#1 Strategic Marketing Plan
CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE MEMORANDUM
December 8, 2010
TO: City Council
FROM:Eric J. Levitt, City Manager
SUBJECT: Presentation and possible action on proposed strategic marketing plan.
Request
A representative from Active Network will be in attendance to provide a presentation on
the strategic marketing plan developed by Active Network. Staff will be looking for
general direction from the Council on moving forward.
Possible City Council Motion
I move to authorize the City Manager move forward with the public space recycling
program and vending machine program to initiate the strategic plan.
Background
During the budget study sessions there was discussion regarding the City looking into
additional sources to generate revenue. Staff projected that this advertising concept
would generate $100,000 in advertising revenues from entering into an agreement with
The Active Network, Inc. The purpose of the agreement will be to have The Active
rd
Network, Inc. advise and assist in entering into advertising agreements with 3 party
rd
entities. The 3 party entities would advertise on City-owned assets.. The City would
have the final determination in deciding if the advertisements are appropriate.
At the first City Council meeting in February, the Council authorized with proceeding on
the strategic marketing plan with Active Network.
The strategic marketing plan has been completed and is being presented to City
th
Council on December 13.
City Manager Recommendation
Tonight the completed plan is being presented to the City Council. I am seeking
authorization to begin initiating the plan. The two first partnerships proposed would be
connected to the public recycling program which is consistent with the City Council’s
sustainability initiatives. In addition, we would intend to review the vending contracts.
Finally, we will be looking to provide connectivity to the program on our new website that
we are creating.
CC:
Jacob J. Winzenz, Assistant City Manager/Director of Administrative Services
City of Janesville, WI
Strategic Marketing Plan
Presented by
The Active Network, Inc.
November 10, 2010
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CITY OF JANESVILLE
STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN
I. Introduction......................................................................................2
TABLE OF
II. Program Background.......................................................................4
CONTENTS
III. City of Janesville High Profile Assets...............................................8
IV. Revenue Generating Categories......................................................15
1. Public Space Recycling .......................................................17
2. Beverage & Snack................................................................20
3. Municipal Marketing Web page............................................28
4. Media Services.....................................................................31
A. Digital Outdoor Network......................................32
B. Backlit Panels, Banners, & Posters....................36
C. Vehicle Fleet Advertising....................................36
D. Building Interiors.................................................37
E. Facility & Event Signage.....................................37
5. Proud Partnership Program..................................................39
V. Proposed Next Steps.......................................................................44
Appendices
Appendix A: Proposed Partnership Policy
Appendix B: Media Services RFP
Appendix C: Beverage & Snack Services RFP
Appendix D: Public Space Recycling RFP Sample
Appendix E: Aggregated Data
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IINTRODUCTION
.
This document summarizes the municipal marketing recommendations of Active
Network, Inc. (“Active”) for the City of Janesville, Wisconsin (“City”). The purpose
of this document, the City of Janesville Strategic Marketing Plan (“Plan”), is to
provide the basis for the City to implement a Corporate Sponsorship Program
(“Program”). The objective of this Program will be to generate recurring, long
term incremental revenues as well as savings on the purchases of goods and
service by means of City partnerships with private enterprises.
In preparing the recommendations contained in this document, the work
proceeded as follows. The Active Network:
developed an understanding of the policies, practices, priorities and
existing contractual commitments of the City;
identified the preliminary inventory of City high profile assets that will
be of commercial appeal to corporate partners;
translated our findings into an action plan for marketing those City
assets that create value.
This document describes Active’s appraisal of the scope of the available
opportunities then recommends a plan for capitalizing on these opportunities by
focusing on specific applications and the industries that specialize in them, and
provides guidance for moving to the implementation phase of the program.
In addition this Plan:
features key assets that include City facilities, programs, and
intellectual properties;
incorporates recommendations for ways to develop a media marketing
platform to deliver compelling messages to the public; this will allow
the City to communicate with the community immediately, and much
more efficiently and effectively;
contains packages that are designed to be flexibly dynamic, so as to
appeal to the greatest number of prospects with features and benefits
to partners that address a wide range of marketing opportunities.
This document details the Corporate Sponsorship Program that has resulted from
Active’s efforts to identify important strategic partners that will provide incremental
revenue sources for the City. Since our engagement,
we have gained a solid understanding of City of
Janesville’s business priorities. Further, we have
identified inventory (City owned or managed assets)
that may be used as incentives for partnership deals.
We have also defined specific partnership
opportunities. We have focused both on long-range
strategic plans that will maximize the City of
Janesville’s revenue opportunities, as well as on
immediate strategic opportunities designed to create
the first deal. The initial contracts will be critically
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important because it will set the tone for those that follow. The key opportunity
that will provide immediate implementation capability is the Municipal Marketing
Web page that establishes a base tool upon which to build all marketing efforts.
The success of this first deal and subsequent ones depends to a large extent
upon the City of Janesville’s confirmation that the assets identified can be
packaged and marketed to potential partners; closing deals with prospects will be
contingent on City of Janesville making available and delivering such inventory as
the partner prospect may request. The accuracy of the revenue opportunities
provided in this Plan is dependent upon the resolution of this question.
This document provides information about our marketing and research efforts
over the past months:
1. We have prioritized the industry categories and the companies within
those industries that should be approached about partnership
opportunities with the City of Janesville.
2. We have identified the specific activities the City needs to undertake to
identify and secure partners from prioritized industries and companies.
3. We have defined the City’s inventory and activation elements that we feel
should be utilized as incentives in the initial partnership deals.
The Active Network’s approach to partnership prospecting has been, and will be,
to work in close conjunction with City of Janesville officials and staff to secure
deals that enhance the public’s experience of use of City assets. This calls for
programs that are appropriate for the City of Janesville’s stature and reputation as
a forward thinking and responsive government organization, and for programs,
which will generate significant immediate and long-term incremental revenue for
the City.
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IIPROGRAM BACKGROUND
.
On February 9, 2010 the City of Janesville and Active Network, Inc. entered into a
consulting services agreement; these services include assisting the City to create
and structure a Corporate Sponsorship Program (“Program”). It is the purpose of
this Program to identify and pursue opportunities and strategies that will generate
additional revenue, goods and services for the City over a specified period of
time. The Program may include exclusive corporate partnerships, licensing and
branding efforts, naming rights, and advertising in selected categories.
In keeping with the Scope of Work outlined for the Plan, Active has reviewed and
analyzed City assets, with the understanding that these assets might be applied
to partnerships with selected private enterprises for the purpose of generating
incremental revenue for the City. As part of this analysis, Active has completed
the following tasks:
Completed an analysis of key City assets, including facilities, programs,
activities, events and available contracts, in order to identify potential
opportunities for the Program.
Developed a City of Janesville Policy Statement (proposed) to guide the
work of the City during the Implementation Phase (see Appendix A).
Developed a City of Janesville Strategic Marketing Plan including a
comprehensive set of recommendations for the marketing of the available
assets of the City based upon our analysis.
These recommendations will be subject to review and approval by City Staff.
Ultimately, this Plan should result in a series of approvals and a sequence of
negotiations or Requests for Proposals (“RFPs”), which will be issued in order to
provide specific offerings of rights and entitlements to prospective partner
corporations for each category of interest to be marketed.
As part of the initial step in preparing the City’s Strategic Marketing Plan Active
conducted a review of the physical, social, and intellectual property assets of City
of Janesville. The municipal marketing division of Active’s management and staff
personally visited the major City facilities in order to gather necessary pertinent
information as it relates to this marketing program.
Active also reviewed appropriate existing contracts and policies, interviewed City
staff, researched the City Web site, and collected relevant data via the Internet.
Active conducted a “Blue Sky” or creative session for key
City representatives, which included department directors
or designated representatives. The purpose of this Blue
Sky Session was to introduce Active, educate staff as to
the purposes of the program, and to gather important
information and ideas.
Active’s management reviewed, analyzed and evaluated
all the information that was gathered and is presenting
their recommendations in this document along with the
relevant data.
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City Demographics
Janesville, population 61,310, is the county seat of Rock County and the principal
municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is
located on the Rock River in the rolling hills, rich fields and verdant woodlands of
scenic south central Wisconsin. From the time of its early settlement, residents
have been committed to excellence in commerce, education, recreation, and
culture. The City’s long history of strong industry and economic success has
helped turn the city into a major commercial and industrial center for the State-
Line area.
Janesville is recognized for is its abundance of beautiful parks and recreational
areas and is known as "Wisconsin's Park Place" or "City of Parks". Handy boat
launches, numerous ball fields, playgrounds, two public golf courses, tennis
courts, over 2,300 acres of parkland and 25+ miles of paved bike trail are just
some of the amenities enjoyed by Janesville residents.
There is a great interest in and dedication to the preservation of the historic
character of homes and buildings in Janesville, and approximately 20% of
Wisconsin's buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places are
located here. A commitment to excellence in culture includes lectures, exhibits,
musical and theatrical performances.
Janesville's largest employer is the Mercy Health System, followed by the
Janesville School District. Other major employers include SSI Technologies,
Bourns Automotive, Lab Safety Supply, a Simmons Bedding Company factory
Swing'n'Slide, (a subsidiary of Playcore, Inc.) Hufcor and Gray's Brewing.
Regional employers include Blain's Farm and Fleet, and Woodman's Food
Market.
Marketing Objective and Strategies
The objective of the Program is to generate
incremental revenue through partnerships that are
consistent with and appropriate for the City’s
mission and vision and is acceptable to the
community. The Program will generate revenues by
negotiating contracts that generate fees to the City
in exchange for access to City assets that can be
used for mutually beneficial marketing purposes by
selected partners.
