CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON

2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE

Prepared by the Communications Office December, 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PURPOSE

WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE

ADVERTISING POLICIES, PROCESS AND DEADLINES Policy Statements 2 Advertising Process 3 Advertising Deadlines 3

Print 3, Radio 3, Communications Office Contacts, 4

PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING Identifying Your Objectives and Goals 5 Developing Your Message 5 Making Media Decisions 6 Setting the Budget 7

Communication activities included in the consolidated advertising budget Communications activities not included in the consolidated advertising budget

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Advertising 8

Introduction 70 What is Communication? 70 The Communication Process 70 Key Factors in Good Communications 7 7

APPENDIX A COMMUNICATION PROCESS

APPENDIX B COMMUNICATION VEHICLES Publicity 72 Internet 74 Broadcast Advertising 75 Print Advertising 75 Out-of-Home Advertising 77

APPENDIX C ADV ERTlSl P Promotion Mix 78

G 4D Tt E M, R CETING MIX

Advertising 78, Sales Promotion 78, Public Relations 78, Personal Selling 20

APPENDIX D CORPORATE IDENTITY POLICY City of Kingston Applications 27 Request to Use Logo by Outside Agencies 22 City Logo as a Source of Revenue 22 Logo Printing Specifications 24

GLOSSARY

SOURCES

5

10

12

18

20

25

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PURPOSE- WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE - d

2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE With the consolidation of divisional advertising accounts, the City of Kingston has initiated a corporate approach to communicating news and information to our various audiences. This will help us improve the effectiveness of our messages, make more efficient use of our advertising dollars and reduce the amount of staff time devoted to corporate advertising.

PURPOSE The purpose of this guide is to: . set out the policies and procedures for the corporate consolidated advertising

program . provide guidelines on how you can effectively communicate your programs and services to your target audiences

9 define the role of the Communications Office in the corporate communication process clarify the definitions of communication, public relations and advertising for City of Kingston purposes

For the purposes of this guide, the Communications Office defines communication as the sharing of information on City of Kingston services and programs with our target audiences to establish a common understanding and elicit a desired outcome or action. Communication is achieved through a combination of public relations and advertising activities.

The Canadian Public Relations Society defines public relations as the management function which identifies public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. Tools used by the Communications Office to achieve public relations goals include news releases, public service announcements, brochures and special events. Advertising is the use of paid media by an organization to inform, persuade and remind about its products, services and programs.

WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE . Use this guide when there is something about your service or program you want to communicate to an audience. . This guide and the Communications Office will assist you in determining the best way to communicate your message by helping you define and understand your target audiences, developing a message they can understand and choosing appropriate communication vehicles to reach them. Use this guide to understand the process for placing a paid advertisement. As the Communications Office is responsible for the administration of the corporate advertising account, all advertisements will be placed by the

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PURPOSE- WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE 111

Communications Office. Exceptions to the consolidated advertising program are explained in Setting the Budgetsection on page 7 of this guide.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE POLICIES, PROCESS AND DEADLINES

ADVERTISING POLICIES, PROCESS AND DEADLINES Policy Statements The Communications Office is responsible for the administration of the corporate consolidated advertising budget and the placement of all advertisements. Exceptions to the consolidated advertising program are explained on page 7 in the Setting the Budget section of this guide. The City of Kingston Web site is the primary method of providing information to the public, and all communications, including corporate advertising, will have a consistent reference to the city site.

Goals of the City of Kingston corporate advertising and communications program: (a) to provide our audiences with clear and accurate information about City of

(b) to deliver corporate advertising using a variety of mediums that effectively Kingston programs, services, policies and by-laws

attract the attention of our target audiences in plain language they can readily understand

municipal government

for City of Kingston audiences

government

(c) to promote a positive image of the City of Kingston and improve the visibility of

(d) to advance social marketing activities directed at improving the quality of life

(e) to provide accountable, accessible and equitable information about local

(f) to comply with all statutory advertising requirements

To accomplish these goals, the Communications Office will ensure that: (a) City of Kingston advertising is placed in a manner that is the most efficient and

(b) City of Kingston advertising decisions are well planned, based upon the cost effective for the corporation

identification and assessment of the goals and objectives of the messages, identification of appropriate target audiences and usage of appropriate communications vehicles within the fixed consolidated advertising budget

(c) City of Kingston advertising complies with the Corporate Identity Policy, as amended May 15,2001 - See Appendix D

(d) City of Kingston advertising reflects the principles of accessibility (e) City of Kingston advertising uses plain language to ensure clarity and

consistency of inform at ion

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE POLICIES, PROCESS AND DEADLINES - - Advertising Process When a department or division requires an advertisement, contact the communications officer assigned to that department or the Communications Office. The sooner you contact the Communications Office, the better we can assist you in developing a communication plan and message.

In consultation with the department or division, the communications officer will work with you to identify the issues at hand and the objectives to be achieved, set realistic communication goals, identify the challenges, establish the target audience(s), and choose the appropriate communication vehicles to reach those audiences.

Whether the campaign is educational, promotional, or for information only, the Communications Office will assist you in developing an appropriate communication plan to suit the undertaking.

Advertising Deadlines While the following are deadlines for corporate advertising, please keep in mind that large projects often require months of planning. If you have a large multi-phased project, please inform your communications officer well in advance of your advertising or communication request.

