How local authorities can work with marketing agencies to target, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Andrew Berry

Private Housing Manager, Environmental Health, Eastbourne Borough Council

Ray Groves

Managing Director PRG Ltd Eastbourne

How local authorities can work with marketing agencies to target, reach and persuade people entitled to grants and assistance.

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• We’ll look at two real-life case studies involving four local authorities
• Why and how the local authority appoints marketing assistance
• How the local authority defjnes what it wants to achieve
• How marketing agencies think differently to local authorities
• How the take-up of grants and assistance has proved the value of marketing

The experience we’ll share with you

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• It’s more demanding than you might think!
• In 2006/07 Eastbourne Borough Council became one of 22 local authorities allocated

£1 million by GOSE/the Regional Housing Board for private housing renewal

• From 2001 to 2005 we’d had next to no funding
• A big pot of money and a big challenge
• New Private Housing Renewal Policy with new types of assistance in place,

procurement and informing people that the funding is there for the taking

• In Year One we planned a programme to spend £1.5m on housing renewal
• However we underspent – we made good progress from zero, but the glass could

be viewed as half-full or half-empty. We wanted it full!

Who wants to be a millionaire?

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• The product was strong – so why wasn’t it being taken up?
• More than a quarter of the EBC website is dedicated to environmental health,including

private housing: eastbourne.gov.uk/privatehousing

• We had run some marketing activities ourselves
• In our 2007 house condition survey, we asked about awareness of our housing service
• Less than 30 percent knew about our service

Giving away money is harder than you think

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• The hard facts had told us our message wasn’t getting out there
• And the message had so many things to tell – a complicated offering, even to us,

with 17 different types of assistance!

• We were realistic: we didn’t have the time or the expertise for marketing
• We considered enrolling low-cost help from universities
• Others suggested we needed professional help – and they were right
• Eastbourne Borough Council is now confjdent of meeting the target for 2008-9

and beyond – with more marketing options still up our sleeve

Call in the professionals!

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• Before we show you how we did it . . . we did it twice
• PRG was subsequently also appointed to market the East Sussex Energy Partnership
• Eastbourne, Rother, Wealden, Hastings
• Two urban areas, two rural areas, total population 419,574
• To improve energy effjciency in homes and help lift people out of fuel poverty
• Grants for loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, renewable technologies, such as solar
• In four months, marketing has generated more than 1,300 referrals
• Months lost in procurement process . . . but on target to spend/commit to spend budget
• For both EBC and ESEP the marketing methodology was very similar, the creative

approach very different. We’ll show you both

That’s not all, folks!

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• We sent an outline brief to three competing marketing agencies
• We visited each agency to brief them in outline
• We provided the agencies with our Private Housing Renewal Policy
• We disclosed the funding available for Renewal, but not the marketing budget
• We gave each agency equal opportunity to meet with offjcers with questions
• We visited each agency to be presented with their “pitch”
• We chose the best according to strength of proposal and value
• Then we defjned the marketing budget and the agency cut the cloth to fjt

Appointing the marketing assistance

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• Marketing is team work between the client and the agency
• Your objectives are ours
• We listen carefully, we work with you to refjne our campaign when it is in progress . . .

but we start from a different viewpoint

• That’s the viewpoint of the sceptical target audience and the barriers they’ll throw in

your path

• Even when – indeed, especially when - you’re giving things away, people will suspect

there’s a catch!

Same aims, different vision

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• Outsiders have advantages
• Allowed to be bolder in questioning the established thinking
• Better positioned to see the wood for the trees
• A more realistic view of how newsworthy or exciting your proposition really is
• Experience of what works and what doesn’t
• And what works is a mixture of science and art

Start things going forward by taking a step back

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• PRG is a full-service marketing agency with expertise in most marketing channels:
• PR, to generate positive media coverage
• Direct mail, in print and by email
• Advertising, in print, online and outdoors
• Publishing, from leafmets and newsletters to books and magazines
• Graphic design, website creation, website search engine optimisation
• Staff of 20: former journalists and editors, marketing strategists and planners, graphic

designers

• Based in the seaside town of Eastbourne
• Established 27 years
• Private sector and public sector clients
• National, regional and local campaigns

How do we know what works?