Active recognizes that the City of Janesville requires new sources of revenue to
maintain services while averting tax increases and avoiding new debt. Ideally, the
new revenue will be generated by discovering new ways of utilizing existing
assets, without incurring additional expenses or investments, and without
requiring traditional forms of government revenue derived from taxes, fees, or
bond issues. We believe that the best new sources of revenue will have the
following characteristics:
The revenues generated will ideally be recurring sources of compensation,
rather than just one-time payments with little or no growth potential.
The sources for these revenues will preferably be long established and
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stable corporations with a track record for fair dealings and consistent,
timely payment of financial obligations.
The revenues will be guaranteed, to the greatest extent possible.
Since cost savings or avoidance, such as in-kind goods or services can
also be seen as added revenue, Active will also try to identify ways for the
City to reduce the expense of service and purchases.
The revenue levels will be substantial enough to have positive public
relations value.
The City should establish contractual relationships with selected companies in a
series of product and service categories that will generate revenue in exchange
for the use or access to the City’s assets for a specified period of time in order to
market their goods and services to their target customers. Once a sequence of
categories is approved, the City will negotiate or issue RFPs in the selected
categories or for the specified components of these categories in a deliberately
calculated sequence.
Recommendations for the sequence of categories to be followed will be
discussed in the revenue generating section of this plan dealing with marketing
Plan recommendations. Active has also provided background considerations
necessary for review regarding each category under immediate consideration.
City of Janesville's income from its partnership programs can be substantially
increased by using advertising, promotion, and publicity efforts to increase public
awareness of the amenities offered by the City. These marketing efforts will
effectively serve to increase the City’s returns, and the appeal of its programs to
prospective partners. And better yet, these marketing efforts can be completely
paid for by the City’s use of just a fraction of the advertising, promotion, and other
marketing resources that its partners put in place as part of their
partnership/sponsorship programs.
As a perfect example, consider the development of a Media Services
infrastructure with the support of a selected partner in this business. Such a
partner will readily agree to devote a significant fraction of its messaging
opportunities to supporting City parks, programs, and event and promotional
marketing. Other important communications programs may be developed by
utilizing Web site, email and direct mail.
The partnership programs and packages we have recommended are all designed
to integrate community outreach and support marketing efforts of all available
revenue generating resources. If there is a cooperative effort to use a City-wide
messaging platform coupled with a high degree of continuity, then it is
conceivable to increase revenues for major City programs anywhere from 15%-
25%.
Implementation Work Plan
The following are our recommendations for developing, implementing and
administering Corporate Sponsorship Agreements:
1. Identify potential partnership opportunities through internal review of
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assets or from third party interest and assess whether to proceed
under the Plan.
2. Define scope of corporate sponsorships,
including a description of the community
need, financial goals and general marketing
strategy and specification of assets to be
included.
3. Refer and adhere to the City’s contracting
policies, guidelines and procedures regarding
the preparation, advertisement, and issuance
of the solicitation document, review and
evaluation of bids/proposals, and contract
award.
4. Manage the implementation of each Corporate Sponsorship
Agreement (“Agreement”) and conduct ongoing administration of the
Agreement to ensure both parties adhere to the requirements of the
contract.
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III HIGH PROFILE ASSETS
.
In our preliminary discussions with City of Janesville management staff, we jointly
identified the departments and facilities that promised the most valuable assets
and information available for marketing purposes.The following priority assets are
the ones that we believe represent the greatest opportunities for corporate
sponsorships and marketing programs:
Leisure Services
1.
Vision: To provide a vibrant and
comprehensive recreation environment
where all people can participate in active
and passive recreational opportunities
which provide enjoyment, entertainment,
stimulation and a sense of community
pride.
Mission: To provide, maintain and promote the development of space, facilities,
organization, leadership and programs to meet the varied leisure needs of the
community.
The Leisure Services Department brings together the city divisions of Recreation,
Parks, Senior Center, Golf Courses and the Ice Skating Center. To uphold the
goal of promoting healthy, active lifestyles for all ages within the community,
Leisure Services provides extensive opportunities for involvement in many fun
activities, including concerts and events, special needs programs, swimming and
adult and youth recreation programs.There are many different sports facilities
and recreation locations available throughout the City’s parks.
Parks Division
a.
The Parks Division (“Parks”) offers diverse opportunities with its 2,590 acre
system which includes 57 improved parks. Janesville's parks are divided into
categories that include four regional parks, seven community parks, 31
neighborhood parks, greenbelts and open spaces. The various parks provide an
arboretum, beach, outdoor swimming pool, 15 tennis courts, six lighted softball
fields, five sledding hills, ten miles of cross-country ski trails, over 25 miles of
paved bike trails and 15 picnic pavilions.
Regional Parks
Janesville's large Regional Parks are designed to provide recreational
opportunities to all local residents and those from surrounding communities.
These parks have many things to offer including large playgrounds, and scenic
nature trails.
Rockport Park is an extensive 246 acres and
features a truly unique playground, Peace Park
Playground, which promotes peace and unity in
the community by giving children a chance to
learn about cultural diversity as they play. It was
constructed by 2,500 community volunteers and
$175,000 in donations. Unique features include a
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two-story Native American teepee with reproduced Peace paintings inside by
Janesville's own Gary Gandy and a Peace Pole and plaza. The peace pole is the
world's tallest peace pole at 52 feet and was dedicated on May 28, 2005. Other
popular features include a roller slide and spring teeter-totter. In addition,
Rockport Park offers the city's most extensive cross-country skiing opportunities
with over 6 miles of diverse trails.
Riverside Park is located on a mile and half
stretch of sweeping shoreline of the Rock
River and has 164 acres. Janesville’s first
large park became the jewel of the park
system with winding roads, wooded groves,
and nature trails. An 18-hole golf course
occupies the upper level, picnic areas,
playgrounds, and a wide variety of recreational
facilities, occupy the scenic river frontage
below. These recreation facilities include,
baseball, basketball, sand court volleyball, fishing, softball, soccer, nature trail,
play equipment, boating, shuffleboard courts, horseshoe pits, the Devil's
Staircase section of the Ice Age Trail and a free wading pool.
Palmer Park spans 164 acres and features a
wading pool, a playground, sand court volleyball,
nature trails, softball, tennis courts, a concession
stand, picnic pavilions, and a pet exercise and
training area.
Northeast Regional Park is an 87 acre wooded
park with beautiful open space and a Nature
Trail.
Community Parks
Janesville is home to several large Community Parks. These
parks are designed to serve residents within a radius of a few
miles. The size of these excellent parks allows them the
space to offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities to
residents.
Community Parks Special Features
Bond Park
Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Play
Equipment, Pavilion, Restrooms
Kiwanis Community Park Playground Structure, Two Small Pavilions, Soccer,
Softball
Lustig Park Disc Golf, Fishing, Restrooms, Pavilion
Monterey Park River Setting, Basketball, Fishing, Softball, Football,
Paved Trail, Restrooms
Optimist Community Park Hiking Trail, Prairie Remnants
Traxler Park
Horticulture Gardens, Boat Launches, Fishing, Sand
Court Volleyball, Outdoor Hockey & Ice Rink, Play
Equipment, Pavilions, Restrooms, Veterans
Memorial Plaza, Holiday Light Display, Rock Aqua
Jays
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Neighborhood Parks
Janesville's numerous Neighborhood Parks are located
throughout the city and are designed to service the individual
neighborhoods in which they are located. Neighborhood Parks
help to ensure that nearly all Janesville residents live within
walking distance of at least one of their excellent park facilities.
Neighborhood Parks Special Features
Adams Park
Ardon Park Sledding Hill
Briarcrest Park Trail
Burbank Park Open Space
Claremont Park
Courthouse Park Amphitheater
Excalibur Park Soccer
Fourth Ward Park Open Space
Hampshire Park Ball Field
Hawthorne Park Ball Field
Holiday Park Basketball Hoop
Huron Park
Jefferson Park Ball Field
Jeffris Park Stream and Field
Loch Lomond Park Soccer, Ball Field
Mandale Park Ball Field
Marquette Park Open Space
Nantucket Park Basketball Court
Parker Park Pathway, flowers
Peace Park Large Playground, Pavilion
Pershing Park
Prairie Park
Ruger Park
Rushmore Park
Sherwood Park Open Space
Southgate Park
Valley Park Ball Field
Vista Park Mature Woods
Washington Park
Waveland Park Ball Field
Woodcrest Park Ball Field, Trail
Zonta Park
Bicycle Trails
Janesville is in pursuit of connecting many
neighborhoods with the Janesville segment
of the Ice Age Trail via Bicycle Trails. More
than 25 miles of paved trail have been
constructed throughout the city. From
Janesville the statewide Ice Age Trail, a
thousand-mile footpath entirely within Wisconsin, will one day connect to the west
with the Sugar River Bike Trail, north to Milton/Fort Atkinson and east to the Kettle
Moraine State Forest. The Ice Age Trail Alliance works with local city government
with the mission of shaping the Ice Age Trail into one of the premier hiking trails in
the United States.
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Adopt-a-Trail
TheAdopt-a-Trail program allows families, organizations and businesses to adopt
a section of the bike trail and provide periodic maintenance. This program has
been very successful and there are only a limited number of trail sections
remaining to be adopted.
Adopt-A-Park
Adopt-A-Park is a similar program that permits groups and organizations to
provide their time and talents to our parks. We welcome projects of any duration
and encourage ongoing park commitments. Only about half of the parks are
currently adopted.
Dog Parks
Paw Print Park is a fully fenced and double-gated 17-
acre dog park with a separate section for small dogs
(under 25 lbs.) A daily fee is payable on site or annual
permits can be purchased from Janesville Leisure
Services with proof of rabies vaccination/local
municipality dog license.
In addition to the enclosed dog park, there are dog exercise areas found in
designated portions of Palmer Park and the Rock River Parkway where citizens
can exercise and train their dogs without having the dog on a leash.