Print Advertising Deadline: The Communications Office has established a City Page in the Kingston This Week newspaper to ensure that Kingston audiences are provided with a convenient and predictable location for finding out what is new and currently happening in the city. This page will run on Tuesday and features notices, service specific information, procurement notices, as well as social marketing advertisements. Kingston This Week has a professional advertising design and layout artist who will work with the Communications Office to give City of Kingston ads a distinctive and consistent look. It is no longer necessary for you to design or format your ads. Just provide us with the text. Submit advertising requests to your communications officer or the Communications Office by 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the Tuesday you want the ad to appear. While the Communications Office will not be able to place ads received after the deadline, we will use other vehicles, such as the Web site, radio and news releases to communicate the message. Radio Advertising Deadline: CFLY-98.3 FM of CHUM Radio Kingston is our primary radio vehicle for 2005. City ads will run five days a week between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. allowing us to reach each radio listener in our target audience several times a week. A decision on a complimentary radio buy, which will increase our reach, will be made during the first quarter of 2005. Contact your communications officer or the Communications Office at least a week in advance of the date you want your ad to air.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE --- POLICIES, PROCESS AND DEADLINES

Communications Office Contacts

Cindie Ashton, Communications Officer (located at Midland Avenue), Department of Planning & Development Services and Utilities Kingston cashton @citvofkinaston.ca 546-4291, extension 31 16

Kim Jamieson, Communications Officer, Department of Community Services kiamieson @citvofkinaston.ca 546-4291, extension 1272

Brian Judge, Communications Officer, Department of Operations biudae @ citvofkinastonxa 546-4291 , extension 1380

Laura Seiffert, Communications Officer, Department of Corporate Services Iseiffert@citvofkinaston.ca 546-4291, extension 1321

Sheila Hickey, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Corporate Communications shickev @ citvof kinastomca 546-4291 , extension 2221

David Mignault, Research & Grants Coordinator and Communications Officer dmianault@ citvofkinastonxa 546-4291, extension 131 4

Communications Office, City Hall - basement commarour, @ citvofkinaston.ca 546-4291, extension 2300

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING

PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING Effective advertising takes planning, because each advertisement must contain the right message to reach the right audience and be placed in the right communication vehicle at the right time. Planning is essential to the success of your communication effort whether your initiative is small or complex.

Major decisions in developing an effective advertising or communication plan include: 1. Identifying your objectives and goals 2. Developing your message 3. Making media decisions 4. Setting the budget 5. Evaluating the effectiveness of your advertising initiative

The Corporate Communications Office is responsible for administering the corporate advertising budget. Before the Communications Office can assign those advertising dollars, we ask that you consider the following information before you provide your advertising request:

1. Identifying your objectives and goals: Identify one or more of the following communication goals and objectives:

Increase awareness: Are you trying to increase awareness of the city’s actions and strategies or services and programs, announce changes in services or programs or educate the public about policies like the winter parking by-law? Explain: Are you trying to explain the features and benefits of your services, programs, events or policies? Elicit action: Are you trying to encourage audience participation in your service or program or gain feedback from your audience? Achieve efficiencies: Are you trying to reduce the number of inquires you receive or handle inquires more efficiently? Advise: Are you trying to advise your audience about a statutory notice, a proclamation or a legal notice? Affect a purchase: Are you trying to sell space in a program, tickets to an event, or are you trying to increase usage of a program?

2. Developing your message: Once you define your goals and objectives, your communications officer will help you answer the following questions to develop a message: rn Whom are you trying to reach? This is your target audience; the

audience that will most likely be interested in and act on your message. How old are they? Are they male or female? Are they students? Do they work or are they retired? Do they have a high school degree, college or

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING 4

university degree? Do they own a home or rent? Do they like to golf, sail or hike?

Age, gender, income level, occupation and education are examples of demographics. Lifestyle, social class and personality characteristics are examples of psychographics. Asking demographic and psychographic questions will help you know your audience and create a message they will understand . . Is there a call to action? Addressing the benefit of your program, service or notice, not just its feature, helps to ensure that your audience will read your message and answer your call to action. Do you want them to attend a public meeting? Are you looking for volunteers to sewice on city committees? Do you want to increase enrollment in a program? Because you know what you are trying to accomplish and who your audience is, the Communications Office can take your information and help you develop a key message. For example, “Council to Consider Fate of Golf Course” will likely get more special interest groups or golf course users to participate in a public meeting than “Notice of Public Meeting”. If you want the participation of non-users of the golf course, your message might read, “Council Seeking the Public’s Advice on How to Decrease Taxes”.

3. Making media decisions: Media decisions involves defining reach and frequency and choosing a communication vehicle, such as publicity, the city’s Web site, broadcast advertising, print advertising, out-of-home advertising or transit advertising. Detailed information on each of these vehicles is available in Appendix C of this guide. . Reach: Reach means the percentage of people in the target audience who

are exposed to an advertising campaign during a given period. To effectively reach the city’s audiences, the Communications Off ice has secured paid advertising space using a mix of communication vehicles including the city’s Web site, Kingston This Week newspaper and CFLY- FM radio. These vehicles have been purchased from the corporate consolidated advertising account for use by city divisions. We also use no cost communication vehicles to generate media interest to reach our audiences. Examples are news releases, public service announcements and photo opportunity releases. . Frequency: Frequency is the number of times the average person in the target audience is exposed to an advertising message during a given period. A single advertisement placed in a print publication is often a waste of advertising dollars. Marketing studies have shown that it can take up to eight impressions of the same message to reach an audience that knows

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING

nothing about a service, product or program and three impressions for the audience that is familiar with a service, product or program. Choosing the communication vehicle: The Communications Office has access to audience data for media providers in the Kingston area. To help you achieve your communication goals, your communication officer will work with you to determine the best vehicle(s) to reach your audience and the proper timing and frequency of your message according to the requirements of your audience.

