By Ray Lehman, May 8, 2021
There is an important discussion going on right now about dissolving the HSV Marketing Committee.
A little history
In 2019, a Marketing Subcommittee (MSC) was formed under the Comprehensive Master Plan Advisory Committee (CMPAC). The MSC was chartered to work as an advisory subcommittee, reviewing the marketing efforts being conducted by the POA. I was a member of this subcommittee.
The MSC found much if not all of the marketing efforts were being managed by Ghidotti, which is a communications and public relations firm located in Little Rock. We discovered there was little to no review of the effectiveness of the spend.
The MSC developed a significant proposal of how to market HSV. This proposal was given to the HSVPOA staff. Unfortunately, the subcommittee’s recommendations were not allowed to see the light of day, despite the best efforts by Chair Pam Avila to get them into the hands of the decision-makers and Property Owners.
With the dissolution of the Comprehensive Master Plan and the CMPAC by the newly seated 2020 Board of Directors, the Marketing Subcommittee was moved to the Finance and Planning Committee. It was then that I asked the Board of Directors to make the Marketing Subcommittee a stand-alone Board reporting committee.
The reasons stated for elevating the MSC to a stand-alone Board reporting committee were to:
- Give the Board confirmation of the Marketing Department’s plans, budgets, and reports.
- Report to the Board any serious disagreements with the Marketing Department’s plans, budgets, and reports.
- Eliminate the possibility of any delays of Marketing Committee recommendations to the Board – something that should never happen again.
- Present to the Board these and other points in concert with the Marketing Department’s Board presentation, possibly reducing the time impact caused by adding a committee to the workload of the Board.
Stated in the presentation to the Board “a Marketing Department should be a significant revenue generator.
“In my opinion, the Village Marketing Department is heavily burdened, limiting its ability to expand marketing efforts. The seven (7) Property Owners on the Marketing Committee are on the committee in part, to give much-needed assistance and aid to the Marketing Department.“
The 2020 Board Directors agreed and the MSC became a stand-alone committee, reporting directly to the Board Directors.
During my tenure as Chair of the Marketing Committee, the committee developed numerous ideas to market Hot Springs Village. I’ve attached a presentation that was given to the Marketing Department recapping some of those ideas. Few if any of the Marketing Committee’s ideas were acted on.
I believe the major hurdle is the staffing of the POA Marketing Department. There is one person, Paul Sage. I know how busy he was trying to improve the HSV website, increase traffic to the website, and market HSV via electronic methods. Does it make sense to find someone to assist Paul Sage with implementing other traditional methods of marketing?
I believe the Board would be making a mistake to dissolve the Marketing Committee or reduce it to a smidgen of what it was. Rather we should look for ways to implement many of the ideas the Marketing Committee presented.
Dissolving the Marketing Committee would make the POA Marketing Department the only significant department with no regular interaction with Property Owners via a Board Reporting Committee.
I will be sending this information to each Board member inviting them to sit with me prior to the next Board meeting on May 19, 2021, where a vote will be taken on eliminating or minimizing the Marketing Committee.
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HSV Marketing Committee Recommendations for 2021 Budget
HSV-Marketing-Committee-Recommendations-for-2021-Budget* * *
Thank you for reading. If you like, please comment below. We love to hear your opinion, but comments must be made using your first and last real name, or they will not be accepted. If you would like to submit an article for publication, please contact us through this website. Be sure to bookmark this website. Click here to visit the Hot Springs Village People Facebook Group, also known as POG (Property Owners’ Group).
Dan Schropshire
05/08/2021 — 4:55 pm
Mr.Lehman, many thanks for writing your article. I agree with you that the marketing committee staffed with knowledgeable property owners is critical for hsv to grow. Our current marketing efforts seem to be lacking in some areas.
Kirk Denger
05/09/2021 — 9:42 pm
The POA needs to terminate Paul, Kevin, Stephanie and the Sells advertising agency and put that $750,000 annual waste into positive maintenance of infrastructure. We cannot grow any faster than we are right now, and it has nothing to do with any of these well wishing money drains. The whole Country is experiencing the same phenomenon without any advertising expenditures. In comparison, the volunteer Marketing committee member’s Return On Investment is one million times better for HSV. The Marketing department amounts to one quarter of the wasteful spending of the two-teir $3,000,000 assessment increase. We are doing better though, it used to be over 1/3 of the waste.
Lloyd Sherman
05/10/2021 — 10:39 am
Without getting too far into the weeds over the use of a marketing committee, there continues to be resistance at the management staff level to the actual use and advice of property owners. Instead of seeing committees comprised of knowing (been there done that) resources, they are seen as “interlopers” and seen as a threat. It is archaic thinking and part of a culture that must be broken if the Village is going to ultimately succeed in the future. The point Kirk Denger has made is also accurate. Due to the phenom of the industry at this time, lack of workers and materials is going to slow the pace of new building, plus per square foot costs will eventually rise to a point that most budgets cannot accommodate the price point. We haven’t been able to keep up with our crumbling infrastructure, so what makes you think adding a 100 or so new builds a year is going to fix that problem? We are too far behind the curve to make up for the faults of the past.
At the risk of taking additional heat (again) two weeks after the last GM was hired I started sounding the alarm that we were going right back to where we had been where management staff was controlling the narrative and not the board. We are right back to where management staff is at least as active as the board in PROPERTY OWNER meetings, and more important, DECISIONS. This is yet another prime example. Do you really want to continue down the same path we were on before and actually think it is going to be different somehow. Talk about “stuck in a rut”, but here we are (AGAIN).
In reality, nothing happens until you sell something. What drives that process. That’s right. MARKETING. I implore this board to make a difference and get back to where property owners are seen as an asset and not a necessary evil to placate.
Judith Weatherly
05/12/2021 — 1:04 pm
First, the POA is using as of late last year Sells Agency. They are a good agency. I have been on the Marketing Committee since last May and we have tried some other marketing. We are doing digital advertising in key markets and getting a good response.
everything takes time. The new agency and Marketing Department are doing a very good job in getting our name out.
Wes Smith
06/11/2021 — 9:26 pm
In my professional Marketing career of 42 years I can soundly state that Marketing, Market Research, Advertising, Public Relations, Advertising Research & Salesmanship are vital essential full time year round disciplines to integrate into any strategic business plan.
To speculate & theorize these disciplines are Ad Hoc or only as needed is not only incorrect , naive & terribly misguided it opens you up for missed opportunities to tap into all the treasures that Marketing can bring to the table.
Brand Awareness
Positioning
Product
Pricing
Promotion
Placement
Social Media
Purchase Decision Making
Consumer Analysis
The marketplace is continually evolving with shifts in Consumers beliefs, attitudes and perceptions. Competition is never stagnant as HSV risks loosing Market Share of over 10,000 retirees every month choosing our competition due to the abolishment of your entire committee!
Please reconsider revitalizing the Marketing Committee to ensure HSV solvency!