Golf Courses
b.
There are two opportunities for golf in Janesville. The
first,Riverside Golf Club, is ranked as one of Southern
Wisconsin's best public golf courses. Riverside Golf
Course received a 3.5 star rating by Golf Digest and
has been showcased as one of the top 50 best values
in public golf in the country. Riverside Golf Course is
located near the scenic Rock River on the northwest
side of Janesville and built in 1924 by architect Robert
Bruce Harris. The Ray Fischer Tournament is held at Riverside and is one of the
most prestigious amateur events in the Midwest.
Blackhawk Golf Club is one of Wisconsin's finest and most popular nine-hole
facilities. The challenging yet playable course winds along Spring Brook and is
perfect for players of all levels.
Boat Launches
The Janesville Parks Department operates six boat launches on the Rock River,
Kiwanis Pond and Lions Pond.
Recreation
c.
Recreation offers many activities for people of all ages, including concerts and
events, special needs programs, swimming and adult and youth recreation (see
Appendix E; Aggregated Data). The division provides services for several local
recreation providers in terms of facility reservations, technical support and sharing
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of resources. The department works closely with the Janesville School District in
coordinating space to adequately meet the growing need for recreation facilities
and green space. Leisure Services partners with several area businesses and
non-profit organizations to offer diverse programming opportunities.
Adult Sports Leagues & Programs
The City provides the opportunity for the following adult sports:
Adult Kickball League
Adult Tennis Lessons
Adult Sand Volleyball (co-ed and women's)
Adult Softball (co-ed, men's, women's, church & open)
Cardio Tennis
Disc Golf Lessons
Pickleball Pick Up Games
Shuffleboard Pick Up Games
Co-ed Kickball
Fall Volleyball (men's and women's)
Co-ed Dodgeball
Co-ed Volleyball
Men's Basketball
Aquatics
Recreation offers a variety of aquatics
programs, including outdoor swimming
facilities, lap swimming, facility rental,
children's swimming lessons, youth swim
camp and adult hydro-aerobics.
Rockport Pool is an Olympic size pool,
complete with diving well, wading pool,
bathhouse, showers and concession stand.
ThePalmer Wading Pool, located in Palmer Park and the Riverside Wading Pool,
located in Riverside Park,have filtered water and various water features.
Lions Beach is a 5-acre spring fed lake that offers a sandy beach, grassy picnic
area, and bathrooms.
Other Aquatics Programs
Discover SCUBA
Scuba Diving
GuardStart
Lifeguard in Training
Red Cross Swim Lessons
Parent / Tot Swim Lessons
Youth Swim Camp
Adult Hydro Aerobics
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Youth Sports Complex and Youth Sports Coalition
TheJanesville Youth Sports Complex is a 90-acre
park facility located on South Wuthering Hills Drive
that is leased to the Youth Sports Coalition. The
Coalition is comprised of four different sports
organizations, the YMCA, Youth Football, Youth
Baseball and United Soccer. The complex includes
two baseball diamonds, four football fields and ten
soccer fields.
Janesville Senior Activity Center
d.
The purpose of the Janesville Senior Activity Center is to facilitate and promote
the many interests of the ever-increasing senior population. The Center offers the
opportunity for advocacy, creativity, friendship, and leadership in crafting and fine
arts, music and dance, continuing education, games and travel. It also offers
activities for seniors and adults such as opportunities for travel, learning, dancing,
socializing and helping the community. The center has two bands and two choirs,
as well as several dance groups that perform regionally. It also sponsors many
services for seniors, such as tax preparation, monthly benefit specialist, and
preventative health services.
Janesville Ice Skating Center
e.
TheJanesville Ice Skating Center offers indoor ice skating
year round, featuring public skating, Polar Express skating
instruction, hockey programs, Janesville Jets hockey games,
figure skating and special events.
City Communications
2.
The City uses several communications tools to provide public information to
residents, encourage citizen involvement and access, promote communication
and foster trust. The City communicates with residents, visitors and businesses
using the following:
City Newsletter, Park Place News
Recreation Guides (bi-annually)
New Resident Packets
Weekly press release via email
Quarterly Water Bills
Special Inserts and Ads in Gazette
Department Brochures
Web site
The City of Janesville has a public access television station Janesville Community
Access Television (“JATV”) that broadcasts on the Charter Communication cable
system. The mission of JATV is to make available to residents a facility,
equipment, training, and support for the production of quality, non-commercial
programs. The purpose of the channel is to provide informational, educational,
and entertaining local programs that reflect the community and the area.
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3. Physical Assets
The physical assets that represent all City wide departments create an important
base for partnership applicants (buildings, parks, warehouses and automotive
vehicles). Many of these assets have been mentioned earlier in this section.
Other primary assets include:
City Transit Center
City Fleet
Rotary Gardens
Monterey Stadium
Dawson Field
Kiwanis Trail
Lincoln-Tallman House Museum
Kennedy Industrial Park
Municipal Building
City Parking Garage
Oakhill Public Cemetery
Fire Stations (5)
Police Stations (104 officers)
4. Special Events
Janesville is home to several special events throughout the year that bring many
visitors from outside the community to the city.
National Ski Show Tournament
Held every 3 years at Traxler Park
o
Attendance 1-3 million (1,000-3,000 nightly)
o
Rock County Fair
Southern Wisconsin Airfest
Janesville LaborFest
th
Janesville 4 of July Festival
Conclusion
The infrastructure provided in this section will reflect our foundation for the
following partnership categories. This previous section highlights the City’s higher
profile resources and can be used to aggressively market all of the partnerships
packages as well as playing host to many of the activities recommended.
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IV. REVENUE GENERATING CATEGORIES
Our Strategic Marketing Plan calls for the City to execute a round of negotiations
or RFPs to be issued to vendors for different kinds of goods and services in their
respective categories. The proposed category list reflects the opportunities The
Active Network has identified as having most promising value and revenue
potential for the City of Janesville. The following top five categories are listed in
order of priority based on Active’s experience, the compilation of data collected
during our review of existing contracts and policies.
Corporate Partnership Criteria
On the basis of the work completed to date as stated in the recommended
categories and given our understanding of the commitment of City Staff and City
Board, Active has developed recommendations based on the following criteria:
Revenue potential
– all of these ideas are believed to bear promise of
significant revenue returns. Because policy decisions to be made in each
category will greatly influence the revenue to be yielded by these
concepts, it is extremely difficult to reliably estimate the likely revenue
yields of each idea.
Attainability
– we believe each of these ideas is attainable, given the
commitment of emotional as well as human resources within Active and at
the City. These ideas will vary in the amount of effort and time it will take
to satisfy all of the political considerations and legal requirements that they
may involve.
Public Acceptance
– each of these ideas is judged to be at least neutral
to highly positive in popular appeal, given an adroit job of announcing
them to the press. The most popular are likely to be ideas that add new
services that the communities they serve will welcome.
The following pages contain descriptions of the recommended category
opportunities. The order in which they are presented reflects the order that Active
recommends to the City for implementation.
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Recommended Partnership Categories
These are the initial categories Active recommends the City pursue:
1. Public Space Recycling
2. Beverage & Snack
3. Municipal Marketing Web page
4. Media Services
A. Digital Outdoor Network
B. Backlit Panel, Banners & Posters
C. Vehicle Fleet Advertising
D. Building Interiors
E. Facility & Event Signage
5. Janesville Proud Partnership Program
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1. PUBLIC SPACE RECYCLING/TRASH RECEPTACLES
A sustainable community uses its resources to meet current needs while ensuring
that adequate resources are available for future generations.Federal stimulus
funds have helped Janesville carry out three energy efficiency projects:
Residential energy audits; basic energy improvements; "Green Action" planning
initiative to create more sustainable practices, services, and outputs; retrofit red
traffic signal incandescent bulbs.
Wisconsin law requires all citizens in Wisconsin to recycle at home and at work;
Janesville began curbside recycling in April of 1994. In an effort to increase the
sustainability practices of the City of Janesville, Active recommends the
development and implementation of a Public Space Recycling program. The City
should develop a Public Space Recycling program that generates incremental
revenue while making public recycling more available and effective as well as
educating citizens about social responsibility. This program will be in alignment
with Janesville’s Recycling Away From Home program that requires organizations
hosting special events in City parks to recycle and create a recycling plan.
The Public Space Recycling category will
provide new and attractive state-of-the-art
recycling bins to the City of Janesville, at no
cost, with the goal of creating a greener
community, developing educational and
public awareness campaigns, and creating
a new revenue stream generated from local
business community support. The City of
Janesville will seek the interest of a Partner
who is experienced in public space
recycling to enter into an agreement directly
with the City.
The Partner will collaborate with community haulers to integrate new public space
recycling pickup routes into existing routes; or, as necessary, to plan and
implement new routes that may be needed to provide adequate coverage for
public spaces. The Partner will also supervise the collections and recycling flow at
each location to add recycling bins or pickups as needed and will be fully
responsible for monitoring, maintaining and replacing the recycling bins as
needed.
The partner will promote local merchants on the recycling bins using tasteful ad
templates in keeping with the character of the community and a percentage of the
advertising revenue will be shared with the City. These recycling bins need to be
strategically located in high visibility locations on selected City properties.
Public Educational Campaigns
Public awareness and understanding the
importance and benefits of recycling is key to the
success of every community’s recycling initiative.
Recycling education for the public results in lower
levels of contaminants in the recycling waste
stream and increased compliance as recycling
becomes habitual for your community.
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Working with the community, the partner will recruit local volunteers to join a
Green Team of trained experts to help launch a comprehensive Public Awareness
Campaign in the community. Green Team members (Janesville Sustainable
Committee) will visit high foot traffic locations to educate the public by delivering a
consistent message. When working with the City of Janesville, the partner will
also develop Green Team education within local schools and civic centers.