4. Setting the budget: While the Communications Office is responsible for administering the corporate consolidated advertising budget for 2005, we need your help in planning our message placement.

The consolidated advertising budget includes costs for newsprint and radio advertising which were previously dispersed throughout corporate divisional budgets under account number 7401 05. Items you previously charged to this account will now be paid for from the 2005 consolidated advertising budget.

Communications included in the consolidated advertising budget: The Communications Office maintains a list of past advertising activities for each division. If your division has an unusual communication need for 2005, please inform your communications officer, as soon as possible, in order for us to manage our advertising budget and media schedule. Communication activities not included in the consolidated advertising budget: Divisions will continue to maintain separate accounts for public education, marketing and promotion and capital programs. o The Cultural Services Division will retain their advertising account for

the following units considering the majority of paid advertising for these services involves specialty publications rather than newsprint and radio. Therefore, the Grand Theatre, Marina Operations, MacLachlan Woodworking Museum, POH Facility, Lake Ontario Park and Belle Park budgets have not been included in the consolidated advertising program.

o The Council Support Division will retain their advertising account for legislated advertisements and public notices to ensure compliance with the Municipal Act and the Planning Act.

o The Human Resources Division will retain their advertising account for careers advertising .

o Departments will continue to cover the cost of advertising large capital projects. Messages for these projects will be advertised using the corporate print and radio space, but will be charged to the appropriate capital account. This will ensure the operating budget accurately reflects our annual needs.

o Utilities Kingston advertising dollars have not been transferred to the consolidated advertising account. However, actual costs will be charged back throughout the year.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING - c

The Communications Off ice will assist you with media buying decisions, even for programs not included in the consolidated advertising budget.

5. Evaluating the effectiveness of your advertising: The Communications Office intends to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our corporate advertising initiative. We ask that you assist us in gathering the feedback we can use to do our evaluation. While measuring the effectiveness of advertising programs can present a challenge, the following approaches might be of some ass is ta n ce : . Random research: You can ask people how they heard about your event

or program. Where participation requires registration, include a section on the registration form that asks people where they heard about your event. This applies also to public meetings. If you advertised for volunteers, how many responses did you receive? Were the applicants qualified for the position? . Volume: You can monitor sales volume and incoming call increases and decreases to measure the success of your advertising programs.

By monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of our advertising, the Communications Office can determine if we need to adjust our media mix in a certain area.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE APPENDICES

APPENDICES The following items will provide you with additional information on corporate communication and advertising.

A. The Communication Process

. Introduction

. What is Communication?

The Communication Process

. Key Factors in Good Communications

B. Communication Vehicles

. Publicity

. Internet

9 Broadcast Advertising

. Print Advertising

. Out-of-Home Advertising

C. Advertising and the Marketing Mix

. Introduction . Promotion Mix - Advertising, Sales Promotion, Public Relations, Personal Selling

D. Corporate Identity Policy

City of Kingston Applications . Request to Use Logo by Outside Agencies

. City Logo as a Source of Revenue

. Logo Printing Specifications

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2005 COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

APPENDIX A

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Introduction

According to estimates, we spend 70 to 80 per cent of our time communicating - writing, reading, talking, listening. While everyone talks about the need for good, effective communication, we are constantly reminded of the challenges involved with being good communicators.

Within our corporation, employees often complain about poor communication between management and the front-line - between divisions and work groups. Citizens complain about the lack of communication between council, city administration and the public. Special interest groups want us to better understand their issues.

The challenge is learning how we can achieve better communications with our internal and external audiences.

What is Communication?

If you asked a group of people to write a short definition of the word, you would discover two things: 1. most people have difficulty defining communication

2. when they do, there are a variety of meanings

For City of Kingston purposes, the Communications Office defines communication as the sharing of information on City of Kingston services and programs with our target audiences to establish a common understanding and elicit a desired response.

The Communication Process

To communicate effectively, we need to understand the factors involved in the communication process.

Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle provided an explanation of oral communication called rhetoric that is still meaningful today.

Rhetoric falls into three divisions determined by the three classes of listeners to speeches. For of the three elements in speech making - speaker, subject and person addressed - it is the last one, the hearer, that determines the speech’s end and object.’

Aristotle speaks of a communication process composed of a speaker, a message and a listener. He points out that the person at the end of the communication process

W. Rhys Roberts, ”Rhetorica”, The Works ofArisfotle, Vol. X/, ed. W.D. Ross (London: Oxford 1

University Press, 1924) p. 1358.

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2005 COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

APPENDIX A

determines if communication takes place. Our failure to recognize what Aristotle grasped thousands of years ago is a primary cause, if not the primary one, for communication failure. We fail to recognize the importance of the audience at the end of the communication chain.

We tend to be more concerned about ourselves as the communications source, thinking about our message and the channel we are going to use. Too often, the listener, viewer or reader fails to get any consideration at all.

