Final Report
July 3rd, 2015
Call-Up # G9292-164260/001/CY
POR 005-15
Contract award date: 2015-04-30
Contracted amount (inc. HST): $42,041.65
Fieldwork: June 1st to June 3rd, 2015
For more information please contact: nc-por-rop-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français sur demande
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Contains Ipsos’ Confidential, Trade Secret and Proprietary Information.
In 2006, the Government of Canada introduced the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), which provides all families with up to $1,200 per year for each child under the age of 6. The UCCB currently provides direct federal support to approximately 1.6 million families with young children.
As part of the Family Tax Cuts and Benefits Plan announced in October 2014, the Government of Canada has enhanced the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) by increasing the benefit from $1,200 to $1,920 per year for each child under 6, and by introducing a new benefit of $720 per year for each child aged 6-17.
The UCCB enhancements took effect January 2015 and has been reflected in monthly payments to recipients.
Employment and Skills Development Canada’s (ESDC) advertising campaigns will exclusively focus on promoting the enhanced UCCB initiative to all Canadians while tailoring and targeting messages to reach hard to reach audiences. The ads would be skewed to mothers, as mothers are mostly the ones to research information about their child’s welfare.
The goal of the creative testing was to determine whether the creative treatment resonates with the target audience and meets the advertising campaign’s objectives and to determine what changes, if any, were needed in the creative. Pre-testing the creative elements of the communications campaign is critical to the success of the overall campaign. More specifically qualitative research was utilized to ascertain participants’ reactions to the following elements for the creative tested:
Impressions of the advertising concept were positive in all sessions. Specific feedback collected was very consistent from one group to the next in all locations. Key findings across all audiences included:
Participants in all sessions said they had heard of new tax measures introduced by the Federal Government to help Canadian families.
According to participants the key messages communicated by the concept were:
A total of 6 focus groups were conducted with parents of children under the age of 18. We recruited 10 participants to each session for 8 to show. Fieldwork was conducted from June 1st through June 3rd, 2015 in Montreal (French), Mississauga and Vancouver. Two groups were conducted in each location.
Each group was scheduled for 90 minutes, but most groups took slightly less than an hour to complete. Participants in Montreal and Mississauga received an honorarium of $85; those in Vancouver received a $100 honorarium.
In addition to ensuring all participants were parents of children 18 years of age or younger, we also used recruitment screening questions to ensure a good mix of age, educational attainment and income levels in each session.
One advertising concept (in rough cut format) was tested. The ad was shown twice in each session, followed by a group discussion. Participants also filled out a short worksheet prior to opening up the floor for a more detailed discussion.
Please note that this research is qualitative in nature and, therefore, findings detailed herein cannot be extrapolated to the Canadian population; they should be viewed as directional.
The total expenditure for this research was $42,041.65 (including HST).
This certification is to be submitted with the final report submitted to the Project Authority.
I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Marc Beaudoin that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research.
Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.Signed:
Participants in all sessions held positive impressions of the concept tested. It was deemed easy to understand and considered informative, with participants in all locations stating that the ad provided them with new information related to the UCCB. Furthermore, participants in all three locations stated that the ad would compel them to take action such as seek out more information via the Internet or by phone. Additionally there was no confusion as to the sponsor, all clearly understood that this ad was sponsored by the Government of Canada.
Despite fostering positive impressions and being easy to understand there were some participants in each session who, after seeing the ad, questioned whether they needed to apply for the benefit. There was agreement among participants in all sessions that altering the super wording to ‘Find out if you need to apply’ would be helpful in clarifying this confusion and making the call-to-action more explicit. It should also be noted that although participants in all three locations acknowledged having seen the URL few had retained it, with most stating that they would simply perform a Google search to obtain additional information.
A more detailed breakdown of impressions of the ad concept by location is summarized below:
Montreal participants in both sessions had a positive reaction to the advertising concept, many stating that the ad contained important information. Additionally, participants in both groups acknowledged that the ad was informative, visually appealing and would likely compel them to seek out additional information on the web or by phone. When prompted, they acknowledged that they would likely discuss the ad with family and friends.
Participants in Montreal most often said that the messages communicated by the ad were: that the Government is providing assistance to young families, that the Government recognizes the challenges associated with having children and is looking to help families, and that this benefit is aimed at all those with children younger than 18 years of age regardless of income levels. Some participants tended to focus on subscript information presented on screen related to benefit amounts and age qualifications.
Participants in Montreal felt that the visuals presented (a birthday party) were relatable and likely to have broad appeal. In fact, when prompted, all agreed that the ad as presented was intended for people such as themselves. A few participants also noted the multi-ethnic aspect of the visuals appearing in the ad and felt this was a good thing as it would serve to make the ad more relatable and provide broader appeal.
Participants in Montreal made note of potential confusion as to eligibility created by the super at the very end of the ad. Specific questions focussed on what actions would be required by viewers in order to receive this benefit - Do I need to apply? Do I need to do anything to receive this? What do I need to do to make sure I don’t miss out on this?