Why Public Space Recycling?
All too often, in public spaces such as shopping areas, downtown districts, parks,
schools, transportationhubs, and sports complexes, recyclable materials are
discarded into general trash bins. These recyclables such as plastic, glass
bottles, aluminum cans, and newspapers, are headed for the landfill rather than
the recycling plant.
This happens when public space recycling bins are scarce and when the public is
not adequately educated about the importance of recycling. This is a lost
opportunity for the community and an even bigger loss for the environment. A
public recycling program helps to change this unfortunate reality.
Proven Results – EPA Factors
As part of the program, the Partner will provide up-to-date
information on the program’s recycling progress. The Partner
will also include monthly “Community Impact Report” that
converts recycling tonnage into EPA equivalent factors,
showing tangible results such as saved trees and pollution
reduction. This allows the community to see their positive
impact on the environment and continue to help promote
sustainability.
Sample Public Space Recycling RFP
Please see Appendix Dfor a sample RFP that has been executed by our client,
the City of Las Vegas. A customized Public Space Recycling RFP will be provided
based on the City of Janesville’s decision to move forward with this program.
Trash Receptacle Advertising
Aside from the revenues provided by the Public Recycling program, even the
sides of the trash receptacles in public facilities, or publicly-owned receptacles
used by private households create opportunities for advertising placement which
in turn may generate additional revenues. These might be used for the placement
of trash cans that have been embellished with “ad wraps”.
Within certain areas and similar to the Public Recycling program, trash
receptacles could be purchased by the recycling partner and they would manage
media advertising on the designated trash receptacles. Any trash receptacle
design would be subject to review by local design guidelines.
Active will work with City staff and the partner to design the most attractive and
appropriate receptacle. These receptacles will also have advertising panels built
within the frame. It will provide a necessary service to the community and provide
an incremental opportunity for additional messaging.
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Active’s goal would be to assist in negotiating a deal that would have an exclusive
partner for the City which would require management of both recycling and trash
receptacles. The City could save money by not having to buy and install the
equipment, and they would be providing a much needed service while beautifying
the community by maintaining the receptacles.
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2. BEVERAGE & SNACK VENDING
a. Beverage Vending Concept
Grant a beverage manufacturer or third party vendor exclusive rights to vend and
pour their beverage brands and products on all City property for an extended
period of time.
Analysis
The City’s Leisure Services currently has
an agreement with Coca-Cola with terms
and commission structures (excludes Ice
Skating Center). These types of contracts
can typically be cancelled without cause
30 days after receipt of prior written
notice. Active recommends that the local
bottlers of Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, and
Cadbury-Schweppes brands (Dr.
Pepper/Seven-Up/Gatorade and Snapple)
and third-party vendors be offered the
opportunity to compete for the exclusive
right to distribute their products on all
available City properties. In this case the
company selected would be granted the
exclusive right to vend, dispense, pour and otherwise sell their products on all
available City-owned properties for an extended period of time. We recommend
that the contract be set for a ten-year period. This will increase the profitability of
the contract for the bottler or vendor selected, and will therefore encourage the
potential sponsors to increase the value of their bids. The actual value of these
assets will of course be determined by the winning applicant’s last and best offer
for their use. Active will also require these participants to engage their respective
marketing department’s resources for additional in kind donations and healthy
product selections.
Prospective Locations
Active recommends that a comprehensive audit of City facilities and respective
vendors be undertaken, and that a review of the existing contract be performed.
The City assets to be included will be an aggregate of all current agreements city-
wide as well as include all incremental beverage and snack opportunities that will
be identified during the vendor audit.
In making this recommendation, we acknowledge that the City must find its own
optimum balance in serving the needs of the public for:
More revenue to support City services without increasing taxes and
fees
More convenient access to the beverages adults prefer – in order to
satisfy thirst, the need for cooling refreshment, to rehydrate after
exercise, or simply as a self-indulgence
Unobtrusive, even visually appealing commercial intrusions onto public
property
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Neutral to positive environmental impact
More support for publicly sanctioned events and programs
Each and every place in which a vending or pouring rights location might be sited
must be examined critically. The rate of sales and profitability of each location will
depend on:
Pedestrian traffic
– a vending machine
located in a heavily used public facility that
is busy around the clock will be worth up to
five times as much as a vending machine in
a neighborhood park used only in fair
weather.
Ambient temperatures
– beverage sales
rates in the summer’s warmest months are
double or even triple those experienced
during the winter.
Income levels
– higher discretionary
incomes in neighboring areas will lead to
somewhat higher sales rates.
Security
– the likely losses per machine due to vandalism, due to
elevated crime rates or the local presence of undisciplined adolescents
can depress the profitability of a machine.
Packaging the RFP
: The next step after the review of assets is complete is to
develop and issue a Request for Proposal. Included in this Plan is a customized
Beverage & Snack Services RFP (see Appendix C). The RFP to be issued to
qualified bottlers and/or vendors should outline a Corporate Partnership package
that reflects an agreed-on price/value strategy and include the following key
elements:
A sponsorship package that allows a selected beverage bottler or
vendor to generate an appropriate profit in such a way that still serves
the needs of the City.
An outline of a suggested rights and benefits package that will
stimulate the selected bottler to use their marketing funds for publicly
beneficial programs and will help the bottler’s promote their brand,
product and service plans.
Encourage bottlers to bid on the basis of guaranteed revenue for at
least the first three years of a ten-year-long contract period, rather
than on the basis of commissions (commission bids tend to turn the
City into an unwilling sales agent for the bottler, rather than simply
serving as a sponsor).
Merchandising the Opportunity
: Once the selected bottlers and/or vendors
have received the RFP, Active recommends that the City assist the potential
bottlers and/or vendors to obtain the most expansive view of the dimensions of
the opportunity that is being offered to them.
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Basically, this means arranging and (where
advisable) personally conducting separate tours for
executives of each of these bottlers. These tours
will cover all of the sites on which vending or
pouring rights opportunities may be found. This will
be an extensive, but critically important part of the
process of promoting the highest possible bid. In
the course of these tours, it has been Active’s
experience that new opportunities for the placement of additional machines are
always discovered. And the value of each such machine can be up to $30,000 for
the term of the contract. Because of the time-consuming nature of these tours,
several weeks will be needed to complete them. Upon completion of the tours
bottlers and vendors will need additional time to prepare and submit their
responses.
Promoting High Bids
: Prior to submission of their proposals, firms should be
repeatedly contacted, enticed, and encouraged to compete aggressively in
bidding against their leading business rivals for the rights to an exclusive
sponsorship contract with the City.
Valuations
Our revenue estimates for a new Master Beverage Contract can be provided with
a fair degree of confidence on the basis of the information available to us at this
time and our experience with similar size municipalities. The current type of
vending machines that are producing revenue for the City are:
Bottled/Canned Beverage
Hot Beverage/Coffee Service
Non-Carbonated Beverage
Snack Machines
We estimate there are approximately 50-70 vending machine location
opportunities currently placed in administration buildings and other City
departments. Based on the City’s projected incremental opportunities (identified
via vendor audits) the total number of vending opportunities could rise an average
of 20-25%; along with improvements of revenue share ranging from 20-30%.
Vending machines traditionally generate $1000.00 to $1800.00 per machine
annually. Based on these figures the City of Janesville could generate between
$75,000 to $125,000 a year for 10-15 years.
Revenue Production Rates
It should be noted that the value of vending machines to a bottler or vendor will be
totally contingent on each machine’s production of sales revenue, less its cost of
operation. Valuations of beverage vending machines are not derived by formulas
as an exact science, but are instead likely to be based on a subjective
assessment of the likely value of each location. The bottler or vendor is likely to
follow the same procedure as did Active’s analysts: take a look at each
prospective location, see what kind of traffic and security conditions prevail, and
then estimate the revenue potential of that location.
In keeping with our customary practice of seeking to maximize the revenue
returns for our clients, we have adopted a very aggressive stance in suggesting
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the placement of new vending and pouring facilities on City properties, wherever
they might be justified. Bottlers and vendors may not see the same degree of new
placement opportunities, which might cause the actual revenues the City may
realize from these sources to be less than estimated, at least until the City’s
continued growth makes all of the placements profitable for the bottler and/or
vendor partner.
Of course, these estimates bear no guarantee. It is simply based on our
experience with the valuations of similar properties by bottlers and vendors
bidding for similar rights in other municipalities. The final offering of these
interested parties will depend on their own valuation of these properties, as well
as the economic circumstances prevalent at the time of the submission of their
proposals, as well as their own assessment of the opportunities provided by local
circumstances.
It should be understood that these estimates could overestimate the actual
revenues to be received by the City from these sources by as much as 15%, and
underestimate these revenues by as much as 10%. The actual, final values will
be dependent on future planned and “built-in” growth by the City and its facilities
as well as on bottler and vendor valuations that precede their offers of support.
Existing Contracts
The vending agreement that the City currently has can be terminated with an
approximate 30 day written notice. Upon approval of the Beverage and Snack
Vending concept Active recommends immediate termination and that an RFP be
prepared and marketed at the City’s earliest convenience (see Beverage & Snack
Services RFP, Appendix C). It generally takes 3-4 months for the vendor walk-
throughs, preparation and submission of bids. Analysis, negotiation, selection and
announcement would take an additional 3 months. Active will work closely with
the purchasing department throughout the entire process.
Other Benefits
In addition to providing the City with extra revenue from its share of the sales of
beverages, the manufacturer and/or vendors with whom the City contracts will
perform these additional, important services:
Vendors will maintain fresh stocks of product for in the vending
machines, thereby serving the public’s need for refreshment and
nourishment on a convenient basis on public property.
Vendors will reimburse the City for any refunds that the City may need
to issue to complainants at any facility who demand to be reimbursed
for vending transactions for which they have made payment, but have
failed to receive the merchandise they desired.
