MINUTES

Statewide Marketing Project

Monday 3 May, 9.30am – 11.30am

H4.02 Meeting Room, Vicnet, State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston St. Melbourne

Attendance:
Statewide Marketing Project Advisory Committee
Lorraine Seeger (Chair) / (LS) / Community Liaison Manager, Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation
Michael Byrne / (MB) / Coordinator Library Operations, Monash Public Library
Michael Hogan / (MH) / Client Services Librarian, Mildura Rural City Council Library Service
Christine McLaren / (CM) / Library Operations Manager, West Gippsland Regional Library Corporation
Anne-Marie Otley / (AMO) / Community Relations Coord., Yarra-Melbourne Regional Library Corporation
Annie Opray / (AO) / Marketing Coordinator, Bayside Library Service
Michelle Wallace / (MW) / Corporate Programs Manager, Whitehorse Manningham Regional Library Corporation
Lesley Fell / (LF) / Marketing & Program Librarian, Monash Public Library
Public Libraries Unit
Debra Rosenfeldt / (DR) / Statewide Projects Manager, Public Libraries Unit, SLV
Nicole Lowndes (Minutes) / (NL) / Project Officer, Public Libraries Unit, SLV
The Marketing Bank
Marlo Branagh / (MBr) / Account Director, Bristow, Prentice, Lambaart, Budd (Items 1-3)
Lisa Naphtali / (LN) / Account Manager, Bristow, Prentice, Lambaart, Budd (Items 1-3)
Observer
Paul Harrison / (PH) / Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin Business School (Item 4)
Apologies
Samantha Houston / (SH) / Partner, Bristow, Prentice, Lambaart, Budd
Pru Menzies / (PM) / Customer Service Manager, Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation
Larissa Oldham / (LO) / Ararat Branch Librarian, Central Highlands Regional Library Corporation
Wendy O’Hara / (WO) / Customer Services Librarian, Campaspe Regional Library
Christine Denis / (CD) / Service Librarian, Hume Global Learning Village Library Service

Agenda:

1)  Finance Report: NL

2)  Progress Report: NL/ LN

3)  Additional PR proposal: LN

4)  2004-05 Statewide Marketing Project Proposal

5)  The Big Read: ABC request

/ AGENDA ITEMS / ACTION /
Welcome and Business Arising
Actions from last minutes:
§  Champions emailed about templates, posters, and media releases on CDROM
§  Translations printed and distributed
§  Pdf copies of printed material still outstanding
§  Further sponsorship sought without response
§  Big Ask event proposal withdrawn by Marketing Bank
§  Seminar venue and most speakers booked for 29 June. Bookings are now open on the Training Calendar www.libraries.vic.gov.au/training / LN to provide pdf copies of campaign material
NL to email Champions about seminar when finalised
1 / Finance Report
NL tabled a report of current expenditure and committed project funds. She reported that the project budget is expected to be fully expended within the financial year.
2 / Progress Report
NL reported:
§  Syndicated rural radio interview secured for 4 August through Information Victoria
§  Christine Denis has agreed to be the @ your library Hero for the Just Ask campaign
§  Media spokespeople (@ your libraries Heroes) for Doing Business sourced: Jill Watson, Information Services Librarian, Bayside Library Service, and Laurie Atkinson, Reference Librarian, City of Boroondara Library Service
§  100% participation in The Big Ask achieved
§  Big Ask material printed and dispatched with Trivial Pursuit game to every library
LN reported the Just Ask material has been distributed, including translations.
Your Future surveys have also been received and a report compiled. Feedback included:
§  Overall very good campaign
§  Recruitment angle in media releases and printed material was too narrow a focus for some, who broadened their interpretation to include other ‘Future”-themed activities
§  If repeated, the campaign focus should be widened beyond recruitment and careers
§  Difficult to measure requested indicators, such as number of inquiries about careers
§  Good local media coverage
§  Most Champions have not seen TV ads. Channel 10 seem to be running the State Library’s 150 years ad in preference
§  Some respondents suggested ‘Your Future’ run later in the year if repeated, to tie in with more careers events
§  Most libraries approached local schools and had displays, and many held a ‘Girls Guide to Work and Life’ event with author Tess Brady. / NL to circulate Your Future survey report with minutes
NL to request feedback from library schools
3 / Additional PR Proposal
At the last meeting, The Marketing Bank put forward a proposal for a media event to support the Just Ask campaign. This proposal was subsequently withdrawn after advice that the media pull was not strong enough. A new proposal to seek coverage for the Big Ask competition in the Herald Sun was distributed via email. The document also shows the activities covered by the monthly retainer.
MB said that the coverage achieved during Your Future was very strong, while it was a more difficult campaign for the libraries to prepare events for. Conversely, the Just Ask campaign lent itself to a wide range of library activities but has a weaker media angle.
LN reported the Herald Sun has indicated they may be interested in running the Big Ask quiz in the newspaper during Education Week (May 16-23). They may require a special prize. AO asked whether this would entail any additional work for libraries. It was agreed that if an additional statewide prize was offered, all entries would be forwarded to NL, and entries drawn until the first eligible entry for the Herald Sun prize.
AO asked whether there were any alternatives. MB replied that paid advertising was also an option. She was requested to get indicative costs.
MW supported the proposal, since running the Big Ask in the Herald Sun would reach non-users, and may bring them in to libraries to return their quiz forms. AO commented that the results would be measurable. AMO observed that the current quiz questions may not suit the Herald-Sun’s target audience.
NL asked whether the Herald-Sun would be likely to run a story alongside the article, and suggested a homework club would make a good story. MW suggested Whitehorse Manningham run a migrant homework club, for which the City of Whitehorse’s CEO had once given up his office.
AO requested that the committee be notified immediately if the Herald Sun withdraws their interest. MB agreed, but said work up to that point would still need to be charged. The committee agreed to accept the proposal on these conditions.
The committee requested that MB begin work on the PR strategy for Doing Business. / MD to provide indicative costs for advertising to support the Just Ask or Doing Business campaigns
MW to send details of migrant club story to Marketing Bank
Committee to receive immediate notice if Herald Sun declines Big Ask
MB to provide costs for strategy preparation
Other Business
LS asked the committee to consider delegating decisions about details of the @ your library campaign to a working group, and focussing Marketing Committee meetings on strategy. AO commented that the campaign requires a close working association with library staff.
AMO suggested a couple of committee members could attend the reporting meetings with The Marketing Bank, held a fortnight after each committee meeting. AO suggested a workshop to consider all current @ your library decisions. The committee agreed to meet at 9.30am on Monday 17 May. NL will invite the Marketing Bank to attend for the end of the meeting, as it is their regular reporting meeting time. / @ your library workshop scheduled for 9.30am, 17 May. Committee members to bring their ideas for upcoming campaign months.
NL to ask Champions for ideas for remaining campaigns
4 / 2004-05 Statewide Marketing Project Proposal
DR explained that proposals for 2004-05 Statewide Projects funds were currently being prepared. These funds are allocated by the Library Board of Victoria and overseen by the Advisory Committee on Public Libraries (ACPL). This Committee has developed a Framework for Collaborative Action, which outlines the working relationship between public libraries and the State Library of Victoria, including Statewide Projects. The ACPL recommended creating a three-year strategy for the project funds, with significant change in the type of projects funded.
Viclink and CPLG held a planning workshop for senior library managers on 1 April, to discuss potential projects.
LS reported that Christine McLaren, Pru Menzies and herself had submitted a proposal for a Statewide Marketing Project for the planning day, which included working with the Libraries Building Communities project to communicate its findings.
DR: After 1 April, Viclink and CPLG representatives to the ACPL (Lynne Makin, Chris Payne, Barbara Horn, and Adele Kenneally) recommended a year of transition from the current projects prior to commencing the three-year round.
The ACPL envisage that 2004-05 will be the final year of funding for a number of long-standing projects, such as Training and Writers on the Road, and that the transition process should include looking for alternate funding support.
The Marketing Project is therefore likely to gain support for one year of funding, but should not assume funding beyond that.
DR requested that the Marketing Committee assist in preparing a proposal for the 2004-05 Statewide Projects funding. The 2003-04 proposal included funds to create a Marketing Strategy which was deferred; she recommended that if a Strategy was prepared, it should assume an alternative source of funding for marketing activities in the future.
NL welcomed Paul Harrison, lecturer at Deakin Business School, to assist in developing the proposal.
NL summarized the requirements for Statewide Project proposals:
§  Objectives
§  Target Audience
§  Outcomes & Performance Indicators
§  Implementation Plan: Activities & Dates
§  Budget
She asked the committee to begin by considering the objectives of a statewide marketing project. PH led a discussion on making the project objectives more specific (see summary below). The committee agreed to consider the project objectives and possible activities, and meet again on Wednesday 12 May.
DR suggested revising the 2002 review of the Marketing Project as preparation. / Committee to consider 2004-05 Marketing Project objectives and activities for 12 May meeting
5 / The Big Read: ABC request
NL was asked to request further information from the ABC. / NL to request further information
Next Meeting
Wednesday 12 May, 9.30 – 11.30am, Directorate Meeting Room, State Library of Victoria

Statewide Marketing Project Proposal: Summary of discussion

Objectives

PH asked what the Marketing Project is trying to achieve.

Committee suggested:

To enhance public libraries profile:

-  To increase usage by infrequent and lapsed users

-  To increase funding by local, Victorian, and Commonwealth governments, and philanthropic organisations

-  To improve services for existing users

-  To improve service design

-  To expand project activities

By:

-  Promoting the social value of libraries to decision makers

-  Investigating the service needs of communities

Target Audience

PH asked which market segments the project will target.

He recommended:

-  Some market segments will never use libraries and should not be targeted

-  Most effective spending is to target existing users

-  Particular groups of existing users should be identified

Implementation Plan

-  PH recommended advertising is ineffective with the funds available

-  @ your library is planned to run until June 2005