Ad agencies shut out of gov't EU info campaign

The Democratic Left Alliance's (SLD) long-ballyhooed European Union information campaign began last week but advertising executives were surprised that the industry wasn't asked to lend its expertise to help the government get its message out. "I am surprised that none of the big advertising agencies was contacted," said Marek Janicki, president of McCann-Erickson Polska. "The project should be commissioned to one agency via a public tender." The government's goal for the nationwide campaign is to increase awareness among Poles about the European Union prior to a referendum on membership next year. Recent polls suggest that just 60% of the public understands what the Western economic and political bloc is all about. Part of this year's zł. 3.26 million ($815,000) campaign budget will be spent on 50, 60-second television spots, produced by Agencja Z&T. The TV production company, which is not an advertising agency, offered the lowest bid at zł. 597,000 ($149,000) for the ads, while all of the nation's top broadcasters agreed to run the ads for free. Radio spots are also planned, and an EU-information Web site has been set up.

In addition, the government has started a toll-free information phone line (0800-EUROPA) and 150,000 posters will be hung in state-owned banks, rail stations and post offices around the country. "We have a small team," said Aleksander Borowicz of the campaign office's eight-person staff. "We're not going to run any sumptuous campaign." But advertising executives said that such a large-scale and politically significant campaign should have been prepared and run by ad agencies, which have the right resources, personnel and experience. "It's a job for experts," said Maciej Lipski, client service director at Grey Warszawa ad agency. Government agencies, Lipski said, tend to put too much information in their campaigns, making it difficult for recipients to absorb everything. "If you throw someone a ball, then this person will catch one ball," he said. "If you throw five balls, he will still catch (only) one." But Borowicz said the government's campaign would use very simple language and focus on explaining the mere basics about the EU. "We did advertising campaigns before and we know how it's done," he said. "The earlier campaigns haven't always been digestible to all people."

"Agencies expected no money" The advertising industry has in previous years organized commission-free campaigns as part of prestigious events or charity projects, and would handle the EU campaign the same way, according to McCann-Erickson's Janicki. "The big agencies expected no money, but we haven't been asked anyway," Janicki said. But some industry sources said the government's aim to keep costs for the campaign low has been overly severe and could affect the quality. Prices offered by bidders were the key criterion in the tender to produce the 50 TV spots, the backbone of the campaign. Agencja Z&T offered the lowest price of zł. 597,000 and won the tender, but one of the competing bidders, who asked to be unnamed, said that such a production cannot be made for less than zł. 1 million ($250,000). Most offers placed in the tender hovered around zł. 1 million, he said. "Cutting costs will have a bad effect on the campaign," he said.