Key Factors in Good Communications

Parties involved: The two major parties in the communication process are the sender and the receiver. Senders need to know what audiences they want to reach and how they want those audiences to respond their messages. Tools used: The major tools in the communication process are the message and the media. Senders need to send their messages choosing a media or method that reaches their intended audiences. Important functions: Important functions within the communication process are encoding, decoding, response and feedback. . Encoding means the process the sender uses to put thought into the words

and symbols that will convey the message to the intended audience. . Decoding means how the receiver or audience interprets the intended message. The sender must do research on how his target audience will most likely interpret the message. . Response means how the intended audience reacts after being exposed to the message. Will they follow the call to action or do nothing?

9 Feedback channels are ways the intended audience or receiver can communicate their response to the sender. Noise is the unplanned static or distortion of the communication process, one which results in the receiver getting a different message from the one the sender sent .2

The communication model below demonstrates the communication process.

- Decoding Receiver -

Feedback Response

* Kotler, Philip; Armstrong, Gary; Cunningham Peggy H. Principles of Marketing. Prentice-Hall Canada: 1999.

2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

APPENDIX B

COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

Choosing the right communication vehicle or mix of vehicles will help you reach your target audience. Much like planning a trip, once you know where you are going, you can select from a variety of vehicles to get to your destination. Some vehicles are a better choice depending on where you are going. The vehicle or mix of vehicles you choose depends on your message, where your audience goes for information and corporate advertising budget constraints. You want to advertise where your audience will have the most likelihood of seeing or hearing your message.

The Communications Office has been practicing a multi-media approach to messaging for the past few years. This means we use multiple vehicles to communicate our messages. By building on the strengths of each medium, we increase the exposure of our messages to our target audiences.

No medium is inherently good or bad. A good medium for one service may be a poor medium for another. Your communications officer can assist you in determining which vehicles are the most appropriate for your target audience.

The following list identifies vehicles the Communications Office uses most often.

Publicity

Publicity is the no cost communication of newsworthy information about a product, service or idea using a variety of public relations tools. Because we are a municipal government, much of what the City of Kingston does as an organization is newsworthy. News coverage is often generated by items on the council agenda, whether we intended to promote them or not. A good news story generated from your report can add credibility to your project. The Communications Office often works with the local media to bring agenda items to their attention or explain what is important from a news perspective. We do this is the following ways:

Council Reports: Because the local media receive a council agenda package on Friday evenings, the council report can be a good communication vehicle. Stories they write and quotes they use might come from your council report. Consider communication planning when you write a report on a hot topic. By planning ahead and working with your communication officer, your report could contain the same message used in the related advertising material for your project. Media relations: The media serves as a gatekeeper through which we communicate with the public. The Communications Office works on building strong relationships with the local media. Reporters call us when they need information on an issue or to request an interview. We try to weigh their deadlines against the busy schedules of our managers. Cooperating with the media helps create and maintain a positive image for the city. Additional information on responding to the media can found on KingNET. http://kingnet/busunits/comm/RespondingToMedia.pdf

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

APPENDIX B

t

Networking: Networking refers to having a presence where your target audience tends to congregate. If you are trying to communicate or promote something to the business sector, it would be useful to address the Chamber of Commerce. They host regular breakfast meetings where guest speakers are invited to address the members on a variety of topics. If you are targeting high school students, you may want to have a presence in the schools, the malls or events attended by this target audience. The Communications Office can assist you in finding appropriate networking opportunities to communicate or promote your service, program or issue. . News conference: The news conference is an opportunity to enhance an issue’s importance with the media and ultimately the target audience. Specialized media, newspaper, radio and television reporters are invited to one convenient, centralized site where a senior official makes a major announcement that will affect the community. The media receives many news conference advisories. Even if you have a good news story, you can always be passed over by a better one. A news conference may not be necessary if you can get the same impact with other techniques, such as one-on-one interviews with key reporters. Your communications officer can assist you in planning a news conference. . News release: A news release or press release is an announcement of news you want to share with the public through the media. Everyday newsrooms are overwhelmed with news releases and most of them end up in the waste basket. A few will become the basis of a news story, especially if they are announcing genuine news. A well-written news release, like a well-written story or report can grab the editor’s attention. What makes a good news release? According to The Canadian Press Stylebook, a good news release contains accurate information, clearly presented, that answers all the basic questions a reporter or reader might have. Who, What, When, Why, Where, How and How Much? Additional information on news releases can be found on KingNET. http://kingnet/busunits/comm/PressReleases.pdf . Photo opportunities: When there is an opportunity for good or soft news story, the Communications Office may issue a photo opportunity release to the media to promote the event. The Communications Office also enlists our staff photographer to take pictures of these events for posting to our Web site. Before a photograph is posted to the Web site, we require the completion of a personal release form. The form is available on KingNET. http://kingnet/info/Personall InfoRelease-2002,pdf. . Public Service Announcement: Public Service Announcements are different from news releases in that they are pre-designed advertisements given to the media to print or broadcast free of charge. Because they are free, the media will not usually guarantee use of the PSA’s, nor will they commit to a publication or broadcast schedule. As a result, PSA’s usually focus on general awareness of the organization. Often only local non-profit organizations benefit from PSA’s.

