The 55,000 UA members are Canada's premier source of professional skills and technical capabilities in the piping industry. In the midst of a nationwide debate on pipelines, they have an important story to tell about their commitment to building the highest quality, safest pipelines in the world.

This brochure was mailed to all MPs and members of provincial and territorial legislatures to help them understand how the UA maintains its high standards at training centres across Canada and helps build communities through outreach programs aimed at members of First Nations and veterans. It is also used with employers so they can see the value of having UA members on their team.

Click to view.

UA FINAL REVISED AUG_LR.pdf

PVRs can now be found in almost 60% of Canadian households so anyone who advertises on TV has to be concerned. Those households are recording about 25% of their primetime viewing and fast-forwarding through your commercials when they get around to watching their favourite shows. And those numbers are going nowhere but up.

TV networks don't credit you for those lost viewers. And cable networks just make it worse by providing many shows "On Demand" where they replace your commercials with ones promoting their own shows.

What can you do?

1. Buy shows that are much less likely to be PVR'd or watched "On Demand". There are certain types of programming that audiences want to see live and they'll watch the all the commercials on those shows.
2. Produce your commercials in a way that makes them work even when they're being fast-forwarded. People still watch the spots as they spin by and you can still have an impact if you do it right.
3. Use your knowledge of PVR and On Demand trends to challenge network pricing. Rates are based on audience size and you shouldn't pay for what you're not getting.
4. Call us and let us take care of 1, 2 and 3.

Joe Hill Communications has been buying media for over 20 years and we've delivered real savings and great service every time.

You can reach us through info@joehillcommunications.com if you'd like to learn more or for an analysis of your current media buy. We can also provide you with full creative and account service, but if media is what you need, we're happy to focus on that.

Most unions are only occasional advertisers so it's no surprise that they aren't experts when it comes to media buying. But this lack of expertise is costing them a fortune.

In both cars and media, everything is negotiable and nobody should ever pay the first asking price. But unions repeatedly pay rates that no corporation would ever accept.

Here's a simple test to see if you're one of the unions paying too much.

Just ask yourself these four questions -

1. Are you getting the automatic discounts of up to 35% that unions are entitled to? In most cases, all you have to do is know what to ask for.
2. Are you getting bonus placements, free sponsorships, discounts or special editorial features with your bookings? These are all things that can and should be negotiated.
3. Are you getting the volume discounts you deserve? If you look at your media spending on a campaign basis and not on an overall yearly basis, you're missing savings of up to 40%.
4. Are you buying at the right time? In some markets, a difference of a few weeks can save you 50% or more.

If you answered "No" to any of the above, or aren't sure of the answer, you really should take a look at your media planning and buying.

Better still, have us look at it. Joe Hill Communications has been buying media for unions for over 20 years and we've delivered real savings and great service every time. We understand that union money has to be spent responsibly and effectively. We know that you often have to move very quickly. And we're used to managing campaigns that respond to events on a daily basis.

Here's just one example of the potential savings - last week we were paying about 10% of the published rate for a full page in the Toronto Star.

We can't promise you a deal like this every single time because supply and demand vary, but we do promise you the very best pricing based on our aggressive negotiating, media insights, and the clout that we have built up over years of dealing with all of Canada's media outlets.

You can reach us through info@joehillcommunications.com if you'd like to learn more or for an analysis of your current media buy. We can also provide you with full creative and account service, but if media is what you need, we're happy to focus on that.

OPSEU has long fought for decent full-time jobs for its members and all Canadians. We produced the "Part-time Blues" for them as part of the fight.

Watch it here.

Teachers and support staff in Ontario in the midst of a very long and drawn-out bargaining process and it's important that parental support stays strong. Our recent campaign for OSSTF is helping make sure that that happens. The message is that school has changed but the commitment of the adults in our schools remains strong and unwavering. The "kinetic type" production technique drives the message home in a very novel and engaging way.

Watch it here