Vendors will provide the City with readily audited records of all sales
transactions on a regular basis, which will improve the accountability
of this resource.
Vendors will absorb liability losses due to vandalism perpetrated on
unsupervised machines in open areas, and will, where necessary,
install upgraded equipment where recurring vandalism problems make
it necessary to provide a higher level of security for vending
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equipment.
Active believes that the City can tap an important source for increased revenue
yields from its beverage and snack vending sponsorships by substantially
increasing the populations of vending machines and pouring facilities on public
property. As was noted in previous sections, these increases can readily be
defended as providing a desirable public service, as well as the opportunity for
increased revenue and public participation of the City’s sustainability objectives.
For example, by aggressive placement of vending machines in every public park
with adequate facilities, traffic, and security, we believe the City may be able to
substantially increase its current revenues. Increased vending and serving
populations, coupled with higher commission rates, is likely to increase City
revenues from these kinds of contracts substantially.
Guarantees versus Commissions
Ideally, we would hope to encourage those firms that submit responses to the
City’s Request for Proposals for Beverage and Snack Services to provide their
bids in the form of revenue guarantees, rather than in the form of commission
rates. The reason for this preference is simple: otherwise, structured on a
commission-only basis, the vendor is free to install machines at a leisurely pace in
only those locations where their Return on Investment (“ROI”) is most attractive,
considering the average cost of these machines is approximately $3,000 each not
including installation costs.
When a bottler or vendor installs machines in only the most promising locations
and thus undermines their ability to live up to their initial revenue estimates, the
practice is called “cherry picking.” This kind of “cherry picking” can be prevented
by encouraging bidders to guarantee as much of their offer as possible. Ideally,
Active urges them to guarantee their full ten-year commitment. Short of that, at
least the first two years must be guaranteed, even if it is made subject to later
adjustment, in order to encourage the sponsor to install as many machines as
possible “up front,” so that the City will be assured the highest possible degree of
revenue even after the guarantees expire.
Policy Considerations
Whenever a public entity invites comments from constituents or public officials on
the prospect of an exclusive contract with marketers of soft drinks, there is likely
to be a lively debate promoted by a vocal minority that is passionately opposed to:
Any use of public facilities in a manner that will preferentially benefit a
selected private enterprise. These objections may be stated as
opposition to “excessive commercialization,” or simply to contracts
which are awarded on an exclusive basis.
Sweetened soft drinks, whether sweetened with sugar (“candy in a
bottle”), or with artificial sweeteners (which provokes expressions of
concern about the safety of the controversial sweetener aspartame).
Active recommends that all locations be offered the option to request
“healthy” beverage and snack options as part of the program.
Active has several responses to the objections to soft drink contracts as they may
be established by cities, counties, and hospital systems:
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The typical user of a soft drink vending machine is likely to be an adult.
This user will be free to buy a soft drink from a private sector retailer if
such a product isn’t available at public facilities.
All of these products are already sold at many public facilities. Too
often, the public does not receive its full and fair share of the revenues
obtained.
The products offered in these machines will not only consist of
sweetened soft drinks, but may (as you direct) also — or instead —
contain bottled or canned water, fruit juices or drinks, isotonic sports
beverages, teas, and other types of “healthier” beverages, depending
on the age of likely users at each location.
Whatever the contents of these beverages, they serve a useful
nutritional need for hydration, while quenching thirst, providing
refreshment, and even helping to cool the user in hot weather, thanks
to their refrigerated form.
After these issues have been positively resolved, additional policy concerns must
be addressed. How to deal with individuals and organizations that currently derive
revenue directly from the vending assets in place on City property? Active
recommends that the City offer assurances to any groups such as the Police or
Fire Department that the City will “make them whole” after the new deal is in
place. The meaning of “make them whole” will generally involve providing them
with a revenue stream after the new deal is in place that is comparable to the
revenues they enjoyed prior to the new City-wide contract. The primary
differences will be that now the group’s revenue will come from the City rather
than the vendor of their choice and the brand selections will be made by the City
rather than the group.
B. Snack Vending Concept
Grant a snack and coffee vendor exclusive rights to vend or pour these products
on all City property for an extended period of time.
Analysis
Like beverage marketers, the leading local operators of snack
vending machines should also be offered the opportunity to
compete for the exclusive right to vend and otherwise sell the
snack products of the various companies with which they
customarily do business. These contracts should also offer the
exclusive right to vend and otherwise sell suitable snack
products on all available City properties for a ten-year period.
Active believes that this bidding process should take place at the
same time as the contracts for soft drinks are put out for bid. It is
entirely possible that one or more of the leading local vendors
may ask to compete for the right to the soft drink contract as well
as for the exclusive right to sell snacks. We would urge the City
to permit these vendors to compete on this kind of expanded basis, with the
proviso that they also prepare their bids in two parts, one part of which assumes
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that they will serve the City by providing snack vending services alone.
It should be kept in mind that the bottlers of soft drinks have a considerably wider
profit margin with which to compete for these kinds of contracts. Typically, when
bidding on a “commission only” basis, without guarantees, bottlers will offer up to
a 35% sales commission on the vending of 20 ounce beverages, while snack and
soda vendors will at most be able to offer a 20% commission on soft drinks (and
more likely, between 15% and 20%, if they are to make a profit).
Prospective Locations
A review for potential snack machine placements can be performed while auditing
the City for beverage location opportunities.
Snack revenues will be a fraction of the beverage revenues, since there are far
fewer sites for these vending devices on City property, their volumes are lower
than soft drink machines, and the profit margins available to the vendors are
smaller than are the margins for soft drinks. The City should be pleased if it were
able to generate 10% of the revenue from its snack vending devices as from its
soft drink sponsorship.
Policy Considerations
The same considerations apply to this category as to soft drinks (see above). In
response to rising public criticism of excessively high amounts of sugar or salt in
many conventional packaged snacks, marketers are increasingly making
available healthier and more nutritious single-serving
snack products for vending machines. These include
packaged fresh foods (like baby carrots) that may have
a high rate of perishability, and that therefore require
placement only in installations where very high
purchase rates will justify a relatively high rate of
restocking frequency. If desired, these kinds of healthy
snacks can be mandated in any RFP issued to
prospective vendors.
Total Beverage and Snack Package Valuation
As noted above, Active is recommending that Janesville offer a package that
reflects the aggregation of as many vending locations and pouring opportunities
to a potential sponsor for a ten-year term. This will maximize the revenue
potential to the City. The benefits of bundling assets allow a major manufacturer
(brand) or third-party vendor to become a true partner of the City at multiple
levels. This will bring about positive change:
New and technologically advanced machines
Wider variety of new products (healthier)
Better service based on efficiencies and being a priority account due
to size of agreement
Access to major brand’s marketing departments which have a
separate budget and willingness to support key sponsorship initiatives
We have provided a estimated revenue figure based on our experience with other
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municipalities and comparables; this figure will change dependent upon your
beverage and snack locations offerings to the vendor. Our expertise in this area
as well as the comparables in other cities that were not negotiated by Active
indicates that a ten-year deal is much more profitable to a City. With a ten-year
program the revenue potential to the City could be as much as three times the
amount of a five-year program. Partners are more willing to put more upfront
monies into a program that is longer because they make a huge investment in
machines to sustain the program. If a bottler/vendor only puts machines in for five
years they may not recoup their investment unless they put fewer machines into
only the highest traffic locations.
We have successfully executed numerous beverage/snack and pouring rights
agreements across the City (currently 25) and are confident that this category can
be executed relatively quickly producing an immediate source of revenue.
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3.CITY OF JANESVILLE MUNCIPAL MARKETING WEB PAGE
Concept
The launch of the City of Janesville municipal marketing campaign begins with the
development of an interactive City of Janesville Municipal Marketing Web Page
(“MM Web Page”) with proprietary positioning on the City’s web site to display
information that would be commercially useful to all City revenue opportunities
and marketing partnerships. The City, in collaboration with The Active Network,
would engage a suite of online technology solutions to automate and streamline
online sponsorships, donations, partnerships, campaign managements, event
registration, marketing, promotions and events. This allows the City to collect
online donations for any type of fundraising campaign in coordination with an
existing event or a standalone fundraising drive. The MM Web Page would be a
clearinghouse for all of the City‘s marketing activities. Each marketing section will
have a specific target audience, and will be educational, provocative and have the
ability for constituents to make online contributions immediately.
The key sections recommended are:
Current Partnerships
Green Marketing Partnerships
Council President’s Message
New Partnership / Sponsorship Opportunities
Give Where You Live (Leisure Services: Parks, Sports, Seniors)
On Line Advertising / Advertisements (Google Ads)
Idea/Suggestion Box (got ideas?)
Marketing News Around the Country (Latest News)
Analysis
This customized municipal marketing site will have multi-purpose capabilities.
This site will feature City-wide marketing efforts and promote our partnerships and
sponsorships. It will also serve as a revenue-generating tool that registers and
educates commercial sponsors, public donations and Green partnerships. This
page will include features that allow direct financial transactions, message
boards, promotions and email communication capabilities. By driving traffic to the
City web site and promoting the MM Web Page the City will have created a
marketing tool that can be used for revenue generation at the City’s discretion.
The potential revenue from this source will be determined upon the number of
partners/sponsors, the amount of promotion by the City and the content value
developed.
Green Marketing Partnerships:
Included in this page will be the latest
information on sustainability and green initiatives. By promoting our Green
partners and sharing revenues on sales of their respective products and services
allows both revenue generation and benefit to the community. It also positions the
City as a leader and steward of environmental issues.
Events, issues and ideas can be reviewed, evaluated and commented on to
better position the City as a true leader and listener of its respective citizens.