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APPENDIX 6

Broadcasters are not obliged to air any commercial message or public service announcements. They are, however, expected to reflect issues of concern to the communities served in return for the use of the public airwaves. Getting a PSA on-air requires some work, but once a station has put them on their play list, a significant amount of air time can be realized. Your communications officer can assist you in creating and promoting a Public Service Announcement to the local media. Word-of-Mouth: Word-of-mouth communication can have a considerable effect on influencing your target audience. Speaking to your friends, neighbours, family members and business associates is a way of getting the word out about your product or service. You can also speak to community members such as local radio personalities or heads of local organizations, who could become opinion leaders in favour of your service or program. Your communications officer can help you develop the key messages you use to get the word out.

Internet

The Internet is the fastest growing medium in the world, and for good reason. It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Findings from a recent study conducted by Ekos Research and Citizens First indicated that 80 percent of households in Ontario have at least one computer (up 9 percent since 2000) and 72 percent have Internet access (up 8 percent from 2000). Further, Canadians expect electronic access to government information and services.

Other research studies indicate that Kingstonians are above average users of the Internet. In April of 2004, Revenue Canada noted that the Kingston area had filed 73 percent of its taxes electronically. This is well above the average of 60 per cent.

www.cityofkingston.ca: The city’s Web site receives over 3,000 unique visits per day and has become our primary communication vehicle. In the 2002 City of Kingston Citizens’ Survey, over 50 percent of the respondents indicated they had visited the city’s Web site in the past year. Over 75 percent of our citizens surveyed indicated they had access to a computer allowing them to visit our site.

Our Web site allows us to publish detailed information for a relatively low cost. We often purchase short script messages in newspapers and radio to direct residents to the city Web site where they can find more detailed information.

The City of Kingston Web site is managed by the Communications Office. Contact your communication officer for assistance.

. Partnering with other Web sites: In addition to our own Web site, we also advertise or partner with other sites depending on the audience we are trying to reach. For example, What’s On Kingston is an excellent site to promote entertainment events and tourism.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

APPENDIX B

Broadcast Advertising . Radio: Radio is an effective medium offering good value. Radio advertising builds top of mind awareness, is cost efficient, an immediate and flexible medium and influences consumers when they are closest to the time of purchase or action. The variety of stations in Kingston allows us to tailor our messages to the appropriate target audience. The Communications Office purchases blocks of time on local radio to communicate city news and information. Contact your communications officer for details. . Television: Television includes both the network stations and the community cable channel. Network television provides a broad reach, and is therefore more expensive that other mediums. Most often the benefits of network television do not justify the costs for municipal government advertising needs. There are opportunities for non paid communication on local television channels. Contact your communications officer for assistance. Although the local cable channel does not sell advertising space in the form of commercials, it does offer a community bulletin board where city news and information can be posted. The Communications Office can assist you with posting your meeting or event on the COGECO 13 Bulletin Board. http://www.tvcogeco.com/kingston/bin/home.cgi?tem plate=home.tp

Print Advertising

Print advertising can include newspapers, magazines, direct mail, brochures and the Yellow Pages. Each medium had different messaging requirements and offers different benefits. . Newspapers: Newspapers are a great local medium offering good reach and

reasonable deadlines. However, the key to newspaper advertising is repetition and running multiple ads can be very expensive. To spend corporate advertising dollars in an efficient and cost effective manner, the Communications Off ice established a City Page in Kingston This Week. This newspaper is free of charge to the city residents and has a verified circulation of 48,309, which ensures that Kingston residents are provided with a convenient and predictable location for finding out what is new and currently happening in the city. We will use the new City Page for most of our advertising, but will continue to use other newspaper providers, such as the Kingston Whig-Standard, The Heritage, Tower Times and Queen’s Journal, in instances where we want to reach a specific target audience. Community newspapers, such as Kingston This Week and The Heritage, have a loyal audience who read most or all of each issue. There is an ongoing debate on advertising in the daily or a community newspaper. The community papers are free and offer broad distribution, while the daily newspaper argues their distribution has more readers based on the fact they are paid subscribers.

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APPENDIX B

m Magazines: Kingston is home to a variety of regional magazine publications including Kingston Life, Key to Kingston, the city’s Culture and Leisure Brochure and Profile Kingston. These publications cater to specific target audiences. Magazines offer high quality colour imagery and typically have a longer retention rate than newspapers. Many of these magazines have community activity sections where you can post your event or program free of charge. Contact your communications officer for details. Direct Mail: This vehicle offers great audience selection and allows you to present more detailed information. Direct mail, flyers in particular, are often considered junk mail by the recipient. However, direct mail with a clear message, which is sent in official City of Kingston envelopes, is a very effective communication vehicle for city information. Your communications officer can assist you in exploring the benefits of direct mail to communicate your message. . Brochures: Organizations use brochures to convey information to potential customers or stakeholders. Brochures are a good public education tool, are flexible and can hold lots of content. Generally, brochure information falls into one of the following categories: o An organization’s purpose, goals, and available products and services. o A description of a product line or single product. The Parking Services

Division has a series of brochures devoted to information and promotion of their services.

o A description of a project being undertaken by an organization. The Task Force to Review Services created a brochure to provide information on the review to external stakeholders who are use the services or programs under review.

o Information which might be of assistance to an organization’s stakeholders. The Client Services Division created a brochure with information on the city’s administration buildings and a map showing their locations.

As they can be time consuming to produce and reproduce and expensive if produced externally, they are more appropriate for long running promotions. Before you plan to do it brochure, think about your target audience and where they will most likely see the brochure. The Communications Office can assist you with content, and where necessary, suggest outsourcing design or production of the brochure.

