Appendix II—Government of Canada advertising glossary—2015 to 2016 Annual report on Government of Canada advertising activities

Advertising

Any message conveyed in Canada or abroad and paid for by the government for placement in media such as newspapers, television, radio, Internet, cinema and out-of–home.

Advertising activities

Activities relating to the production and placement of advertising. These activities include campaign planning, creative development, pre-testing, production, media planning, placement of advertising and evaluation.

Advertising services supplier

A private sector supplier selected through a competitive process to provide a government institution with advertising services, such as strategic planning, creative and production services in support of an advertising initiative.

Advertising technology provider (ATP)

A private sector supplier, selected through a competitive process, which maintains various platforms to serve, track and report on federal digital advertisements, including an ad server to host and serve display advertising, a demand-side platform for programmatic advertising buys, and a data management platform with standardized information on campaign performance and results.

Agency of record (AOR)

A private sector supplier, selected through a competitive process, which plans, negotiates, consolidates, purchases and verifies advertising media space and time for government advertising.

Buy and Sell

The electronic-tendering system used by the Government of Canada to post searchable procurement notices and bid-solicitation documents for access by suppliers and contracting officers. For more information, please see buyandsell.gc.ca.

Call-up against a Standing offer

See “Standing offer.”

Media buy or placement

The purchase of advertising space and time from a media outlet, such as a television station, radio station, newspaper, magazine, website, cinema, out-of-home, etc.

Out-of-home

Advertising media to which audiences are exposed outside the home such as, mall posters, billboards, bus and transit-shelter advertisements, digital screens and kiosks, etc.

Programmatic (real time bidding)

A data-driven programmatic buying model allowing advertisers or their agencies to bid on digital media space (display, video, mobile, social, etc.) in real-time, at the impression level (source: Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada).

Public notices

Public notices, such as those providing information about requests for tenders, public hearings, offers of employment, and changes to business hours and addresses are a form of advertising. Public notices often deal with regional or local matters, and departments have the option to purchase the media for public notices themselves or to use the services of the Government of Canada’s Agency of record.

Request for proposal (RFP)

A formal government document, posted on buyandsell.gc.ca, through which advertising services suppliers are invited to submit proposals for creative advertising work on complex thematic and multi-component projects usually spanning more than one year. Proposals are evaluated according to criteria detailed in each RFP. Contracts are awarded through a competitive process in which selection is based on a combination of technical score and price offering best value.

Standing offer

An arrangement in which advertising services suppliers qualify to provide the government with goods and services at pre-arranged prices, under set terms and conditions, and for specific periods of time on an “as requested” basis. A standing offer is not a contract. In fact, no contract exists until the government issues an order or “call-up” against the standing offer, and there is no actual obligation by the Government of Canada to purchase until that time.

Supply arrangement

A method of supply where bids are requested from a pool of pre-screened advertising services suppliers. A Supply arrangement is not a contract.