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Work sample for Canadian Public Relations Society accreditation process:

Development and launch of the Manitoba Gambling Research Program for Manitoba Lotteries March 2012 Submitted by: Lorne Kletke CPRS - Manitoba Chapter Member 11620 Communications Officer Manitoba Lotteries 830 Empress Street Winnipeg MB R3G 3H3 Submitted to: Chief Examiner, National Council on Accreditation Canadian Public Relations Society National Office 346-4195 Dundas Street West Toronto ON M8X 1Y4

“Public relations is

the strategic management of relationships

between an organization and its diverse publics,

through the use of communications,

to achieve mutual understanding,

realize organizational goals

and serve the public interest.”

Canadian Public Relations Society, 2009

Contents

Executive summary (470 words) .................................................................................................... 4

Background (159 words)................................................................................................................. 6

Research (417 words) ..................................................................................................................... 7

Methodology and findings .......................................................................................................... 7

Research limitations .................................................................................................................... 8

Analysis (490 words) ...................................................................................................................... 9

Key stakeholders ......................................................................................................................... 9

SWOT analysis ............................................................................................................................ 9

Communication objectives ........................................................................................................ 10

Communication strategies ......................................................................................................... 10

Communication (795 words) ........................................................................................................ 11

Tools and tactics ........................................................................................................................ 11

Key messages ............................................................................................................................ 12

Implementation and budget ....................................................................................................... 12

Evaluation (715 words) ................................................................................................................. 14

Methodology, results and interpretation.................................................................................... 14

Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 15

Appendix 1: Brand identity – logo................................................................................................ 16

Appendix 2: Brand identity – stationery ....................................................................................... 17

Appendix 3: Sample public documents ........................................................................................ 18

Appendix 4: News release, June 16, 2011 .................................................................................... 20

Appendix 5: News release, December 15, 2011 ........................................................................... 23

Appendix 6: enews (abridged to fit one page) .............................................................................. 26

Appendix 7: Website (www.manitobagamblingresearch.com) .................................................... 27

Appendix 8: Media and stakeholder coverage samples ................................................................ 28

Appendix 9: Conference floor banner ........................................................................................... 31

Development and launch of the Manitoba Gambling Research Program for Manitoba Lotteries

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Executive summary (470 words) Manitoba Lotteries, a Crown corporation, launched the Manitoba Gambling Research Program in December 2011. The program provides $1 million in annual funding towards responsible gaming and problem gambling research. It is funded and managed by Manitoba Lotteries. A Research Council, consisting of community members and gambling stakeholders, oversees research funding. In May 2009 I was asked to begin developing a public relations strategy as the program’s structure was being formalized. In the following 30 months the strategy evolved in tandem with the structure of the program. The program launched December 2011 when we activated its website, rendering the program’s programs and services operational. The program resides within the Manitoba Lotteries’ Responsible Gaming department. As the appointed Communications member of the project team, my work was reviewed and approved by the Project Coordinator from Responsible Gaming, and the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility.

I applied the principles of the RACE formula as follows:

1. Research of stakeholders and the branding/communications approach of other research funding bodies.

2. Analysis of comparative programs, governmental and corporate needs, and best methods for delivering goals. Development of communications risks and tactics document.

3. Communications planning including writing, editing and designing public materials. Developing website framework and contents; leading site testing and evaluation process. Developing all supporting material (backgrounders, Q&A’s, key messages). Overseeing the rollout of all communications tactics.

4. Evaluation including media monitoring, media enquiry tracking, website and publication metrics, phone and online enquiry logs and grant applications.


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This program presented several public relations challenges and opportunities. Goals included:

• Generating awareness and interest among potential Research Council candidates, the academic and research communities, and other gambling stakeholders.

• Establishing a credible program brand that reinforced the values of research integrity, transparency and value, particularly as the program’s stakeholders might be considered biased.

• Integrating the program brand within the broader Manitoba Lotteries brand.

• Providing an effective set of feedback channels allowing program administrators to anticipate and respond to stakeholder needs and potential public relations issues.

Costs were borne by the program’s inaugural budget with $20,000 earmarked for communications. Internal staff resources were extensively used to execute this public relations plan, and totaled over 2,800 hours for the project. This included such services as website programming by our Information Technology (IT) department. Measured results fell into two areas – those recorded to measure the success of the launch, and those used to establish benchmarks for ongoing performance monitoring. In both cases, much of our measurement was based around website and e-news subscription metrics. I recorded less than anticipated website traffic and website account registrations, but significantly higher growth in our email subscriber database than expected. My evaluation of these and other results suggests we were successful in targeting our well defined key audience of researchers, but have a ways to go in establishing the program’s brand outside this group.