1 Specialty Publications: Specialty newspapers, magazines and newsletters - business, labour, cultural - and industry trade publications provide a more direct route to a target audience. They have a predetermined target audience and already address the needs, concerns and interests of readers. Readers of these publications tend to be more active seekers of information than mass media vehicles. Contact your communications officer to see if using a specialty publication, such as the Daily Commercial News, is the best way to advertise your tender or project.

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APPENDIX B

. Yellow Pages: Advertising in the Yellow Pages is relatively low cost, considering the long-retention of the publication. Yellow Pages also provide information on demand for the reader.

Out-of Home Advertising: Out-of-home advertising, which includes outdoor advertising, street level advertising and transit advertising, reaches a cross-section of a city’s population 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. . Outdoor advertising includes billboards and electronic signs. As driver

attention is approximately 1.5 seconds, the message must be simple and short to read. The electronic sign at 121 1 John Counter Boulevard is available to promote city information at no cost. Contact your communication officer who will arrange for your message to be placed on the sign. http://kingnet/busunits/comm/1211 CounterBlvdSign.pdf.

m Street level advertising, such as transit shelters, is a low cost, high reach communications vehicle. . Transit advertising, located on the exteriors and interiors of Kingston Transit buses, is effective for short script messaging to a captive audience. There is potential for the message to be seen repeatedly by regular transit users.

Your communications officer can help you determine if these are appropriate and cost effective vehicles to advertise your message or project.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE ADVERTISING AND THE MARKETING MIX

APPENDIX C

ADVERTISING AND THE MARKETING MIX

People are sometimes confused by the terms advertising and marketing. Advertising is a component of the promotion part of the marketing mix. The marketing mix is a combination of marketing elements that are used to satisfy the needs of a target audience or market and achieve organizational goals. The four elements of the marketing mix are product, price, promotion and place.

Product: the goods and service combination the organization offers to the target audience. . Price: the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the good or service. . Place: the activities that make the product or service available to target audiences . Promotion: the activities that communicate the merits of the product or service and persuade the target audience to buy it.

Promotion Mix

The promotion part of the marketing mix includes advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling activities. . Advertising: Advertising is the use of paid media by a seller or organization

to inform, persuade and remind about its products, services and programs. . Sales promotion: Sales promotion is the use of short-term incentive tools to bring about immediate action from your target audiences. It encourages the decision to buy. Advertising tells us why we should buy a parking pass, or come to a public meeting. Sales promotion offers financial or other incentives to purchase a product. An example would be to buy a yearly bus pass and receive a 20 percent discount. Sales promotion tools include coupons, premiums, contests, demonstrations and buying allowances. . Public relations: The role of public relations is to establish positive relations between an organization and its various publics and promote an organization’s products, people and ideas. Public relations writing falls into two broad categories: o Uncontrolled information: Information, which once it leaves your hands,

is at the mercy of the media and is uncontrolled. The media has total editorial control over content, style, placement and timing. News releases are totally uncontrolled. Magazine articles may receive limited editing, but the publisher decides the placement and timing.

o Controlled information: Information over which you have total control as to editorial content, style, placement and timing is controlled. Examples are the City’s Web site, brochures, broadcast material (if it is paid advertising), house publications (city’s budget book and the Culture & Leisure Guide). Public Service Announcements are controlled as far as the message content, but uncontrolled as to timing and placement.

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE ADVERTISING AND THE MARKETING MIX

APPENDIX C

Tools used to accomplish public relations goals include:

o News releases: used most often to communicate information for publicity purposes

o Backgrounders: basic information pieces providing background information to reporters, editors, executives, employees and spokespersons. Other writers and reporters use this information to create their stories.

o Public service announcements (PSA’s): the broadcast outlet most available to public relations. Although it has limitations, additional leeway can be gained by paying for placement, which places it in the category of advertising.

o Articles and editorials: usually included in newsletters or house publications. Non-house publications, such as journals or trade magazines, are a good way to get your product or service publicized.

o Additional publications: brochures, pamphlets, flyers and other direct marketing pieces can stand alone, or be used as supporting material for a communications package.

o Speeches and presentations: the interpersonal method of imparting a position or an image to groups like the Chamber, BIA or neigbourhood groups. Good speeches can inform or persuade and good presentations can win support where other written methods may fail.

o Special events: events can be designed to facilitate dialogue and involvement with your target audience. Public meetings fall under special events.

o Corporate identity tools: logos can brand your service or program. Using the city’s logo in a prominent location on letterhead, print advertising and brochures lets the target audience know they are receiving information about the City of Kingston before they read the message. The corporate identity policy for the use of the city logo is included as Appendix D of this document.

o Web site: the City of Kingston Web site is our primary communication vehicle. With the introduction of online payment of parking and provincial offences tickets and parking permit renewals, visitors are able to conduct business at their convenience.

o Report to Council: Because the local media often write stories based on council agendas, the council report can be a good vehicle to achieve your communications goals. Consider communication planning when you write a report on a hot topic.

o Word of mouth: Word-of-mouth communication can have a considerable effect on influencing your target audience. Speaking to your friends, neighbours, family members and business associates is a way of getting the word out about your product or service. You can also speak to community members such as local radio personalities or

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2005 COMMUNICATION AND CONSOLIDATED ADVERTISING GUIDE ADVERTISING AND THE MARKETING MIX

APPENDIX C

heads of local organizations, who could become opinion leaders in favour of your service or program. Your communications officer can help you develop the key messages you can use to get the word out.

o Community based social marketing -the guilt factor: Community based social marketing strives to change behaviours by getting at one's conscience. Examples are: Public relations campaigns that make me recycle because, if I don't put out a blue box, my neighbours will know I don't recycle; if I water my lawn, my neighbour will know that I'm wasting their drinking water. This approach is typically much more effective using money incentives, such as rate increases or discounts for conservation.