Participants in Montreal suggested that modifying the super to ‘Visitez Canada.ca/reductionsdimpot pour savoir si vous devez présenter une demande’ would be an improvement on the proposed super included in the tested script ‘Faites-en la demande à Canada.ca/reductionsdimpot’ which tended to create some confusion and for some appeared to be contradictory to information presented in the ad.
As was the case in the Montreal sessions, participants in both Mississauga sessions had positive initial reactions to the creative concept, particularly those in the first session. There was general consensus among those in attendance that the ad contained important information, that it would likely compel them to seek out additional information and discuss the ad with family or friends.
Although most said that the visuals of the birthday party were relatable a few suggested that alternative settings might be considered, for instance, a park. However, when pressed, most agreed that the visuals as presented did work effectively. Participants were not likely to retain the URL but said they would do a Google search or call if they needed more information.
Key messages communicated by the creative were consistent with those recorded in Montreal: the Government is providing assistance to young families, the government recognizes the challenges associated with having children and is looking to help families, and this benefit is aimed at all those with children younger than 18 years of age regardless of income levels. Regardless of perceived message, all participants in Mississauga agreed that the ad, as presented, was intended for people such as themselves.
As was the case in Montreal, those in Mississauga were somewhat confused as to program eligibility. Questions focused on whether they needed to apply or whether they would automatically receive the benefit. Participants in both sessions felt that modifying the super at the end of the ad from ‘Apply…..’ ‘to ‘Find out if you need to apply’ would help lessen any confusion and make it clear to all that it is best to take steps to determine if they need apply.
Vancouver participants reacted positively to the concept. Most said the message was clear, positive and easily understood, i.e., there has been a change, families with children under 18 years of age are eligible, this benefit is aimed at all those with children younger than 18 years of age regardless of income levels.
Participants in both sessions said the ad contained important information and that it would likely compel them to seek out additional information and discuss it with family or friends. Should they require additional information most said they would simply conduct a Google search or call.
Consistent with views expressed by their counterparts in Montreal and Mississauga, Vancouver participants said the visual were relatable and would likely appeal to a broad audience.
Similarly to findings elsewhere, those attending Vancouver sessions were somewhat confused as to whether they need to apply for the benefit or not. There was agreement in both sessions that modifying the ending to “Find out if you need to apply” would help alleviate this confusion. Finally, a few participants in Vancouver would have appreciated bigger and clearer fonts for important information appearing on screen in subscript – for instance, eligibility amounts.
[MODERATOR LIST ON FLIP CHART AND PROMPT AS NEEDED]
MODERATOR: REMIND PARTICIPANTS THAT THIS IS JUST A ROUGH CUT, NOT A FINISHED AD AND THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR THEIR REACTIONS TO THE IDEAS / MESSAGES THAT ARE BEING COMMUNICATED IN THIS AD.
HAVE PARTICIPANTS FILL OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE PRIOR TO DISCUSSION.
BROAD VIEWS OF ADVERTISEMENT:
To start with I would like to show you an advertisement you might see in the coming weeks on your TV. After having shown you the advertisement twice, I would like you to complete a short questionnaire.
I’ll be handing out the short questionnaire before we open up the floor for discussion
[PLAY ADVERTISEMENT] – MODERATOR ALLOWS A FEW MINUTES TO COMPLETE QUESTIONNAIRE – REMEMBER TO WALK PARTICIPANTS THROUGH QUESTIONNAIRE.
[Moderator Read]
The majority of families with children will automatically receive the enhanced Universal Childcare Benefit or be contacted by the Government to confirm their information, however, many eligible families may miss out on receiving money that is owed to them unless they apply.
Based on this, do you feel that one of the following messages would be more suitable:
City:
Group #:
Hello/Bonjour this is [Insert: your name] calling from Ipsos Canada. We're a professional public opinion research company, and we’re not selling anything.
Would you prefer to continue in English or French? Préférez-vous continuer en français ou en anglais?
Note: if at this point the participant prefers to respond in French then the interviewer must be able to either proceed with the interview in French or read the following statement: “Je vous remercie. Quelqu’un qui parle couramment le français vous rappellera bientôt.”
On behalf of the Government of Canada we’re organizing a series of discussion groups to explore various issues of importance to the country. The discussion will take about an hour and a half (90 minutes) and if you qualify and attend you will receive [$85] (NOTE Incentive to be $100 in Van only) ] to thank you for taking the time to participate.
I’d like to ask you a few questions to see if you qualify to participate. It will take about 3 minutes to complete these questions.
Your answers to these questions and your participation in the discussion groups are both voluntary and completely confidential and your answers will remain anonymous. May I continue?
Would you be interested in participating in this discussion which will be held on DATE at ADDRESS?
Great, I would like to ask you a few questions to see if you qualify to participate.
