that has chosen to be highlighted on DCTV. She will also review the Desert Willow portion to see if that needs to be updated due to the renovation. Kimberly Bowers stated that the spot reinforces the message that Palm Desert is putting out. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to renew the twelve month contract with Destination Connection Television (DCTV) for $3,500. Motion was seconded by Ms. Wolf and carried 4-0. B. PROPOSED ADVERTISING BUY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FISCAL YEAR Ms. Moore reminded the Committee that advertising for both the Visitor Center and out of market has been put on hold. As a result of the meeting last month with local hoteliers, the Committee got a sense of what the marketing program should look like and heard of other ways of advertising out of market. The original marketing budget was $205,000 with the remainder for the year at $151,343. The proposed budget from JNS Advertising outlines a plan for the balance of the year. JNS Advertising has additional benefits at no charge due to their ability to purchase in bulk for many clients. Based upon the suggestions from the meeting with hoteliers, certain cities will be targeted with magazine ads and by sponsoring radio drive time traffic and weather. The magazine ads will be tested and analyzed from their own websites. Another addition is advertising for the new location of the Visitor Center in the Desert Visitor's Guide for April, May and June. Ads in Southern California during "June gloom" have also been added. 2 APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE DECEMBER 21, 2010 Eliminated are ads in California Road Trips Guide and Sunset magazines. The ads were relatively expensive and offered no way of tracking their effectiveness. Ms. Wolf commented that the plan makes a lot of sense and radio is good to try. Ms. Bowers agreed and asked if there could be some added value or giveaways with radio. At this point, Councilman William Kroonen was welcomed to the meeting. Ms. Moore responded to the question by saying that she and Donna Gomez have been considering some possible giveaways for people who check out Palm Desert on Facebook. Ms. Gomez reported that she has been working with Off Madison Ave. on a promotion to give away a desert jeep tour. Ms. Wolf added that the giveaway promotion could be tied to an event. Councilman Spiegel updated Mr. Kroonen on the results from the meeting with hoteliers last month. Ms. Moore stated that if the marketing contract is approved by Council, the radio campaign can begin at the end of January, but print ads will not start until March. Discussion ensued regarding the cost and benefits for various print ads. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, that the contract with JNS Advertising be recommended for Council approval for the remainder of the fiscal year in the amount of $151,343. Motion was seconded by Marlane Wolf and carried 4-0. Mr. Spiegel requested that if Council approves the contract, Ms. Moore inform the hoteliers of what is being done, and request feedback regarding the effectiveness for them. Ms. Moore replied that at the same time she could request incentives from them. C. SPONSORSHIP PROPOSAL FOR 2011 PALM SPRINGS DESERT RESORTS RESTAURANT WEEK Ms. Moore recounted last year's program in which 83 restaurants participated, serving 40,000 meals in a 10-day period. Palm Desert sponsored the program at the $2,500 level. Mr. Shimer asked if the promotion included lunch and described his restaurant's participation last year. Ms. Moore will inquire. Theresa Maggio moved, by Minute Motion, to approve Palm Desert's sponsorship for Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week at the $2,500 level. Motion was seconded by Kimberly Bowers and carried 4-0. M APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE DECEMBER 21, 2010 VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS A. City Council Mr. Spiegel reported that the Palm Desert Chamber will be having an expo in Westfield Mall food court called "Shop Local" sometime in March. Mr. Kroonen mentioned that businesses seem to be doing well even in the rain. He thanked the Committee for doing a great job in assisting the Council. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chair Mr. Shimer said the foot traffic on El Paseo is way up. Tommy Bahama's has a new company president that is making major changes. B. Committee Members Ms. Maggio reported that six houses are currently in escrow with thirty-one houses sold this year, and membership is up. Bighorn had a very busy November and broke all kinds of records. Members are spending more and more time here. The Bighorn Behind a Miracle (BAM) cancer fundraising event and accompanying events on December 4th were very successful. Another fundraising event for BAM will be the BAM Breast Cancer Walk for Life inside the Westfield Mall on January 16th. Ms. Bowers mentioned the Wild Lights currently going on, but attendance has been down. The Mousetrap Invitational Golf Tournament benefitting the Living Desert will be held at Ironwood Country Club on January 31St. The second annual Brew at the Zoo will be held on February 26t , and they are anticipating 1,500 attendees. B. Staff Ms. Moore reported the opening of Buffalo Wild Wings and Panera restaurants. A new restaurant called Sense will be opening in the former Omri location on Highway 111. Westfield Mall is in lease negotiations with M APPROVED MINUTES PALM DESERT MARKETING COMMITTEE DECEMBER 21, 2010 two major tenants, and the Marie Callender's restaurant will be closing. The Rock and Roll Marathon concept has been approved by Council. Ms. Moore gave an update on the plans so far. An update on Fashion Week will be given next month. David Hermann stated that the 2011 City calendar is now available at various locations in Palm Desert because they will not be mailed out. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. Visitor Center Report Ms. Gomez reported that the new Visitor Center on El Paseo has been up and operational since Friday, December 10t". Wayfinding signs should be changed in the next few weeks. Visitor Center staff will be walking the street and informing store personnel regarding the new location and the services offered. Everyone is invited to attend the open house on January 261" from 5-7 p.m. The RFP for online marketing services is available. Proposals will be due January 10t" The Visitor Center activity report will start to reflect some adjustments due to the transition to the new location. The Dine Out Palm Desert promotion was a success, with 40 participating restaurants. Based on feedback from the owners, they were happy with the results and offered a few suggestions. $15,000 was spent on radio, print and website advertising, and printing of the coupons. The Committee discussed if the event should be held again. Based upon the comments, Ms. Gomez said this event will be included in the next fiscal year budget. XII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence the meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m. ti Pre ared by Jane S nley 9