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Background (159 words)

In Manitoba, the government-directed mandate to conduct gambling related research falls to a gambling regulatory body, government health and addictions agencies, and the gambling operator Manitoba Lotteries. The research is varied, but generally measures performance of programs and services, stakeholder attitudes or general gambling statistics. The Manitoba Gambling Research Program was different in that it funds academic-based gambling-related research to produce information that would be valuable for all stakeholders. As the program was funded and managed by Manitoba Lotteries, it was our corporation’s responsibility to organize and lead the program’s public relations component. Elsewhere in Canada, responsible gambling research has been conducted through university networks, nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups. Each has its unique operational model that may affect public perception of the research funded – for instance, perception of research bias. As our program included gambling stakeholders on the Research Council, our model was vulnerable to this perception, which directly affected our key messaging and overall public relations approach.


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Research (417 words)

Methodology and findings • Internal monitoring and analysis of our own program model. Between May 2009 and

December 2011 I composed six major drafts of the communication strategy, corresponding to significant changes in the program model. Understanding the model was essential to ensure that our communication objectives, strategy and key messages remained relevant, accurate and effective. Two key findings emerged:

o Our need to focus on one key target audience, the academic research community, in generating awareness, credibility and trust.

o A comparatively less significant need to create a strong program identity among some of Manitoba Lotteries’ typical audiences – namely customers and public.

• A comparison of similar funding bodies in Canada. I reviewed the communication approaches of other gambling research funds. I also reviewed the differences between operational models:

o Our program model exposed us to a question of research integrity, since our model was the only one to have a gambling operator directly funding and managing the program.

o Because our Research Council included industry stakeholders, it could be expected that the research we funded would have practical applications in responsible gaming and problem gambling programs – as opposed to more esoteric research.

• An assessment of public opinion on gambling research. Manitoba Lotteries employs a media monitoring service. This netted insight into how research is used by mainstream media. These samples helped us prepare program staff, the Research Council, our Communications Department and management.

• An assessment of what occurs when gambling research is released or withheld. Recent examples highlighted the public relations damage potentially caused when a government or organization withholds research, which supported our commitment to release all completed research, and for us to clearly state this intention.

• An assessment of how the public reacts to government involvement in research. In one example, regional media in Eastern Canada reported that an arms-length government organization was being “muzzled” using government-directed restructuring. This example highlighted the importance of operating with transparency.


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Research limitations • Indeterminate launch date. The program’s launch date was changed several times for

reasons outside the scope of this report. Had we known the ultimate launch date, we may have conducted more in-depth research.

• Indeterminate program structure. Although Manitoba Lotteries would manage the program with integrity, consistency and transparency, it was noted at an early stage that a potential challenge would be to communicate this to stakeholders. As the program’s exact structure was not confirmed until well into communications planning, I approached my strategy in a way that would be appropriate under a range of program scenarios.


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Analysis (490 words)

Key stakeholders • Canadian researchers, primarily academic researchers but also private research firms,

were our primary target audience. A successful launch would see this audience become aware, trusting and interested in our program, thereby actively participating in the program during the inaugural solicitation calendar (as funding applicants, peer reviewers, or participants in conversation via our e-newsletter, conferences or other contact points).

• A Research Council oversees the program’s research funding and is integral to demonstrating research integrity. However, the council includes not only academic and public members but also the province’s gambling regulator, operator and addictions services agency. I needed to communicate that the gambling stakeholders’ involvement ensured the program would deliver research with practical applications. This conversation applied not only when introducing the program to other stakeholders, but also when we approached Research Council candidates.

• The provincial government created the Research Council via an Order in Council,

appointed members of the Research Council, approved the program model, and was included in the launch.

• Internal stakeholders included project staff, senior management and my own communications department.

• Public taxpayers were considered a secondary audience, as the program supported Manitoba Lotteries’ public perception of our corporate social responsibility.

SWOT analysis Strengths

• Available expert research consultant, familiar with other Canadian funding bodies. • Extensive internal resources made available by senior management:

o Communications o Responsible Gaming o Information Technology o Finance o Risk Management

Weaknesses • Indeterminate launch date made planning difficult. • Hybridized program model with no identical precedent to study.


