Employment of public relations consultants

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE BY SENATOR P.V.F. LE CLAIRE

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON 22nd JUNE 2004

Question

Would the President –

( a ) inform members whether the Committee is still employing public relations consultants and if so, would

he name the companies or individuals so employed by the Committee?

( b )  c onfirm the fees charged to the Committee by the consultants and the amounts paid to them in the last

12 months?

Answer

1. The Committeeemploys a numberof public relations consultantsandagentsas detailed below, mainly to promote Jersey as a tourist destination; this is a vitalpartof the work undertaken by the department, and is consistent with business practice employed by most marketing organisations who will always bring in specialist expertise particularly inoverseasmarketswhere local knowledge is essential. The Committee does not employconsultants to manage the relationship between itself and the local media.

C a irns and Associates, Promote Jersey Royal potatoes by, for example –

 r u nning a proactive press office from January to June;

 c r eating and issuing fact sheets about the history of the Jersey Royal;

ta r g eting food pages of nationals, regional and consumer magazines with Jersey Royal recipes;

monitoring trade titles and provide information for all relevant features;

ru n n ing a reactive press office from July to November, responding to media enquiries;

co n d ucting all necessary account management for the smooth running of the account; and,

to e n su re optimum coverage in 2005 start planning this year as some of the monthly titles have copy lead

times of around a year and there is only have a short period of time when the potatoes are in harvest.

L i ngo Publication Relations, Lingo PR & Marketing offers a fully operational press office service for Jersey

Tourism. Its principal has worked for the Island since 1997 and she and her team know the Island very well. Lingo offer all assistance in media visits and have a large selection of copy should ready written pieces be required.

 À   Deux Comme. In France, À Deux Comme offers a fully operational press office service for Jersey

Tourism. Its principal has specialised in tourism and lifestyle for the past 10 years and offers personal assistance to journalists to suit their requirements, arranging press visits with itineraries to include all useful contacts and appointments specific to their desired subjects. Other services provided to the media include handling  general  queries,  distributing  press  releases  about  activities  and  events  on-Island,  press  packs, arranging press conferences and interviews, attending exhibitions and press functions and managing a video and image library.

Expert PR and HWM Communications Gmbh in Germany is the representative for Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing in the German Market and has extensive knowledge about the Island of Jersey, its countryside, history and its fascinating culture. For  example Expert PR and HWM  assist in organised research trips for journalists and television crews and the dispatch of information, slides and film material.

Holland – BrouwerBetist. The agency has acted as Jersey Tourism's Marketing and PR-representative in the Netherlands since January 2003. All activities are focused on both Jersey and Guernsey, being positioned

as the joint destination Channel Islands' on the Dutch market. Services to the press include: handling of press

requests, production and distribution of press releases and bulletins, organisation of press trips, assistance with press workshops and supply of images and videos. The agency can also be contacted for travel trade campaigns, joint promotions, promotional activities and all other options to promote the Channel Islands.

Belgium – Commsultants Benelux, Commsultants has been Jersey Tourism's Market representative since 1995 and during those years has maintained a direct relationship with the press in both Belgium and Luxembourg. Commsultants supply news about Jersey on a regular basis based upon subjects that come available either from input from Jersey or through its own initiative with subjects particularly interesting to different niche audiences. It manages a hard copy info-centre which allows journalists to browse through and view historic data, current news and expected future highlights. As Jersey Tourism's representative Commsultants participate in activities from partner organizations such as the BTA which in turn increases the number of contacts with the press.

USA – AMPR. AMPR is Jersey Tourism's Public Relations consultant in North America. AMPR has offices in New York and Los Angeles and has represented Jersey for six years. AMPR offer a wealth of experience and insight to the media wishing any support from the Island.

Switzerland – CPS Communications. CPS Communications has acted for Jersey Tourism since 1996, as PR-professionals CPS assist the media to organise individual and group press trips. Through press releases in German and French CPS supplies news about Jersey on a regular basis based upon subjects that become available.

Ireland – Project PR. Jersey Tourism has had a Press & Public Information Office serving the Irish market since 1994. Services provided to the media include: handling general queries, distributing relevant information about activities and events on-Island, organising press visits, managing a video and image library, and arranging support activities such as competitions and promotions.

A ddendum  Media  promote  all  training  programmes  and  initiatives  for  the  Training  and  Employment

Partnership.

2. The Committeeis reluctant to publish details offees and costs paid toconsultants for the following reasons –

 ( i )  the information is commercial, in confidence and might jeopardise the competitive position of the

consultants and the Committee;

( i i) the release of the information constitutes a breach of confidence because the contracts entered into

between the department and the above consultants were  on the understanding that they would remain confidential; and,

( ii i) the release of such information would jeopardise the Committee's competitive position in sourcing fee

proposals, especially at this time when some contracts are about to be renewed.

The Committee paid a total of £9,000 to Jersey based, and £314,970 to off-Island PR consultants and agencies over the last 12 months.