What gives OSP the authority to put paid advertising in state publications?

The Office of State Publishing's Advertising Program was first approved in July of 1996 as part of a budget trailer bill.  The Advertising Program was part of the performance budgeting that year and has continued to be renewed each year.  On September 29, 2005 Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 828, which permanently grants authority to OSP to accept paid advertisements in state publications. The bill also requires any state agency that was not authorized to accept paid advertising in its publications before the operative date of the bill to use OSP for all paid advertising in its publications.

 

Who finds the advertisers for state publications?
OSP maintains a contract with a publishing representative who solicits advertisers for designated publications.

 

How do I know if a particular publication would be a suitable candidate for paid advertising?
Generally, publications with high public circulation are good candidates for paid advertising.  OSP will provide you with a questionnaire that will help in determining the suitability of the publication for advertising based on distribution and demographics. A publication is any printed material that is distributed in mass. This would include mailings as well as magazines, books, newsletters, posters, maps and brochures.

 

How are ad rates determined?
Circulation and research of similar publications that contain advertising determine ad rates.

 

How much money can I expect to save by putting paid advertising in a publication?
Your savings will be determined by the amount of ad space or number of ad pages that you are willing to sell. Our publishing representative will forecast the amount of advertising space he thinks he can sell. OSP will work with you in estimating the cost of adding additional pages to your publication to accommodate advertising if additional pages are needed.

 

How much lead-time is needed to secure advertisers for a publication?
You will need to allow 4 to 6 months of lead-time to secure advertisers for your publication.

 

What happens if our agency secures our own advertising?
Money collected by an agency other than the Office of State Publishing is usually deposited into the agency's general fund and will not offset the cost of the print project. This is dependent on your agency's ability to accept revenue.

Who collects the ad copy and how is it approved for printing?
OSP will act as the liaison between the advertiser and your agency.  OSP collects and archives all ad copy for your agency.  Your agency will review all ad copy prior to printing.  OSP will give all instructions to production on the placement of your ad copy. We will also handle all translations or translation approvals for foreign language copy through our contract with language translators.

 

Who decides what type of advertising is appropriate for my publication?
Your agency will determine the categories of ads that are consistent with your mission and goals before any advertiser is solicited. Our goal is to save you money without compromising the integrity of your message.

 

How do I obtain an agreement with OSP to place paid advertising in my publication?
Contact your Customer Service Representative, or you may contact Danelle Hamilton or Jacque Mooney in the OSP Advertising Department to set up an initial meeting. You will be asked to provide information on our advertising questionnaire that will help us develop an appropriate strategy for your publication. After it has been determined by OSP that your publication is a candidate for paid advertising, OSP will negotiate a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with your agency.  The MOU will outline the job specifications, print dates, agency and OSP roles as well as the advertising categories that your agency agrees upon.

Updated : 9/11/2007