Senior management comments on administrative decision making.
I am writing because over the last few months Council has been criticized for a management decision to produce a marketing video about Guelph, hosted by Terry Bradshaw for the series called Profiles. The most recent criticism was in the January edition of McLean’s and I am responding to this published material.
While I received an internal review of this decision, Council has not received an information update on this matter. Therefore, I wish to provide you with a summary of management comments, for your information and for your use if contacted by the public.
As this was a management decision, you are welcome to refer any public questions or concerns to me directly.
Context:
One of Guelph City Council’s strategic priorities is the development of a sustainable and prosperous local economy. In our bid to attract business and talent, we agree that Guelph is competing with other communities locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.
We understand that Guelph must carve out a competitive space for itself in today’s crowded market. We therefore need to be more assertive in getting the word out about our City, its great residents, community and business opportunities. This is identified in our Corporate Strategic Plan
This is viewed as a corporate wide priority. It was recently reinforced by our community. Last month the City took part in the ‘Guelph-Wellington Economic Summit’ at which representatives from business, government and various community sectors identified priorities for growing the local economy.
One of the predominant themes we heard from businesses and the community sectors alike – is that Guelph must market and profile itself more aggressively than it has in the past.
Producing a Video & Viewership Results
The decision to invest in the Profiles video was a 2011 management decision based on staff’s recommendation. A recent assessment shows a reasonable return was delivered and that the video continues to serve as a part of an integrated marketing strategy. We continue to use this video and will continue to monitor its value as a multi purpose promotional tool.
The cost was $24,500. I am advised that the expenditure is consistent with market price for the production and distribution of comparable products.
For this expenditure, the City of Guelph received the following:
1. We own a professional, high quality promotional video – a tool that was missing from its economic development and marketing toolkit.
2. The City of Guelph holds unrestricted licensing rights to the video and plans to continue to use it to market and promote Guelph.
3. Local businesses can use the video for promotional purposes, further increasing its usefulness as a marketing tool.To date, Guelph has benefitted from the following profile-building opportunities:
• Guelph was broadcast to more than 5.5 million households – some among them are undoubtedly those we may not have reached through other channels.
• The video garnered more than 13,400 views on YouTube.
• Guelph was profiled 33 times on regional news networks in the United States and Canada.
• Guelph was profiles on the Business News Network in Canada.
• Profiles ran nation-wide on the Travel Channel in the United States and all airings have been between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.Comment
I respect and understand that there are many opinions about how staff should allocate marketing budgets. Not everyone thinks that this video was a good use of economic development dollars.
In my opinion this was a measurable broadcast and production success with a product video that will continue to be utilized for several years and by many stakeholders.
Moving forward, in 2013, staff will continue to deliver projects that raise Guelph’s profile to diverse audiences. To some, we will be seen as more assertive in demonstrating our profile and raising pride in Guelph – another example of ‘doing business differently’. As we pursue this strategic objective – we will continue to gather new ideas, listen, learn and have debate what success looks like.
For now, we are focusing on ensuring that the overall and measureable effect is attracting the right businesses and the right talent to grow our economy and to see our citizens benefit as a result. Staff