Personal Selling: Personal selling is face-to-face communication involving the presentation of features and benefits of a product, service or program to a buyer in order to make a sale.

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE APPENDIX D llEE

CORPORATE IDENTITY POLICY as amended May 15,2001 (May 18,1999)

RESPECTING USE OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON LOGO AND SLOGAN

1. CITY OF KINGSTON APPLICATIONS 1.1 Slogan

The Slogan shall be used in conjunction with the City Logo on City letterhead and business cards except for instances noted in Section 1.6. In all other cases, the Slogan may be used in conjunction with the City Logo at the discretion of the appropriate senior manager.

The Coat of Arms shall be used on all City owned vehicles used by officials enforcing by-laws of the City of Kingston, i.e. Police, Fire and By-Law Enforcement. The City Logo shall be used on all other City owned vehicles. No other Logo shall be used on City owned vehicles, with the exception of the recycling vehicles, which may use the recycling symbol, and vehicles used by Utilities Kingston which may use the Utilities symbol.

The City Logo shall be used to identify the following facilities: KEDCO’s Visitor Welcome Centre Grand Theatre Arenas Utilities Building (21 1 Counter Street Office).

1.2 Vehicles

1.3 Facilities

The City Logo may be used on other facilities at the discretion of the appropriate senior manager, with the exception of City Hall, Police and Fire Stations that shall use the Coat of Arms.

The City Logo shall be displayed on garbage receptacles in the parks and along Princess Street.

The City Logo shall be used on “Welcome to Kingston” signs at entranceways to the City and at the Airport, Bus and Train Stations and the Marinas. Location of the signs to be determined by the Commissioner of Operations.

Letterhead: all business units shall use the City Logo and Slogan on letterhead, with the exception of letters from the Mayor and Council, Police, Fire and Legal Services, Council Support when reporting on Council decisions, and Utilities Kingston. These areas shall use the Coat of Arms. Business cards: the Mayor and Council may use two types of business cards: one with the City Logo and Slogan, and one with the Coat of Arms. Staff shall use the City Logo and Slogan, with the exception of Fire and Police Services, which shall use the Coat of Arms. Internal Memos: the City Logo and Slogan may be used on internal memos. Publications and Maior ReDorts: the City Logo and Slogan or Coat of Arms (not both on one document) may be used on publications and major reports at the discretion of the appropriate senior manager. Fax Covers: The City Logo and Slogan may be used on fax covers.

1.4 Garbage Receptacles

1.5 Signs at Entrance Ways to the City

1.6 Stationery

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE APPENDIX D

CORPORATE IDENTITY POLICY as amended May 15,2001 (May 18,1999)

RESPECTING USE OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON LOGO AND SLOGAN

The City Logo may be used on pins and the Tour Guides shall wear I.D. buttons containing the Logo.

The City Logo and Slogan shall be placed on the opening page of the City’s web site and on KEDCO’s website.

1.7 Pins and Buttons

1.8 Internet

2. REQUESTS TO USE LOGO BY OUTSIDE AGENCIES 2.1 Outside Agencies

Requests from outside agencies, profit or non-profit, and requests for commercial use of the City Logo and Slogan, shall require Council approval; If the City has agreed to partner on a project with the Agency, use of the City Logo and Slogan may be approved by staff.

Use of the City’s Logo and/or Slogan, properly registered as a federal trade-mark, shall be governed by licensing agreements that include in part:

an indemnity clause releasing the Corporation of the City of Kingston, its employees and agents of all liability in the event of damages to persons or property; an assurance by the event provider or manufacturer that they will provide insurance with adequate coverage to cover any and all costs and that written proof of that insurance shall be provided to the City of Kingston before publication or use of the City’s trademark, provision for pre-approval by the City of the use of its trademark, provision of notice period required to terminate the licensing agreement, grounds for termination, including inappropriate or unapproved use of the City’s trademark.

3. CITY LOGO AS A SOURCE OF REVENUE

3.1 Revenue Source The City may generate revenue from the sale of t-shirts, baseball caps, big buttons, coffee mugs, spoons, etc. depicting the City Logo.

4. DESIGN STANDARDS

4.1 Design Standards The City Logo and Slogan shall be used in accordance with guidelines contained in the design manual.

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE APPENDIX D P C P

CORPORATE IDENTITY POLICY as amended May 15,2001 (May 18,1999)

RESPECTING USE OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON LOGO AND SLOGAN

CITY OF KINGSTON LOGO AND SLOGAN DESIGN STANDARDS

The logo and slogan of the City of Kingston are registered trademarks. The following style guidelines govern all graphic reproductions of the trademarks to ensure that the City’s corporate identity is presented in a clear, consistent, and easily recognized fashion. Style Guidelines e

e

e

0

e

e

e

e

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The logo and slogan may be used together or separately.

Use of secondary logos: if two logos appear on one page, the City Logo is dominant and the secondary logo may appear at the bottom of the page (the two must be separated)

When used on vehicles - white “wart” should be avoided, especially when on a dark blue truck. To avoid this, simply place the logo in a square white box. (if square is slightly rounded at the corners, it doesn’t peel off)

The logo and slogan cannot be distorted. A distortion is anything other than the trademarks as registered.