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Opportunities • Opportunity to study three established funding bodies in other Canadian jurisdictions. • Existence of a strong responsible gaming culture and commitment at Manitoba Lotteries,

providing an excellent foundation and springboard for the desired program messaging. • Academic representative appointed to the Research Council had experience with another

research fund and the media. His involvement enhanced our program’s integrity.

Threats • Gambling operator in an oversight and funding position of the program (perceived bias). • Other roles that Research Council members held outside of the council. Necessity for

them to clearly identify who they were representing when speaking publicly.

Communication objectives Our objectives aligned with the intention of our corporation and provincial government to be a leader in responsible gambling research and program development:

1. Generate interest and confidence from the Canadian research community in the program.

2. Establish a credible program brand that reinforces the program’s stated values.

3. Establish the program as another component of the Province’s commitment to responsible gaming and problem gambling research.

4. Provide feedback channels that allow program administrators to anticipate and respond to stakeholder needs and potential public relations issues.

Communication strategies 1. Communicate the program’s values of: integrity, quality, relevance, collaboration, and

capacity building.

2. Develop a clear and compelling brand identity, visible in particular to the Canadian research community.

3. Communicate that the program is overseen by an independent Research Council with comprehensive peer review mechanisms in place.

4. Demonstrate the relevancy of the research to Manitoba’s gambling stakeholders and Manitobans.


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Communication (795 words)

Tools and tactics Unless otherwise stated, I directly produced or led the production of the following, with input and support of the project supervisor, internal departments and vendors. • Purpose and values statement. This was a critical preliminary tool to develop, as it guided

brand development, key messaging and the focus of key stakeholders early on. I worked directly with the project manager in researching and developing these statements.

• Brand development. I worked with our agency of record to develop a logo and graphic identity for the program. Critical discussions included what message the brand was to convey (gaming neutral, people-first, trustworthy) and the desired level of distinction and separation from the Manitoba Lotteries parent brand.

• Website. Arguably the most critical component of the launch, the website serves as the primary mode of two-way communication among key stakeholders. The website goes well beyond offering static information – its services include secure account-based online forms and file-sharing for processes such as applying for funding and conducting peer reviews. The site is designed to provide a continuum of support and information for users. I conducted a user needs assessment, handled content creation, and developed the process and instruments for full website user-based testing and evaluation. I also monitored branding and appropriate integration with Manitoba Lotteries’ main corporate site. Our IT department handled database development for all user workflow processes.

• E-newsletter. Because of our well-defined audiences, the program administrator was able to manually collect contact information via publicly-available sources (e.g. research journals) to seed our email database. The e-newsletter was vital in reaching the research community quickly and effectively with minimal cost. I ensured the email branding and privacy statements within each email mitigated the risk of being perceived as spam.

• Public and government documents. We identified a list of key documents required for each stakeholder group. The preferred language and terminology for the program evolved continuously, necessitating a regular review of all material to ensure it was consistent, on-message and brand-focused. Internal material included Q&As, key messages and the communication strategy. External material included research guidelines, grants brochures, research application templates, and a purpose and values statement brochure.

• News releases/backgrounders. News releases were not directed at the research community. Rather, per our corporate practices, we issued the releases to inform the public of the new program for reasons of transparency. Distribution targeted major local media, stakeholders and was posted on our website for public transparency.

• Media management plan. The program is unique to Manitoba Lotteries in that it is funded by the corporation, but maintains an independent appointed Research Council chair and other members. I reviewed and developed a preferred approach for managing media requests, and


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for helping council members understand their roles and responsibilities. Essentially, the media management plan complements and conforms to Manitoba Lotteries’ existing media policies, while recognizing the unique aspects of the program.

• Stakeholder meetings. The project coordinator served as liaison for all stakeholder consultations. I helped prepare her with key messages for meetings with leaders in the research community, Research Council members and others.

• Stationery and conference material. Major effort was put into defining – and defending internally – the brand relationship between the program and Manitoba Lotteries. An example of such discussion is the relative positioning of corporate and program logos on material ranging from conference pop-up banners to letterhead.

• Conference sponsorships are anticipated to be a significant method, within the next few years, of developing personal relationships with opinion makers and leaders in the research community. To date, the major research and gambling conferences we targeted have not occurred and so no results can be discussed. These were not included in our budget.

• Social media was not an available tool per Manitoba Lotteries’ existing policies. This was an acknowledged limitation in our tactics.

Key messages • The new Manitoba Gambling Research Program launches in late 2011, with $1 million

dedicated each year to support research that will enhance responsible gaming programs, and problem gambling prevention and treatment.