There is also the opportunity to develop dedicated Green marketing partnerships.
These partners could promote their respective Green products and services while
sharing revenue with the City.
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Municipal Fundraising:
An example of raising revenues through promotions
th
would be if the City were to cancel the 4 of July Festival. A plan to have citizen
and merchants participate in a fundraising program would direct them to the MM
Web Page (local media could also support this promotion). Another example of
this would be to address water issues with a water conservation campaign to
include the community in an effort that impacts citizens as well as the City.
Community Giving/Marketing
By including the ActiveGiving solution Active will provide online fundraising
technology for any or all departments or groups (profit or non-profit) to maximize
fundraising potential and drive additional revenues. Active is well suited to
develop these donations and fundraising tools. Currently Active manages over 40
thousand listings each year and over 200 million in registration fees making
Active the leading provider of this customized technology. This is the best tool
that is adaptable for even individual use for any cause deemed appropriate for the
City.
ActiveGiving
Fundraising technology that can be used to collect general donations,
membership fees, campaigns and individual and team fundraising
Online registration for your “thons”, walks, 5K’s, marathon training
program, golf outing, or special event
Ticket sales for your gala or golf outing
Website design and hosting
Fundraising consulting and excellent customer support for you and your
fundraisers
Online trainer (www.activetrainer.com)
Online registration and management for your volunteers
Many contacts in the participatory sports world that can help you build
your programs
Online community message boards
Fundraising Tips
Benefits:
The purpose is to engage local citizens, regional and local businesses
and prospective sponsors and donors in a manner that would allow the following
benefits:
Promotes and solicits City marketing partners and sponsors
Educates the public regarding City marketing programs
Supports Green and sustainability plans with actionable alternatives
Generates revenue from creative marketing partner agreements
Interacts with the public by blogging or polling capabilities
Creates a venue for site or event specific funding/donations
Provides a platform for City wide fundraising and promotions
Archives press and success stories in support of the City’s municipal
marketing efforts
Builds a database of residents, donors, and sponsors
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City of Janesville Municipal Marketing Web page
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4. MEDIA SERVICES
Concept
The Media Services category will serve as a catalyst for the City’s municipal
marketing program. This category will include all levels of traditional and non-
traditional advertising mediums. The featured advertising product will be the
strategically placed Digital Outdoor Network. This network becomes a revenue
generating tool that also allows the City to control a percent of the inventory in
order to communicate to its citizens in real time with emergency or non-
emergency information as well as a platform for City partner advertisements.
The City of Janesville, with the guidance of The Active Network, will seek the
interest of a professional service provider (“Partner”) who is experienced in
internal and external media services, marketing and sponsorships to enter into an
agreement directly with the City. The scope of work
would request the partner to solicit advertising and
sponsorships that would include city-wide events and
initiatives with the objective of improving the quality of
life and image of the communities serviced by the City.
The Partner would also be granted the opportunity to
develop and manage all of the City’s approved media
requirements on an exclusive basis. This partnership
agreement is intended to provide the City incremental
revenue potential from commercial advertisements by
possibly using the Digital Outdoor Network, roof top
digital, bench backs, banners, posters, bill boards,
vehicles, refuse containers, web sites, and
sponsorships. (Collectively referred to as “Advertising
Media"). The provider will insure routine maintenance
of all Advertising Media built or maintained by the Partner. The advertising media
materials/furniture will be designed to complement key areas of the City. The City
would expect that a percentage of the inventory will be granted for City marketing
purposes and/or public notices. Active will review current City sign ordinances
and amendments to the zoning chapter of the code of the City of Janesville.
Advertising Media is intended to be primarily non-public forums and any
advertising displays are for purposes of generating revenue or for City marketing
and are not necessarily for providing a forum for
expression. Displays of noncommercial, alcohol /
tobacco / adult oriented advertisements may be
prohibited based on City policy. As such, individual
advertisers must first qualify and obtain permission to
advertise and the burden is on the Proposer to make
sure advertisements comply with City policy and
guidelines.
Analysis
Signage as an advertising medium actually embraces
such a wide variety of formats and businesses that it
probably should be considered as a number of
categories instead of just one. Traditionally no single Request for Proposal
allowed responses from any single vendor who is capable of covering all
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components of the bid. But for the sake of convenience, we will consider Media
Services as a single category for this report with the understanding that a media
firm possesses the capability to include their major brand climate to reach even
deeper within the same market. We have addressed each category through
different sections because the timing of implementation will vary and programs
will require a different strategy for placement of signage. Active’s goal is to
proactively identify all reasonable options for the City and to provide the City with
the greatest possible return on their investment using their respective facilities
and assets.
In keeping with that view, we suggest that, if the City elects to do so, major
signage assets should be offered as an aggregated bundle to prospects. Active
can structure competitive RFPs for these opportunities in order to generate
significant incremental revenue for the City of Janesville. The more specialized
kinds of advertising assets may prove to be of interest only to media brokers who
focus their advertising sales efforts on these more unconventional media.
In selecting any media advertising representative, two factors need to be
considered as of paramount importance: (1) the likelihood that the advertising
rates to be asked by the partner rep firm for the signage are likely to be so
attractive to advertisers that the space is almost sure to be “fully booked” (usually
meaning booked more than 85% of the time) with revenue-producing advertisers,
and (2) that the rates of return to the City are adequately rewarding, whether they
are based on guarantees or on commissions. At best, the placement of
community-acceptable advertising and messaging on public property can very
quickly produce valuable revenue from advertisers who wish to employ this space
for the exposure of their products and services. Once a package has been
valued, the contracts for their use can be concluded within two to four months.
The various assets and facilities that the City of Janesville and its prospective
partners could acceptably offer for use by advertisers’ signage include a wide
array of assets, as described herein.
A. Digital Outdoor Network
To the out-of-home media trade, the
conventional, standard billboard is
commonly referred to as a “thirty sheet
poster,” meaning that its large surface was
once composed from thirty pre-printed
posters glued to a board to form a single
advertising message. To those in the
signage business, these signs are the “meat
and potatoes” of their trade, providing a
common and familiar format, widespread
(though not universal) availability, and
proven impact as a potentially striking way to deliver an advertiser’s message.
The value of these installations is directly proportional to the amount of traffic they
face. A “spectacular” board facing Times Square can command a one million
dollar a year rental fee. Yet understanding the current situation with static
billboards, Active would promote primarily digital messaging centers (which are
expected to be the ‘future’ of outdoor advertising) that would be consistent in
theme and design.
The more typical net rates charged to ad agencies for larger roadside boards in
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top tier metropolitan areas range from $800 up to $12,000 per month smaller
towns can expect between 25%-35% of the more typical net rates. Relatively
speaking, the City could negotiate for the use of its properties for such
applications and receive up to 40% of the rep firm’s income. Better yet, if the
terms are for an extended period of time, the capital expense of installing and
illuminating these bulletins will be borne by the partner selected for the contract.
In addition, because these firms are experienced at obtaining all necessary
permits from governing bodies, the expense of legal and lobbying fees for such
an endeavor would also be borne by the selected partner.
Perhaps the highest traffic rates available for these kinds of installations would be
at the interchanges and roundabouts of City roads and highways or at facilities
holding large-scale public events. At each of these interchanges, the opportunity
to erect tall signs that would be visible from the highway should be considered.
The traffic volumes at these points could mean that each such installation could
generate tens of thousands of dollars a year in new revenue from this new use of
City properties.
The locations selected and approved for such
applications will have to be chosen carefully. However,
are such signs out of the realm of consideration for use in
the City of Janesville? We would suggest that the
precedent that has been set indicates that large scale
commercial applications of public spaces are quite within
the realm of the conventional.
At the moment City properties have limited signage. By
all means, City properties that are adjacent to heavily
trafficked areas should be examined to see whether they
might provide good spaces for the installation of
strategically placed signs that could face the traffic but
that could be shielded from the view of City property
users by the installation of trees and other foliage to
cover the signs’ backsides. City Center, police stations,
fire stations, roadside warehouses, and new roadway
extensions pose greater opportunity due to the heavy
visitor and business traffic.
Pursuant to the attached sample RFP for Media Services
(Appendix B) the City of Janesville has a realistic
opportunity to create a new revenue stream, together with a dynamic digital
program, that enables state-of-the-art messaging and new promotional avenues
to promote City activities and events. Active has audited and inspected key
locations that the City may make available for the program and have determined
that there would be a pool of sites that we believe would create a viable revenue
generating advertising program with long term sustainability.
The other important issue is that of the First Amendment and the rights of the City
to embark on a project that would lead to similar advertising requests from the
private sector. The benefit of the City having media inventory would allow local
and regional businesses to participate in advertising at very reasonable rates. The
City legal council will need to be consulted and provide necessary language that
would clearly differentiate the benefits, functions and initiatives that the Digital
Outdoor Network would provide the City vs. private organizations that desire to
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generate advertising revenues.
Accordingly, going forward, should the City obtain all necessary permits,
variances and approvals to proceed with implementation of the Digital Outdoor
Network feature, the third party vendor will be responsible for building and
maintaining the following proposed number of digital displays:
7 large displays
7 medium displays
12 small displays
This estimated product mix outlined for the network would consist of upwards of
20 digital advertising faces, which will enable a third party vendor to provide
guaranteed payments to the City while establishing the necessary outdoor/indoor
advertising infrastructure to facilitate all of the program goals. This includes City
dedicated messaging (approximately 15% of total inventory), sponsorships and
potential naming rights opportunities.
With respect to City dedicated messaging, Active
believes that the proper provision of digital displays
(instead of standard posters) will best serve the City’s
needs to communicate emergencies, Amber Alerts and
other relevant local information. Advertising will not be
motioned commercials yet will be displayed
simultaneously on each display and typically consist of
eight-second spots that run every 64 seconds
continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Advertisers will be able to deliver real time information, and have the opportunity
to target and purchase campaigns by day part, location or geography. These
digital networks will present a powerful revenue generating opportunity for the
City and will enable the fulfillment of the City’s mutually agreed upon goals and
objectives.
