Strategic Communications Plan:Church Wellesley Village BIA

CONTEXT

For the past two years, the BIA has discussed the role communications, marketing and promotion must play in the success of the Village. The budget process leading into 2012 and the strategic planning exercise led by Glen Brown demonstrated a need for consistent, coordinated leadership on BIA communications.

Throughout 2012 the Marketing and Promotions Committee reviewed a variety of options for outsourced services. After many discussions, negotiations began with the Backroom Agency for a discrete set of activities including brand/identity development and website redesign.

In December 2012, the Board of Management unanimously approved a partnership with The 519 that resulted in a reduction of staffing and administration costs which will ensure day-to-day management of the BIA’s communications outlets as well as ongoing strategic communications support including policy development and communications planning.

On January 1, 2013 the service agreement with The 519 took effect. This agreement requires the creation of “Service Level Agreements” for three key areas, one of which is communications and marketing.

BRAND

Feels like homeThe Village is a community that is comfortable, connected and supportive. It’s a safe place where one can meet most of our basic shopping and lifestyle needs. People know each other and merchants great regular customers by name. The Village offers the connectedness and familiarity of a small town, in the heart of our City.

An urban village for the 21st centuryThe Village is an urban destination, connected to transit with businesses and events that are on the forefront of City building and urban life. We are comfortable applying new ideas and technologies and we adapt quickly to change. We are a walkable community that reflects the diversity of our City. The Village is a diverse, integrated community where families play in the daytime and adults party in the evening.

A sexy and happening arts and culture hubThere is an energy and excitement in The Village that is palpable. Art and culture is central to our lifestyle including galleries, art installations and theatre. Our nightlife is diverse and offers music, dancing and shows that entertain and attract visitors. We are sex-positive and provide opportunities for our community to actively express and participate in their sexuality.

A shared history of cultural significanceThe Village is the historic home of Toronto’s LGBT communities. Our neighbourhood has been known for decades as a gathering place for diverse communities and is still a primary point of contact for tourists and LGBT people moving to the City. We are proud to play host to Toronto’s Pride Festival, an opportunity to celebrate our village, our history and our communities.

BRAND

Real LifeThe BIA should avoid messaging and communications that focuses too much on the Pride experience or the celebrity element of the LGBT community and The Village. Communications should focus on the day-to-day experience of The Village and resist the ‘disneyfication’ of LGBT communities or our spaces, including the over-use of symbols such as the rainbow.

Broad FocusThe BIA should focus on developing messages and strategies that benefit the entire village community and feed our broader brand strategies. The BIA is not responsible for the success or marketing strategies of individual businesses. Our strategy focuses on those things that will benefit the broader community and brand of The Village.

Village FirstThe BIA should communicate as the voice of “The Village”, and speak as little as possible about the Business Improvement Area. The mechanics of the BIA as an organization are ‘backroom’ in nature and are not relevant to our brand story. This includes expanding our narrative to include institutions and activities that fall outside the legal boundaries of The Village – the public perception of The Village is not dictated by who pays a levy to the BIA.

TACTICS

CRM and Contact Management

The 519 will work with the General Manager to develop a database of businesses, property owners and stakeholders in the BIA.

This database will provide the basis for all ongoing communications and project management.

Staff Involved:

Development Assistant

Contract Hours:

176 Hours Annually

TACTICS

Ongoing Web and Social Media Management

This will include updating and refreshing language and imagery on the website and social media chan-nels on a day-to-day basis. This process will bring the social media and website channels in line with the brand themes outlined previously.

Staff Involved:

Communications SpecialistDevelopment Assistant

Contract Hours:

100 Hours Annually

TACTICS

Photo Stories

In the context of the brand strategy, highlighting our businesses and their culture and personality is central to our community’s sucess as “The Village”.

The photo stories project will help to develop rela-tionships with businesses, photographic materials for future promotion and ongoing content for our social media and website outlets.

The Photo Stories project will document one business in the BIA every week through a ‘photo essay’. One new business will be promoted every week, capturing physical space, product, customers, staff and other elements of the business’ identity.

The photos will be used on BIA outlets but will also be shared with the business for use onyelp, websites and other outlets.

Staff Involved:

Communications SpecialistDevelopment Assistant

Contract Hours:

312 hours annually

TACTICS

People of the Village

The BIA’s brand strategy identifies that the ‘communi-ty’ of the village is as important to the culture of the village as the businesses.

This photographic project will be based on the suc-cess of the “Humans of New York” model which has been virally successful and resulted in the print of a coffee table book.

Staff of The 519 will tell the narrative of the people of the village (residents, customers, staff, etc) through photos, quotes and story telling.

Staff Involved:

Communications SpecialistDevelopment Assistant

Contract Hours:

260 hours annually

TACTICS

E-Newsletters

The brand strategy envisions a niche marketing ap-proach that speaks directly to the diverse communi-ties that are part of the village.

The BIA will move from periodic E-Newsletters that aggregate a wide range of interests (sex, food, par-ties, retail, services, etc) to 3 monthly emails that focus on different communities. Members of our community could subscribe to one, some or all of the newsletters depending on their interests. Current suggested themes include:

o Creativity in The Village: Arts and Cultureo The Village at Night: Restaurants and Nightlifeo Village Life: Residentso A Village Welcome: Tourism

Staff Involved:

Communications SpecialistDevelopment Assistant

Contract Hours:

216 hours annually

TACTICS

Media Management, Training and Policy

The need for more structure, support and proac-tive planning for media relations at the BIA has been identified as a need. The 519 will provide assistance in managing media inquiries, developing media rela-tions strategies and policy, and engaging media in key moments of The Village’s life.

Staff Involved:

Communications SpecialistDevelopment Assistant

Contract Hours:

50 hours annually

PARKLETS

Parklet Promotional Campaign

The 519 will be responsible for the effective promo-tion and engagement of the Summer in the Village Project. This will include a communications strategy that includes social media and web activation, media relations, posters and collateral development, adver-tising and community engagement.

Staff Involved:

Director, Development and Community EngagementCommunications Specialist

Contract Hours:

40 hours

HALLOWEEN

Halloween Promotional Campaign

The 519 will be responsible for the effective promo-tion and engagement in Halloween. This will include a communications strategy that includes social me-dia and web activation, media relations, posters and collateral development, advertising and community engagement.

Staff Involved:

Director, Development and Community EngagementCommunications Specialist

Contract Hours:

40 hours annually

NEW PROJECTS

But what if...?

The BIA often comes up with new innovative projects and ideas through the course of the year. This strategy has been built around the anticipated annual activities.

If the BIA Board decides it would like to take on a new project or idea, this would trigger a discussion and re-negotiation of resource allocation. This conversation would include:

How the new project fits into current brand • strategies and goals.What resources / time the project would require • to be completed successfully.What would be required from the BIA and the The • 519 to make that successfulWhether there are new resources to enable these • new activities, or if current plans need to be scaled back to allow for the new project.

Following this discussion, a communications strategy will be developed for approval by the Board of Management.

APPROVAL

In order to move forward with this strategy and begin implementing our communications strategy, the Board of Management will need to approve the recommendations outlined in this presentation.

The Board of Management should consider the following motions:

That the BIA Board of Management approves • the brand strategy, themes and guidelines as presented (or as amended, if changes are requested)That the BIA Board of Management approves the • communications strategy as presented for 2013That the BIA Board of Management directs the • Integrated Services Committee to finalize a service level agreement based on these themes and strategies in accordance with the shared services agreement.