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• Strategy is the foundation upon which everything else is built
• Who the target audience is
• How to reach the target audience – the best mix of marketing channels
• Facing up to the barriers between us and the target audience
• Identifying the key messages to communicate – to be remembered
• Identifying the secondary messages to communicate – to break down those barriers

The science

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• Creative execution is not just art for art’s sake (graphic designers are not marketers!)
• Strategy shapes the key messages
• Strategy shapes the visual and written language and the tone
• We are all bombarded by high-quality (and low-quality) marketing messages every day
• Essential to achieve consumer appeal, not a Council feel
• The creative output has to stand out and has to engage

The art

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• Eastbourne Borough Council audience: unemployed; low income; aged over 60
• East Sussex Energy Partnership audience: low income families with children under 16;

aged over 60; in fuel poverty – and discounts for able-to-pays

• Not quite the most deprived (who are more likely to be in social housing), but approximately

the 10th to 30th percentiles

• Demographic research confjrmed exact neighbourhoods to target

The science in our case studies

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• This data shaped the exact location of outdoor adverts (bus stops, low-cost supermarkets,

shop windows) in Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother and Wealden

• This data infmuenced the types of publications selected for print advertising

(e.g. Friday-Ad, parish magazines, retirement supplements)

• This data determined the streets to include in direct marketing

(postcards and information booklets)

• Take-up levels/budgets for varying types of Housing Renewal assistance shaped

the priorities and what we emphasised

• Seasonal weather shaped the emphasis of ESEP communications (thermal insulation

in winter, solar in spring/summer)

The science in our case studies (2)

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• Lack of awareness
• Assumption that assistance is only for Council-owned properties
• Scepticism that it’s too good to be true
• Fear of diffjcult form-fjlling
• Fear of disruption during works
• Resistance (to Eastbourne Housing Renewals loans) from family members who will inherit

the property

• Potential confusion and lack of trust (ESEP) because of other insulation schemes being promoted
• Pride

The barriers in our case studies

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• Varied types of assistance:
• Repairs
• Adaptations
• Safer homes
• Warm and energy effjcient homes
• Empty Property Grant
• Housing Policy key words:
• Decent
• Safe
• Warm
• Secure
• Healthy

A lot to communicate!

The possible key messages - Eastbourne Housing Renewals

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• Keep the main message simple (a challenge with 17 types of assistance!)
• Repeat the main message consistently
• Mustn’t be patronising
• Must engage by standing out and entertaining
• Must be supported in the sub-text by secondary messages that overcome

the barrier perceptions

• Must have a call-to-action (freephone number)
• Ideally one word or phrase with variable following-text

Arriving at one key message

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• For EBC Housing Renewal: Because you deserve it!
• Relates to the reader/viewer: You
• Arouses selfjsh curiosity: What do I deserve?
• Engages with humour and pokes fun at pretentiousness:

Similar to L’Oreal’s ‘Because I’m worth it’ / ‘Because you’re worth it’

• Easily remembered
• Affjrms deserving entitlement

Key message establishes the campaign theme - EBC

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• Real people make it believable
• Real people emphasise the fun-poking at glamorous/pretentious models
• Photos are more memorable than words
• A few words are more memorable than many

Creative execution - EBC

SLIDE 20 www.eastbourne.gov.uk

“We asked for help to fix our patchy roof and got a £45,000 interest-free loan for a new roof, kitchen and easy-access bathroom.”

Mr & Mrs Neville and Elaine Kilshaw, Seaside, Eastbourne

You deserve a home that is easy to live in, even if you can’t afford

• it. You could get an interest-free loan from Eastbourne Borough

Council to improve your privately owned home - and won’t have to repay anything until your home changes hands. Visit www.eastbourne.gov.uk/010

• r call 0800 512 012 and quote reference number 010

It’s especially easy to get help if you are aged over 60, disabled, or on low income with children under 16.

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT!

SLIDE 21 www.eastbourne.gov.uk

You deserve a secure future in your home, even if you can’t afford it. Grants and interest-free loans from £200 to £30,000 are available from Eastbourne Borough Council, whether you’re the owner or you rent from a private landlord. Visit www.eastbourne.gov.uk/011

• r call 0800 512 012 and quote reference number 011

It’s especially easy to get help if you are aged over 60, disabled, or on low income with children under 16.

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT!

“An interest-free loan for over £30,000 took the worry out of major brick repairs. My neighbours thought I’d won the lottery!”