Advantages of Digital Displays
Digital Outdoor Networks have many distinct advantages over standard displays.
Some of the most significant advantages include:
Environmental benefits
1.: The carbon footprint of operating this program
will be greatly reduced compared to operating programs with standard
billboards;
No glue is used; no paper, vinyl or light bulbs are disposed of;
Trips of delivery trucks are reduced because there is no need for
delivery of paper or vinyl for posting a campaign or disposal
following a campaign;
Digital displays feature focused lighting, thereby reducing, if not
eliminating, light spillover into unintended areas. These
sophisticated LED lighting systems provide an effective and green
lighting solution with reduced power demand and no mercury
content.
No production, posting or shipping costs:
2.The creative is sent
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electronically and is transmitted wirelessly to the display. This eliminates
the possibility of damaged paper, the necessity for adhesives such as
paste and glue and reduces the regularity with which personnel will need
to access the signs.
Multiple creative executions for one advertising campaigns:
3.Engaging
in the consumer is perhaps one of the most sought after goals of today’s
new media opportunities. A local restaurant can display different designs
based upon time of day (know as “day parting”). For example, a restaurant
could run a breakfast special, then a lunch special, followed by a dinner
special.
Flexibility:
4.Ability for a client to be on multiple
displays simultaneously via linking several displays
as a network, which reaches more people for less
money than other traditional media.
Increased revenue through fewer displays:
5.
Multiple clients can be on the same display during a
given period of time, which allows additional revenue
to be generated compared to a standard display.
This means that fewer digital displays can generate more revenues than
traditional signs and allows the City to realize the monetary return it seeks
without a proliferation of advertising and with minimal alteration of the
current streetscape.
Better quality advertising with less displays:
6. Superior resolution and
clarity of displayed copy enhances the advertiser’s value proposition and
further protects the media investment; multiple advertisers can share
prime locations thereby supporting an outdoor advertising concept of “less
is more”.
Benefits to the City of Janesville:
7.Ability to preempt planned advertising
in favor of emergency messaging for public benefit, such as Amber Alerts;
elevated image of City government as a place that employs cutting-edge,
modern technology for public benefit.
State-of-the-Art Communications Tool
As stated above, the City-wide Digital Outdoor Network will allow the City to utilize
the system to communicate with its citizenry in an effective and widespread
manner. Potential City applications include: Amber Alerts, fugitive/felons wanted,
weather alerts and traffic alerts, health
related messages, energy sustainability
messaging and City event specific
advertising. In short, this system will be a
catalyst for all future City partners and
partnership package deliverables.
For example, should there be a weather
emergency, the City can access the system
and display a message that would, within a
matter of minutes, inform the public of the emergency and any City-recommended
steps that the public should undertake (i.e., travel routes and safety stations).
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Other messages conveyed by the City through the digital system could be
confined to a geographic area. For instance, specific displays could carry a
message to promote an event in a certain section of the City (such as a golf
tournament at Riverside Golf Course or the Bike Rodeo at Wilson School) while
other portions of the network would continue uninterrupted.
Other public service messaging can also be accommodated. Public service
announcements could be configured into the network display rotations as well as
messaging from charity organizations.
In fact, a broad scope of messaging ranging from adopt-a-park and child abuse
protection to local blood drives is possible. These public service announcements
can be made available by the City on the network at a very deep discounted rate.
Design Concepts
As locations are identified and meet approval, the third party vendor responsible
for the cost and construction of these signs will also propose unique design
concepts that will aesthetically fit the customized structures where they are
affixed. The third party vendor will be mindful of the overriding purpose of the
advertising structures and will give the utmost respect to each locality’s unique
street scraping and character. These customized structures (i.e., brick, stone or
steel) will flow with the predominant City-wide palette for designs believed to
compliment the existing architectural context of the surrounding community that is
targeted for installation. All of the proposed designs for the City of Janesville will
be sealed by a structural engineer before they will be accepted by the City for
approval.
B. Backlit Panel Structures, Banners, Posters
These ancillary small format signage opportunities have the
benefit of providing a greater reach to the resident population
and general public. At the moment City properties have limited
signage in this category. The smaller scale format is well suited
for events, announcements, campaigns and local sponsorships.
Backlit Panel Structures would be viewed by both residents and
the general public.
C. Vehicle Fleet Advertising
This program is simple: a government vehicle carries an advertiser’s message on
a customized sign or wrap containing the advertiser’s message. Each day the
sign travels about the City with the message affixed, giving
an advertiser exposure to current and prospective
customers. This practice gives the advertiser name
recognition and identifies them as a prominent business and
community partner. Full wrap tailgate signs have become
popular and increase the amount of potential revenues that
the City can earn.
Annual City revenue per vehicle from this application can range upwards of $500-
1000, so even assuming a 15% vacancy rate, this program could generate
thousands of dollars per year in new revenue for the City.
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D. Buildings Interiors
Public Restrooms
– Public
washrooms provide another source
of potential revenue. The City of
Long Beach, California enjoys the
benefit of two handsome murals
hand-painted on the exteriors of
beachfront public restrooms by
noted local artists. Because these
murals also contain relatively small
copies of the Adidas “three stripes”
logo in one of their lower corners, the shoe marketer paid the artists for their work,
at no cost to the City. More rewarding revenue opportunities are presented by the
bare spaces in visible positions inside these facilities. Do we think these
opportunities are likely to provide a significant source of revenue? Not ‘Stand
Alone’ but their use can show that the City is serious about finding every possible
opportunity to maximize revenue without raising taxes. These opportunities would
be a welcome supplement to the overall Media Services program.
E. Facility and Event Signage
These sign packages would be based on specific promotions, events or seasonal
applications – commonly used to promote new product or launch new business
services. These would be scheduled in advance and rotated at pre-approved
locations.
Media Services Policy Considerations
Several major policy areas will influence the City’s plan for Media Services:
The policies already established as precedents by the City in both statute
and practice
The signage and billboard codes of the communities within the City, and of
the State
Neighborhood community plans
Public concern with excessive commercialism in the form of “visual
pollution”
Objectionable advertising content, by marketers of goods and services
that the City would not wish to be associated with, much less to be seen
as endorsing
Active therefore recommends that the City consider the revenue potential of each
proposed program for the various out-of-home media types and determine if
any/or all components of this program can be successfully implemented within
existing guidelines.
With respect to “visual pollution,” no municipality is or should be completely free
of signage. At a minimum, people expect to find easily visible information about
locations (e.g., street signs), public facility identities, and retailers’ store names.
They expect municipal signage policies to provide community-acceptable quality
standards for aesthetic appeal, defined in a clear and straightforward manner,
while being highly functional in assuring that content clearly delivers the
information desired.
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Beyond providing directional and location information, commercial signage placed
on public property can be very rewarding source of municipal revenue. As for the
acceptability or otherwise of advertisers who may wish to use media on public
property, in most circumstances the City can safely refuse to accept advertising
for alcohol, tobacco, sexually oriented businesses and firearms products.
However, First Amendment protections may make it difficult for the City to refuse
to accept payment for other potentially objectionable categories of goods and
services where court precedents are mixed. Under the circumstances, wherever
the City is concerned about such a risk, it is advisable to use a commercial agent
or broker as the “front line of defense.” The City’s advertising sales agent can
promulgate an acceptable policy for advertising, and bear the burden of
defending the City’s policy.
Next Steps
Determine location availability for high traffic facilities and free
standing locations for signage.
Review options for monument digital signage in areas such as parks,
recreation centers, sports facilities and parking structures.
Review contracts that may prohibit activity at these locations
Identify and secure outlying departments with high traffic areas that
would qualify for media applications.
Develop a list of all events and facilities that currently have corporate
partners.
Review contracts that may prohibit activity at these locations
.
Develop prospective target lists.
Obtain approval from City Staff.
Develop Media Services RFP (see Appendix B).
Aggregate all appropriate real estate assets, in order to grant a media
representative firm or firms the exclusive right to develop new opportunities and
sell advertising space in out-of-home media on designated types of City property
for extended periods of time. This program will also request the partner to
possibly address City messaging/advertising.
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5. PROUD PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
Concept
Create a proprietary Janesville Proud Partnership Program
(“Proud Partner”) that features City of Janesville events
and leverages all City approved assets to reward local and
regional corporations and businesses for participating and
giving back to the community. This in essence will be a
comprehensive sponsorship package available to local and
regional organizations who are interested in investing in
the community.
Analysis
The City is fortunate to have the presence of a number of important corporations
and vendors, large and small, who are likely to have an inherent interest in visibly
demonstrating their support for their local community. This kind of support can
result in lowered employee recruiting costs, improved governmental acceptance
of new development initiatives, better product sales rates, and a host of other
benefits.
One of the primary goals of the Proud Partner Program is to
address specific needs of the City which includes raising
revenue to improve standards of City services and municipal
facilities. This category summarizes a recommendation
focusing on raising revenues for the City by means of
customized partnerships with private sector business.
These partnerships will permit or even encourage the
appropriate use of City facilities by selected businesses in ways that acknowledge
their respective involvement and concern in their local communities. It also serves
as a platform for these businesses to help them market their products and
services in exchange for providing the City with new incremental revenue or
material support.
The Proud Partner Program offers unprecedented access to City properties as
well as other important City assets. Active recommends positioning these
partnerships at two levels (Platinum and Gold) in order to capture small and local
businesses that may have interest in investing in City of Janesville.
The objectives of this Proud Partner program are:
Develop new and innovative partnerships with a broad range of
services/products as a way of connecting with all City of Janesville
residents and businesses.