(RECORD GENDER, DO NOT ASK)
Do you or any member of your household work in or has retired from:
Market Research or Marketing
Public Relations or Media (TV, Print)
Advertising and communications
An employee of a political party
An employee of a government department or agency, whether federal or provincial
IF “YES” TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THANK AND TERMINATE
1. How many years have you lived in the community where you currently live?
2. Have you ever participated in a focus group or in depth interview?
3. How many focus groups or in depth interviews have you participated in the past 5 years?
4. How many months ago did you last participate in a focus group or in-depth interview?
5. How comfortable are you expressing your opinions in front of people you’ve just met? Would you say you’re…
6. Could you please tell me what age category you fall in to? Are you... [ENSURE A GOOD MIX]
7. Are you the parent of a child or children under the age of 18?
8. I am going to read you a series of age categories – please tell me which one best describes your children’s age [INTERVIEWER RECORD ALL]
9. Could you please tell me what the highest level of education you have completed? [READ LIST; TRY TO ENSURE A GOOD MIX] [QUESTION FOR SPEC SHEET ONLY – DO NOT DQ, IF PARTICIPANT REFUSES TO ANSWER PLEASE CONTINUE]
10. Which of the following categories best describes your total household income? That is, the total income of all persons in your household combined, before taxes? (READ LIST; TRY TO ENSURE A GOOD MIX) [QUESTION FOR SPEC SHEET ONLY – DO NOT DQ, IF PARTICIPANT REFUSES TO ANSWER PLEASE CONTINUE]
11. Which of the following best describes your employment situation? Are you… [READ LIST]
12. Are you comfortable reading in English/French (LANGUAGE OF THE FOCUS GROUP)[ IF NOT COMFORTABLE THANK AND TERMINATE]
Wonderful, you qualify to participate. The session will be held on DATE at TIME at ADDRESS. The session will last about an hour and a half (90 minutes) 1 hour in duration and you will need to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the discussion.
I need to let you know that the discussion will be audio and video taped, to help us produce the report. Our clients are interested in hearing your opinions directly so they may or may not observe the sessions via a one-way mirror. The report will not mention any participants by name, and the tapes will be kept strictly confidential. You will be asked to sign a form giving your consent to be videotaped at the beginning of the session.
We are reserving this discussion time for you. So if for any reason you cannot attend, please call: PHONE NUMBER. Please do not send someone else as a replacement. We may be reviewing visual materials so if you wear glasses please bring them along. You should also bring a piece of identification such as your driver’s license, in order to collect your $85 ($100 in Vancouver only). And finally, would we be able to please contact you for validation and confirmation purposes?
Montreal – Opinion Search
Mississauga – Infoquest Research
Vancouver –Ipsos Reid
A close-up of candles being put on a green birthday cake decorated like a dinosaur. One candle is shaped like the number five.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
Raising a family is hard work…
Mother carries cake with lit candles into dining room followed by teenage daughter. Three young birthday guests in party hats wait at the table.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
That’s why I’m happy the Government of Canada…
Mother places the cake in front of her son, who smiles at the lit candles.
White text on screen reads: “Increasing the Universal Child Care Benefit”
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
…is increasing the Universal Child Care Benefit…
Birthday boy blowing out the candles on his cake with his eyes closed.
White text on screen reads: “Payments start July 20th”.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
…with payments starting July 20th.
Mother and teenage daughter clapping and smiling at the birthday boy.
White text on screen reads: “Payments start July 20th ”
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
Every year, I’ll get…
Father hands out a piece of cake to a young girl party guest who is drinking a glass of milk.
White text on screen reads: “$1,920 every year for each child under 6”.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
… almost $2,000 for each child under 6…
The family dog sniffs a piece of birthday cake on the table in front of the birthday boy, his mother, and all the guests.
White text on screen reads: “$720 every year for each child 6 through 17”
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
…and now, $720 for each child…
Teenage daughter enjoys a piece of birthday cake, smiles watching the party guests.
White text on screen reads: “$720 every year for each child 6 through 17”
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
…6 through 17!
Teenage daughter helping a blindfolded party guest play a “pin the tail on the dinosaur” game.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
It doesn’t matter how much I make…
Family and friends preparing to take a group picture. Most of the children are wearing party hats, as well as the dog.
White text on screen reads: “Every family with children under 18 qualifies”
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
… Every family with children under 18 qualifies.
Family and friends having their picture taken by another party guest with a digital camera.
Music: (upbeat)
V.O.: Mother
Find out if you need to apply…
Centred black text reads:
“Canada.ca/TaxSavings”.
Canada’s Economic Action Plan graphic element appears in bottom right corner.
V.O.: Mother
… at Canada.ca/TaxSavings
Image of the Canada wordmark with the words “Strong-Proud-Free” underneath.
V.O.: Mother
A Message from the Government of Canada.
Audio: Canada Sting
Image of the Canada wordmark.