GDC advert in Telegraph

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Alastair MacDonald

Dear General Dental Council,

A recent full page advert in the Daily Telegraph about the private
complaints service has drawn my attention. I understand this advert cost minimum of £60,000 - please answer my questions and explain what I consider to be a bizarre and misguided act by my regulating body.

1. What is the legal requirement for you to buy this advertising?
2. Why was it felt this advert was required?
3. How often is the advert to be run and in how many publications?
4. How much was spent on the artwork, copyright and development of
the advert?
5. Who signed off the copy and specifically who chose to use the word
COMPLETELY?
6. What strategy is the GDC following in placing the advertisement?

Yours faithfully,
Alastair MacDonald

Freedom of Information Requests, General Dental Council

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Moira Alderson (020 7167 6191), General Dental Council

Dear Mr MacDonald

 

Please find below a response to your FOI query.

 

• What is the legal requirement for you to buy this advertising?

 

There is no legal requirement for us to advertise the service.

 

However, promotion and marketing of the DCS is not a new development; we
regularly run campaigns to ensure the public and patients, as well as
registrants and other advice bodies such as Trading Standards and Citizens
Advice, are aware of the service it offers. At the end of 2012 there was a
national radio campaign to promote the DCS which attracted public interest
and there has been online marketing to ensure that the DCS is recognised
in web searches. It is a key role of a regulator to ensure the patient’s
voice is heard. Indeed, it is at the heart of the recommendations by
Robert Francis QC, in his report published in 2013. Therefore it is
important that patients are aware of the DCS. Our research with patients
shows that awareness is low; only 21% of the public had heard of the DCS
in 2012 which was an increase from 13 per cent in 2011. Therefore, the
Council believe it is appropriate and necessary to continue to market the
service; less than 4 per cent of the DCS costs are used in marketing
(below the market average of 8.01% for Public sector/charities, 2010
Chartered Institute of Marketing ‘Marketing Trends’ report).

 

• Why was it felt this advert was required?

 

As above.

 

• How often is the advert to be run and in how many publications?

 

The advert ran in three publications; Saga (on sale 20 May 2014), The
Guardian Health Matters supplement (21 June 2014), and the Daily Telegraph
(5 July 2014). It is not planned to be run in any further publications.

 

• How much was spent on the artwork, copyright and development of the
advert?

 

The budget for the entire DCS campaign, launched in May this year, was
£27,715. The advert was one of three that ran this year and the average
cost per advert (including administration and design) was £9,238.

 

• Who signed off the copy and specifically who chose to use the word
COMPLETELY?

 

The wording of the advertisement was agreed within the Executive, in
conjunction with the design agency with which we were working at the time.

All publications such as leaflets and advertisements are signed off by the
appropriate senior managers.

 

• What strategy is the GDC following in placing the advertisement?

 

The Communications and Engagement strategy 2010-2014 can be found here:
[1]http://www.gdc-uk.org/aboutus/thecouncil...
 

Advance notice of a planned advertising campaign was included in the DCS
Annual Review 2013:
[2]http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublication...

 

Kind regards, Moira.

Moira Alderson
Senior Communications Officer
General Dental Council

Phone: +44(0)20 7167 6191
Email: [3][email address]
Web: [4]www.gdc-uk.org

General protecting patients,
Dental regulating the dental team
Council

 

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