Through collaboration, to insure appropriate use of resources, maximize
fund development and provide needed public service.
Proud Partner Goals
Operational Assistance
Partnerships can be used to offset operational costs with free or discontinued
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products and services:
Vehicles, computers and other field utilities
Uniforms, water bottles, other supplies
Professional consultation
Volunteer needs
Education
Partnerships can be used to develop new educational materials, programs and
special events or enhance existing programs:
Summer recreation programs, i.e., soccer, tennis, golf, etc
Healthy lifestyle expos
Wellness clinics/materials
Public Awareness/Advertising
Partnerships can be used to create advertising that delivers important messages
and develops relevancy. This can support or be part of the overall marketing
community outreach campaign:
Promote ‘Top of Mind’ awareness
Deliver messages of benefits, preservations and threats
Move people up the ‘Ladder of Support’
Incremental Revenues (Cash)
Offset cost of partnership implementation
Creates new products and services: brochures,
maps, instruction materials, events, etc.
Marketing and Communications Program
Support community outreach programs with:
PSAs
Special events/new classes
Press events
Foundation & Volunteers (Parks, Programs, Events etc.)
Membership development
Cash and service donations
Enlighten and inspire community regarding benefits of memberships
Target Market
The immediate target zone of “Proud Partner” prospects will come directly from
the City’s vendor list (see Appendix D). This represents existing contractual
relationships that could be expanded and developed in a fashion that would be
mutually beneficial to both City of Janesville and its vendors.
The “Proud Partner” program will seek like minded companies and organizations
that compliment the City of Janesville’s image and culture. These companies
should be relevant and potentially provide important products and services for
employees and surrounding communities. All of these prospects will be
introduced to and approved by City and Executive staff.
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Proud Partner Core Package – 3 Year Term
The City of Janesville Proud Partner Program offers customized partner packages
that meet local, regional and national corporate marketing needs. These
partnership packages incorporate a vast array of benefits, depending upon the
level of corporate commitment.
Branding name and logo exposure
Access to program materials
Exposure on a comprehensive City scale
Special use of City facilities, properties and communication vehicles (e.g.,
golf course, City Hall)
Ability to develop a co-op relationship that allows corporations to give back
to the community
City Proud Partner Program Levels
PLATINUM
: Key Rights & Entitlements
Designated as “Proud Partner of the City of Janesville”
Category Exclusivity
Territory Exclusivity (City of Janesville)
Kiosk Displays (key facilities, parks, events)
Branding Rights/Advertising
Points of Access Displays (permits, facilities, events)
Use of City Logo and Marks (co-op branding)
Access to Collateral Materials (maps, literature, etc.)
Special Event Partnerships
Web site (advertising/links)
Product Sampling (category exclusive)
Promotional Events and Distribution (category exclusive)
City Employee Access (newsletters, making lists, payroll, break rooms,
etc.)
Hospitality Access (events, and key facilities)
Market Research Access
Inclusion in City of Janesville Press Releases (spearheaded by City
Administrator)
GOLD
: Key Rights & Entitlements
Designation as “Proud Partner of the City of Janesville”
Category Exclusivity
Kiosk Displays
Branding Rights/Advertising Recognition Placement
Use of City Logo and Marks
Point of Access Displays
Special Event Partnership (tier 2)
Web site (advertising/links)
Product Sampling
Promotional Events/Distribution
Hospitality Access
Market Research Access
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Collateral Materials (tier 2)
Immediate Prospects
Beverage & Snack
Waste Management
Technology/Computers
Home Improvement/Gardening
Fleet Vehicles
Office Supplies
Building Supplies & Construction
Pet Supply Companies
Sporting Goods
Banking
Insurance Companies
(The above prospects are based on current business relationships.)
Concept Example
Fleet Vehicles Proud Partner
During our asset analysis it became clear that because of the City’s purchasing
capability, Active recommends direct solicitation of a customized Proud Partner
vehicle deal with a major manufacturer. The arrangement would also include local
dealerships that would be considered the immediate beneficiary of the Proud
Partnership.
The goal would be to drastically reduce or offset completely the cost of vehicles
over time. Fleet vehicles would also remain a candidate for tailgate advertising as
described in the media services category.
Creative Specialty Dog Park Deals
Paw Print Park, located in Prairie Knoll Park, is in
a premier location to attract corporate sponsors.
Over the past few years dog (off-leash exercise
areas) have caught the attention of
communications across the country. These
specialty parks are an appealing to marketers
interested in reaching their core target audience.
Partnerships that contractually provide these
marketers access and distribution rights allows
them to educate communities and introduce new
products to these captive audiences everyday.
These kinds of partnership contracts available to
municipalities in exchange for access to these
facilities are limited only by imagination, and by
the ability of the City to attract and sell prospects
on the desirability of the deal.
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Analysis
As an example of the kinds of arrangements that can be made, consider the fact
that the City of Miami got the Ralston-Purina Company to pay for the
development and upkeep of play areas for dogs and their owners in two City
parks. To the upscale Hispanic targets of Ralston’s efforts, it appears that Purina
Dog Chow (PDC) is the brand identified with these two facilities, where dogs can
run free of a leash, and their owners can socialize. Not only does Ralston’s PDC
brand gain grateful recognition for their civic contribution, their marketing people
can develop and field special events in these parks. Signage is tasteful, and
includes a kiosk that offers two sides for the posting of community notices from
the local humane society and for use in advertising pet-oriented services. In
recent news Kent Parks, located in Washington received a $10,000 grant from the
Petco Foundation to help develop at off-leash dog park.
Other examples of the creative application of the partnership principle to park
facilities include Portland, Oregon, which managed to get Nike to refurbish and
resurface all of the basketball courts in City parks at the partner’s expense. Nike
even used state-of-the-art materials for the surfaces, in exchange for having its
logo embellish the surfaces of the courts. This contract was arranged in part
because Nike wished to visibly demonstrate its support for its home town. In a
similar spirit, Vans has become a partner to Lake Forest, California, in sponsoring
the city’s operation of a large and well-used skateboard park. This contract is
reportedly worth $100,000 to the city.
Promotional Bonuses
– In the course of negotiating partnership or sponsorship
contracts with any of the above types of major corporations, it should be
remembered that almost all have additional marketing funds available for
consumer promotion, and that these funds can be added to enrich the terms of a
contract. The request for proposals to prospective sponsors these should
specifically invite “value added” enhancement to contracts.
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V.PROPOSED NEXT STEPS
The execution of the Corporate Sponsorship Program entails the application of
substantial effort, skill, and commitment. For the Program to succeed it will
require not only Active’s successful performance but also continued
administrative oversight and management by City Staff.
City Staff should review the contents of this document, and approve or
provide Active with directions for modifications to these
recommendations.
Active will provide in this document a list of programs in priority order.
Once the appropriate sequence for a set of ideas has been agreed
upon, Active will assist the City of Janesville to initiate each project in
the agreed upon order. Wherever necessary, projects will be
supported by Active providing the City with a project recommendation
giving a more comprehensive description of the project than we have
provided here. This document will include a project rationale and
recommend policies and procedures.
Active will work with key staff at the City to develop each approved
program. This step includes extensive communication via personal
meetings, phone, and email.
Active will present each program to City Staff for approval.
With approval, Active will develop a Corporate Partnership package for
each approved program that reflects an agreed-on strategy, including
the rights and benefits to be offered to prospects. Active will use this in
Request for Proposals wherever it’s appropriate. This will allow the
City to agree in advance to offering specified terms that meet its
requirements. It will also confirm the ability of the City to deliver
prospects’ expectations in ways that will encourage competitive offers.
Active will work with priority prospects and assist in the negotiations
for the subject RFP’s marketing package. Active and City staff should
seek every available opportunity to have several companies compete.
We will assist with presentations at executive levels within prospects’
corporate structure. Active will provide all the necessary information
and education they need to understand the assets that the City is
offering in exchange for the opportunity to promote their brand,
product or service. Wherever necessary, Active will provide
appropriate assistance to prospects that they may need in order to
prepare suitable responses to the RFP.
Active will assist in negotiations with one or more prospective
corporate partners. Prior to submission of their proposals, Active will
encourage leading prospects to compete aggressively in bidding
against their business rivals. Active will consult with the City as they
obtain and evaluate offers from each prospect indicating their
willingness to enter into a partnership agreement with the City.
Active will confer with City Staff to review proposers’ bids, to analyze
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the content, and to recommend prospect selections. Given preliminary
Staff agreement to the selected prospects, Active will help organize
presentations of the preferred proposal made by the recommended
prospect to City Staff. Active will work with the City point person to
develop an Evaluation Report comparing the benefits offered by each
prospect, aid in organizing negotiation meetings between Staff and
prospects and monitor and advise throughout the selection process
(as needed). Upon final selection of a marketing partner their offer will
be referred to the City’s attorneys to prepare a Corporate Sponsorship
Marketing Contract. This agreement shall be presented to City Staff for
final approval.
Upon acceptance of each partnership contract, Active will take the
lead in managing and monitoring the relationship between the City and
each Marketing Partner to insure that both compliance and mutual
satisfaction are achieved.
The City’s Role
In order to effectively develop and implement the marketing-based, asset-driven
revenue opportunities cited in this recommendation, much less to effectively
pursue any new opportunities that may be created in the future, Active will need
the assistance and support of the City of Janesville. To date the City has been
extremely cooperative and helpful in moving this ambitious project forward. Active
particularly appreciates your previous as well as your anticipated support in the
following areas:
Easy access to database and information regarding City units
Ongoing access to policy documents, contracts, and collateral
materials
The ready availability of a City of Janesville contact to manage
communications
Efforts to streamline the approval process by identification of key
participants
The intent to identify a public relations and communications
representative who will be responsible for providing the public with
information about these projects’ successes
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