Mrs Margaret Sandford, Roselands, Eastbourne

“My daughter asked the Council for double glazing to keep my house warm. I’ve got a new door and kitchen improvements too.”

Mrs Dorothy Smith, Redoubt, Eastbourne

You deserve a home that’s warm and secure, even if you can’t afford it. The Council has already helped 1,000 people improve their homes with grants and loans between £100 and £30,000. The money is also for private rented accommodation. Visit www.eastbourne.gov.uk/012

• r call 0800 512 012 and quote reference number 012

It’s especially easy to get help if you are aged over 60, disabled, or on low income with children under 16. All grants and loans subject to available funding.

BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT!

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• Theme remains consistent
• Secondary messages (speech bubble) inform about different types of assistance

Creative execution - EBC

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Press launch - EBC Housing

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• Kept with the credibility-building theme of ‘real people’
• Mr and Mrs Kilshaw unveiled a poster of themselves
• Chocolate coins and ‘Because You Deserve It!’ badges handed out
• Coverage in newspapers, on TV, on radio

Press launch - EBC Housing

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Mrs Dorothy Smith, Redoubt, Eastbourne

B E C A U S E Y O U D E S E R V E I T !

Freephone 0800 980 0901

You could be entitled to an interest-free loan or a range of grants to make improvements to your privately owned or rented home. Thousands of Eastbourne residents are eligible for assistance from £100 to £30,000.

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B E C A U S E Y O U D E S E R V E I T !

www.eastbourne.gov.uk/assist

This information is also available on request in other formats and languages.

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• It’s free
• It’s easy to obtain
• It will keep you warmer
• It will cut energy costs
• It’s approved by your local Council
• There’s no catch
• Call the freephone number

Key messages establish the campaign theme – ESEP insulation

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FREE insulation

at the drop

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FREE insulation

at the drop

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There’s an easy way to cut your heating bills!

If your home doesn’t have effective wall or loft insulation, you could be wasting about £300 every year. Your Council has secured government funding to pay for some or all of the work.

Freephone 0800 980 0901

to find out what you are entitled to.

www.eastsussexenergypartnership.org.uk

Full terms and conditions apply

SLIDE 29 The insulation may be FREE if anyone in your privately owned or privately rented household is:

• Aged over 60
• Claiming working tax credits with children

under 16

• Disabled or chronically ill.

Even if you do not meet these criteria, you could still be eligible for a discount. Many people may qualify and it’s easy to apply. Just call the free helpline to start making your savings.

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By insulating your home, you can make it warmer,save energy and save money.

Around half of heat loss in a typical home is through the walls and loft. If your home doesn’t have effective wall or loft insulation, you could be wasting over £350 every year. Your Local Authority is offering council grants to people who own their home or rent from a private landlord.

Freephone 0800 980 0901

www.eastsussexenergypartnership.org.uk

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FREE insulation

at the drop

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Cut your heating costs!

With a council grant thousands of people qualify for free or discounted insulation

.

created by www.prgltd.co.uk

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• A simple website for East Sussex Energy Partnership was created
• This was a ‘brochure’ website with an enquiry button and a freephone number
• This helped to verify the authenticity and Local Authority connection
• Visitor statistics showed
• how many visitors
• when they visited
• which pages they looked at
• how long they stayed on site
• A useful barometer – upwards spikes on the visitor graph correspond to marketing

activities at that time

Websites

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• The marketing agency minimises the local authority workload, so we can get on with

what we’re good at

• Marketing activities and prices defjned by contract
• Marketing is costing 1% (ESEP) to 2.5% (EBC) of the total value of assistance
• Local authority and marketing agency meet regularly
• Marketing agency reports that EBC’s clear lead/chairmanship at ESEP meetings has

been crucial

• Marketing agency provides progress reports: press cuttings, press coverage values,

website statistics

Managing the marketing agency

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• Call centre asks callers where they learned about the scheme
• Some fmexibility in the contract with the marketing agency (but not in the bottom line) allows

exact deployment of marketing channels to be altered

• E.g. emerging data suggests we should do more direct mailings, less on-bus adverts
• Feedback and website page viewings suggest the ESEP logo – which has the strapline

‘Working with your local authority’ – should be accompanied by equally prominent Council logos too

• It’s fjne-tuning – a much stronger position than we were in before engaging

professional support

• And we’re hitting our targets!

Refining the marketing