Communications

Maximising your advertising campaigns with cheque inserts

Did you know?

Enclosing inserts with cheques or payment statements that the Government of Canada periodically sends out is an effective, economical and innovative way of reaching millions of Canadians.

Cheque inserts allow you to deliver your message to a specific audience. You can use them to inform an audience about a new initiative, service or product, advise clients about important changes or remind them of an upcoming application date. The key is to ensure that your message is relevant to the recipient!

You can also use overruns of the inserts for distribution at Government of Canada exhibits, Service Canada Access Centres, and through your partners at a variety of other strategic places.

Cheque inserts are also a good way to promote the three ways Canadians can access information on Government of Canada programs & services : 1 800 O-Canada, canada.gc.ca, and Service Canada Access Centres.

The chart below is an example only. It illustrates what cross-promotion opportunities may be available by listing the campaigns and the cheques and payment statements planned over the course of a year. Target groups, identified by the programs, are shown on the left. The method is simple. It involves matching key advertising information campaigns with mailings to shared target groups using a cross-promotion approach.

2002-2003 PLANNING CALENDAR

Careful planning is key

Cheque inserts require careful planning and usually take between six to eight weeks from production to insertion. Before you start, you must consult with your colleague in the issuing department, for example the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) for the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB), to check available dates and obtain authorisation from the program. For more technical questions, for example design or print specifications, you can call the Public Works Government Services Canada contact (see list below).

Enclosing inserts with government cheques or payment statements is free. Design and printing costs are usually very reasonable too. For example, in 2001 Communication Canada and CCRA collaborated on a project to reach 1.7 million Canadians with an insert in a CCTB mailing. Total cost of the activity was $27,000.

The Government of Canada's Advertising Plan calls on communicators to be innovative and explore marketing and cross-promotion opportunities within the government to more effectively reach specific audiences. Cheque inserts are a good example of such an approach. For more information, consult the Government of Canada's Advertising Plan

Considerations

Employment Insurance: EI cheques go out every day. To ensure that all claimants receive an insert, it is recommended that it be distributed over a three-week period.

Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) and GST Credit (GSTC): These are produced by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), following approval by the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA). At least 30 days are required between approval by the CCRA and insertion by PWGSC.

Only 30% of the CCTB recipients receive a monthly cheque. Each July, a CCTB brochure is issued to all recipients. You may decide to ask to be part of the brochure instead of producing a standalone insert. Topics are subject to approval by the issuing department and must be relevant to the audience.

Old Age Security (OAS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS): Most recipients (85%) have opted for direct deposit. Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) produces a special insert that is sent once a year (January-February), with the T4 slip. You may contact HRDC to explore opportunities to provide information in this insert.

Thinking about producing an insert?

Before you start producing an insert, contact the resource persons listed below and consult the following guidelines: "Inserts Enveloped with Cheques and Payment Statements", at: http://publiservice.pwgsc.gc.ca/sog_gos/text/bcm171-e.html.

List of Contacts

* Also provides advice on inserts to be enclosed with Public Service employee pay cheques.

The Communication Canada Experience

In summer 2001, Communication Canada undertook a number of promotional activities to raise awareness of the Guide to Government of Canada Services for Children and their Families. Among the most successful activities undertaken in support of the guide was a collaboration between Communication Canada and the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) to include an insert with the August 2001 payments to approximately 1.7 million recipients of the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB). The insert encouraged parents to obtain a copy of the guide by calling 1 800 O-Canada. In the first week following distribution, 11,000 calls and e-mails were received requesting a copy of the guide. Communication Canada repeated the experience using the same creative in August 2002. This time, 6,500 additional requests were received. Total cost to produce these inserts was $47,000.

When writing a communications or advertising strategy, you should always keep in mind the potential fit within that plan, of a cheque insert.