• The program increases Canadian and Manitoba-based gambling research and research capacity, and is part of Manitoba Lotteries’ Responsible Gaming Strategy.

• The program operates with integrity and consistency to produce quality research of relevance to Manitoba. The program is overseen by a Research Council and requires proposals and reports to undergo an independent peer review process. All completed research will be published.

• There are two types of funded research. Research Grants provide academics the opportunity to pursue research projects that enhance understanding of topics within the program’s research priority areas. Focused Research provides an opportunity for researchers to investigate specific questions, as identified by the Research Council.

Implementation and budget Costs were minimized by using in-house expertise and departmental resources whenever possible. Manitoba Lotteries employees are not required to track their time spent on individual projects, therefore the staff hours provided are an estimate only.


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Timeline Activity Cost ($) Staffing hours

May 2009 – Sept 2011 Aug2009 – Feb 2010 Monitored continually

Research Internal monitoring of program model development Collecting information on other funding bodies Public opinion research (secondary sources)

n/a Lorne Kletke: 80 Program staff: 1,000

June – July 2010 Purpose and values statement n/a Lorne Kletke: 32 Program staff: 32

Aug – Oct 2010

Brand development Develop logo, logo use guidelines, graphic style $12,000

Lorne Kletke: 100 Program staff: 100

Marketing: 4

Jan – Feb 2010 April – May 2010 June – Nov 2010 Sept 2010 – Nov 2010 Dec 2010 – April 2011 April 2011 Dec 2010 – Dec 2011 July 2011 – Sept 2011 Jan – June 2011

Website Research Conceptual development Site organization Writing Design Photography Database/site programming User-based testing and site adjustments Software purchase

$2,500

Lorne Kletke: 320 IT: 440

Program: 280 Communications: 8

June 2011 July – Aug 2011 Sept 2011 – ongoing Dec 2011 – ongoing

E-newsletter Database construction and seeding Template design Writing (including privacy statements) Distribution

n/a Lorne Kletke: 24

IT: 20 Program staff: 75

May – Dec 2011

News releases, backgrounders Writing, distribution, media management n/a Lorne Kletke: 32

Program staff: 32

May – Dec 2011 Dec 2011 – ongoing

Brochures, templates and public documents Writing, design, production Distribution – mainly electronically

$200 Lorne Kletke: 120 Program staff: 40

May 2009 – ongoing Media monitoring Vendor-supplied media monitoring, managed in-house by Communications Coordinator

Preexisting resource

Lorne Kletke: 8 Communications: 0.5 (per week, ongoing)

Jan – Feb 2012 Pop-up floor banners Panel design, development and installation into existing bases by vendor

$900 Lorne Kletke: 2 Program staff: 10

Feb – May 2011 Stationery Design, printing and delivery of letterhead, business cards, envelopes

$6,000 Lorne Kletke: 32 Program staff: 20

Dec 2011 - ongoing

Evaluation Data collection and synthesis. n/a

Lorne Kletke: 16 IT: 8

Program staff: 2

TOTAL $21,600 + 2,837 hours


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Evaluation (715 words)

Methodology, results and interpretation 1. Email database growth rate. The database was seeded with ~500 manually obtained,

publicly available email addresses. I expected an initial database shrinkage of no more than 25% of seeds to account for false targets, followed by database growth of 10-15% as peer-to-peer recruitment occurred and solicitation calendar opened (for a net loss of 10-15% from the initial database). Within three months of launch, five e-newsletters were sent and all funding categories were opened for applications. We recorded a net gain (~2%) in subscribers, which translates to 17% more subscribers than targeted. This suggested we were highly effective in accurately seeding the database, and supplying desired messages.

2. Stakeholder consultation. This included formal and informal discussions with members of all primary stakeholder groups, yielding qualitative findings that indicated positive connotations with the program brand.