The slogan must appear in lower-case Italics.

The logo must be sharp, clear, and surrounded by a protective zone of open space. The open space should be no less than %”. The logo must be separated from distracting elements and must not be dominated by other typeface or graphics.

The logo may not be overprinted or combined with other designs.

The logo may be reduced or enlarged but proportional changes and distortions are not permitted. The logo may not be reduced to less than 2cm in diameter.

The logo may be reproduced in full colour (as per the registered trademark); or one colour in both positive and reverse.

Attention must be paid to ensuring a high quality reproduction of the trademarks.

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE APPENDIX D

CITY OF KINGSTON LOGO Printing specifications

INK 3 Pantone colours

Top 34 of logo: ‘Burgundy’ (PMS 201) in graduated tone from 100% at top down to 0% near bottom

Bottom %I of logo: ‘Blue’ (PMS 286) in graduated tone from 100% at bottom up to 0% near top

Fireworks bursts: ‘PMS yellow” 1 00%’ right-hand ‘burst’ to have circumferential graduated tone in 20% to 0% ‘burgundy’, to give it a slightly ‘orangey’ edge

Hairline under logo: ‘Blue’ (PMS 286)

Slogan: ‘Blue’ (PMS 286)

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE GLOSSARY +

GLOSSARY Advertising

Advertising research

Benefit

Circulation

Communication Plan

Communication Vehicles

Contest

COPY

Coupons

Demographics

Direct mail

Display advertising

Feature

Frequency

Impressions

The use of paid media by an organization to inform, persuade and remind its target audiences about its products, services and programs Any form of research providing information useful in the preparation or evaluation of media alternatives and usage The value of an item, service or program and what it will do for an audience (saves time or money, builds a desire for action) The average number of copies of a publication sold by subscription, through retail outlets, or distributed free to predetermined recipients A plan to outline an organization’s communications efforts by setting communication goals, identifying target audiences, finalizing key messages, determining how to reach those audiences, defining communication activities and providing methods of evaluation Individual mediums used by an organization to communicate with its target audiences A consumer promotion technique that involves the awarding of cash or merchandise prizes to consumers when they purchase a specified product The headline and body text of a print ad or the script in a broadcast ad Price-off incentives offered to consumers to stimulate quicker purchase of a designated product (coupons are usually product-delivered or media- delivered) Identifying target audiences based on various combinations of age, sex, income, occupation, education, race and religion A form of direct advertising that uses the postal service as the vehicle for delivering the message Advertising that appears anywhere in a newspaper, excluding the classified section The basic characteristics of an item, service or program The average number of times an audience is exposed to an advertising message over a period of time - usually a week The total audience reached by a media plan. Often referred to as total exposures, impressions are calculated by multiplying the number of people who receive the message (reach) by the number of times they receive it (frequency)

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2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE GLOSSARY

Lifestyle

Media Mix Media Objectives

Media Plan

Medium

0 bject ives

Outdoor advertising

Poster

Product or promotional advertising

Psychographics

Publicity

Public Relations

Reach

Social Marketing

Strategic Planning

Target Audience

A person’s pattern of living as expressed in his or her activities, interests, opinions, and values The combination of media used in a media schedule Media planning statements that consider the target market, the presentation of the message, geographic market priorities, the best time to reach the target and the budget available to accomplish stated goals The document that recommends how a client’s advertising funds can be spent to achieve advertising objectives A means of communicating: newspapers, magazines, television, radio, direct mail. Plural: media Statements outlining what is to be accomplished in a plan (communication or advertising plan) Advertising that is directed to vehicular or pedestrian traffic (e.g. posters, billboards, back-lit posters, transit shelter advertising and mall posters) Also known as out-of-home advertising A picture-dominant advertisement that uses a minimum of copy Advertising that is designed to encourage immediate response by consumers (e.9. the announcement of a major sale event) Describing the activities, interests and opinions (lifestyles) of target audiences The communication of newsworthy information about a product, service or idea The management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with the public interest, and plans and executes a program of action to earn understanding and acceptance The total audience (number of people reached) potentially exposed, one or more times, to an advertiser’s message over a period of time (usually a week) Seeks to influence social behaviors to benefit the target audience and the general society The process of determining objectives and identifying strategies and tactics that will contribute to the achievement of objectives A specific group of individuals at whom an advertising or communications message is directed

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SOURCES 2005 CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATION AND ADVERTISING GUIDE t

SOURCES

Bivins, Thomas. Handbook for Public Relations Writing. 2nd ed. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Business Books; 1995.

Booher, Dianna. E- Writing, 2ff - Century Tools for Effective Communication. New York: Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.; 2001.

Kotler, Philip; Armstrong, Gary; Cunningham, Peggy H. Principles of Marketing. 4th Canadian ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.; 1999.

Tasko, Patti, ed. The Canadian Press Stylebook, A Guide for Writers and Editors. 12'h ed. Toronto: The Canadian Press; 2002.

Tucker, Kerry; Derelian, Doris; Rouner, Donna. Public Relations Writing, An Issue Driven Behavioral Approach. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall; 1994.

Tuckwell, Keith J. Canadian Marketing in Acti0n.2"~ ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.; 1994.

Tuckwell, Keith J. Canadian Advertising in Action 3rd ed. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.; 1995

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