3. Website metrics. o Unique visitors: Other research programs reported an historical average of

upwards of 5,000 visitors from December-February. Given the markets of those programs, I set our target at 1,000 for the same period. We achieved only 301, which I attributed to it being our first three months of operation coupled with a lack of an established brand. Encouraging visits to our website will be added as a key message in our promotions, and we will continue to monitor site traffic.

o Account registrations: I anticipated that a large number of visitors would activate an account, because the site was marketed to a focused audience. Projecting a 20% follow-through from all visitors, in actuality we achieved a 6.3% registration rate. We are in the process of comparing this ratio against partner organizations in Canada and will address this based on those results.

o Resource downloads: This metric was intended to supplement account registration measurements. I anticipated that at least 50% of visitors would download one of several key guideline documents, which allowed for roughly half of those to follow through to account registrations as described above. Due to technical difficulty, our IT department has so far been unable to provide this data.

o Inquiries: The quality and quantity of inquiries suggested we provided high-quality information in an accessible manner. We received approximately 10 serious inquiries in the first three months of operation, indicating that most e-newsletter and website viewers understood the information provided.

o Grant applications and peer review invitation acceptances: We began measuring these at launch in order to establish benchmarks for ongoing performance analysis.


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4. Other response metrics. Other responses that were not web-based, such as phone inquiries, were tracked. Because of our intentional internet-based approach to providing information and service, we expected to see most inquiries come in electronically. This proved to be the case, with the number of non-electronic inquiries so small as to be statistically irrelevant.

5. Media coverage. The expectation was that the program launch would not generate significant mainstream interest. As anticipated, in the first three months of operation the program received only neutral mass media coverage (three media outlets) and no negative coverage. Mainstream coverage dropped shortly after launch, compared with sustained coverage from universities and other niche sources. (We identified 11 sources, most of which provided ongoing updates to their audiences. Coverage was obtained on national platforms as well as within Manitoba and four other regions).

6. References made in other research, or in media articles, to our program, its published research or its spokespeople. This measurement is not expected to yield meaningful results until the first funded research is published.

7. Brand resonance. We have received no negative feedback regarding our brand identity, which appears to clearly communicate what it is the program offers and stands for. A recommendation has been made to add the program’s brand within Manitoba Lotteries’ existing and ongoing public opinion research.

Conclusions 1. The brand position we have developed appears to be well-received and no immediate

changes are required. More evaluation is required to specify brand perception among target audiences.

2. Electronic communication has been effective for cost-effectively establishing two-way communication with Canadian researchers. However, while our initial effort has established awareness, further investment is needed in trust-building forms of communication, such as engagement at conferences.

3. The researcher community appears receptive to the program, with a good number of grant applications received to date within our first solicitation calendar.


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Appendix 1: Brand identity – logo


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Appendix 2: Brand identity – stationery


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Appendix 3: Sample public documents


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Appendix 4: News release, June 16, 2011


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Appendix 5: News release, December 15, 2011


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Appendix 6: enews (abridged to fit one page)

The Manitoba Gambling Research Program has officially launched today in Manitoba. Research opportunities are available to

researchers across Canada. Full information on the new program can be found at www.manitobagamblingresearch.com

The Manitoba Gambling Research Program supports the development of high quality research that enables the evidence-based

advancement of responsible gaming programs, and problem gambling prevention and treatment.

The $1 million annual funding of the Manitoba Gambling Research Program is overseen by a Research Council. The program is

financially supported and administered by Manitoba Lotteries.

Research Opportunities

• Research Grants are available for academic researchers across Canada to pursue projects within the program’s research

priority areas.

• Focused Research Projects will provide the opportunity for researchers to investigate specific questions, as identified by

the Research Council. Focused projects will be announced in early 2012.

2012 Grant Solicitation Calendar Solicitation for Research Grants opens January 31, 2012

Submission Deadlines:

Letter of Intent for Large Grants (up to $450,000) March 21, 2012

Small Grants (up to $50,000) February 22, 2012

Studentship Grants (up to $60,000) March 1, 2012

Conference Grants (up to $2,000) Accepted year-round

To apply, or for more information regarding the program and application process, please visit our website at

www.manitobagamblingresearch.com

Or contact:

Carly Sacco, M.A.

Responsible Gaming Research Analyst

[email protected]

(204) 957-2500 ext. 2417

1-800-265-3912 ext. 2417

You have received this newsletter because we believe you are active in the research community and may be interested in the Manitoba Gambling Research Program. Please

feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may be interested in the program. If you do not wish to be contacted in the future, please unsubscribe by clicking here.

Otherwise, we will maintain your information on our contact list to keep you up to date. For our privacy policy and statement, please visit our website at

www.manitobagamblingresearch.com


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Appendix 7: Website (www.manitobagamblingresearch.com)


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Appendix 8: Media and stakeholder coverage samples WinnipegFreePress.com (Manitoba’s major daily newspaper). Below: lead on home page. Bottom: article.


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Newscan (Weekly national e-bulletin on gambling research), Responsible Gambling Council


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Appendix 9: Conference floor banner

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