HCM | Made In Hamilton | May/June 2023 Advertising Packages

Investing in HCM through advertising provides the opportunity for you to broaden the reach of your message and story through our print and digital platforms. HCM can help you connect with new customers and new employees.

As we move into our post-pandemic economy, people are getting back out to shop, to be entertained, to explore and discover their city. Our city is back in motion and HAMILTON CITY Magazine is here to celebrate the ambition, innovation and creativity that defines our business community. Whether it is our established corporate sector, local entrepreneurs, our chambers of commerce, or new start-ups, Hamilton is moving forward.

As the premier city lifestyle resource, HAMILTON CITY Magazine is the new must-read for Hamiltonians and Burlingtonians alike. Our magazine showcases that this region is one of the most desirable places to live, work and play. Our editorial coverage – both print and digital – offers readers the best of city life including: a range of local activities, events and place to go; the best of local business; a thriving, vibrant arts and culture sector, one of Canada’s most diverse music communities; and a thriving food, drink and restaurant scene. Only HCM offers such a breadth of discovery.

CITY Magazine’s Made In Hamilton special issue hits the streets in May, featuring business, innovation, the arts and architecture.

Harrison Kennedy

2023 ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES

MADE IN HAMILTON SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

1. CELEBRATE ALL THINGS HAMILTON, WITH US! — This custom sponsorship package is limited to one advertiser. The goal is to provide maximum awareness of your business, and support and elevate your brand recognition.

• Front page cover sponsorship recognition: “This issue is sponsored by YOUR COMPANY” (rate value: $2,500)

• Outside back cover full page ad (rate value: $6,079) or inside front cover (rate value: $5,611)

• Two-page editorial feature in both print and digital versions (editorial value: $1,500)

• Digital ads include:

- Billboard: rate value: $30 CPM/17M = $510

- Double big box ad: rate value: $30 CPM/17M = $510

• 100 copies of the March-April print issue (retail value: $795)

Total rate value: $11,426-$11,894

3 35% OFF promo: $7,500

2. CITY LIFE SECTION SPONSORSHIP — This custom sponsorship package is limited to one advertiser. Package includes CITY LIFE section branded with your business name/ logo in print and digital versions (i.e., CITY LIFE is sponsored by YOUR NAME + logo); one-half page print ad, billboard digital ad, and double big box digital ad (desktop, tablet & mobile platforms) and social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) 2 times per week during May and June.

• Section branding: $1,000

• One-half page print ad: $2,800

• Billboard digital ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

• Double big box digital ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

• Social media posts: $20 CPM x 17M = $340

Total rate value: $5,160

3 30% OFF promo $3,500

3. HCM DIGITAL HOMEPAGE FEATURE AD — includes oversized billboard and double big box ads. Option to have a 300-500-word digital editorial feature produced by HCM.

• Homepage oversized billboard ad: $40 CPM x 17M = $680

• Double big box ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

Total rate value: $1,190

3 30% promo: $830

• With digital editorial option: $750

Total rate value: $1,940

3 30% OFF promo $1,350

4. BUSINESS DIGITAL PROMO PACKAGE A

• Big box ad: $20 CPM x 17M = $340

• Leaderboard ad: $20 CPM x 17M = $340

Total rate value: $680

3 30% promo: $475

5. BUSINESS DIGITAL PROMO PACKAGE B

• Double big box ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

• Billboard ad or super leaderboard: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

Total rate value: $1,020

3 30% OFF promo: $700

6. BUSINESS DIGITAL PROMO PACKAGE C

• Double big box ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

• Billboard ad: $30 CPM x 17M = $510

• Big box ad: $20 CPM x 17M = $340

Total rate value: $1,360

3 30% OFF promo: $950

* Digital ads can be created/placed as GIFs for varied messaging, and can be changed for the second month. Final artwork to be provided. Cost per thousand (CPM) refers to the advertising cost to obtain 1,000 views or impressions for a given advertisement.

in railway cars and, not being one to miss an opportunity, he started an ice farm to supply those blocks.

In 1912, the company’s production lines grew with unfermented grape juice, tomato puree, maraschino cherries, apple and cherry pie fillings. Many more products were added over the years as E.D. Smith became a famous

SWEET and Spicy

Hamilton is well-known for its healthcare, education and manufacturing sectors but let’s not forget about the city’s reputation for delectable and delicious food. In fact, we have two historic companies that have put the city on a culinary map that dates back to the 1800s.

THE SWEET SMITHS OF STONEY CREEK

The Smith surname may be common but, when you place the initials E.D. in front, it reveals the unique founder of a food empire, Ernest D’Israeli Smith. His British ancestors came from New Jersey in 1787 after the Americans won the War of Independence. First as squatters and later as the owner of 600 acres, E.D.’s great-grandfather Silas farmed in Saltfleet Township and endured both severe drought and famine. Born in 1853, E.D. persevered through a number of setbacks while farming above the escarpment on the property of his parents Sylvester and Damaris. But with methodical crop testing, he found fruit production to be the most viable option. In time, he would be known as “The Fruit King,” according to his great-grandson Llewellyn Smith, author of The House That Jam Built.

The E.D. Smith company was founded in 1882 and seven years later, E.D. would purchase a farm from Laura Secord’s relatives below the escarpment. This property would

2023

18 HCM MARCH/APRIL

HAMILTON IS HOME TO A PAIR OF ICONIC COMPANIES THAT ARE AS DELICIOUS AS THEY ARE HISTORIC.

By Helen Powers

become the site of the company’s operations. When the local market faced an abundance of berries, Smith decided to make jam. It was the first production of pure jams in Canada and was sold near the turn of the century in five-pound pails to storekeepers.

Apparently not busy enough building a dynasty, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for the Wentworth riding in 1900 and later become a senator. Here his two passions united in 1901 with a speech about the need for government to better regulate rail shipments of perishable products.

The year before, he’d shipped 142,000 baskets of small fruit and, because the railway cars lacked ventilation, fruit could spoil in the heat. Smith’s innovation led to ice blocks

A DELICIOUS COMEBACK

MATTY

COWAN’S THE HEATHER GOT A SECOND CHANCE AT SUCCESS

THANKS TO AN UNLIKELY SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND COLLABORATION.

JOHN

By Vanessa Green. Photos B y Jon eV ans for hcm.

PORTER’S BARTERPAY IS HELPING ITS USERS SAVE MONEY IN AN EVER-CHALLENGING ECONOMY.

By Jody A B erdeen

COMMERCE AND COMMUNITY

In business, the best way to prove your concept is to demonstrate it successfully.

This is exactly what BarterPay CEO John Porter did when he secured an interview with digital marketing guru and VaynerX founder Gary Vaynerchuk.

“I’d met Gary in January 2017 at an event hosted by Haste & Hustle in St. Catharines,” recalls Porter. “While he was leaving, walking past attendees and fans on his way out, I got his ear for about 30 seconds and gave him a quick elevator pitch about barter. Gary said he’d tweet me back.”

After numerous DM attempts on Twitter and Instagram, nothing materialized, but Porter refused to give up. Wanting to get in front of Vaynerchuk, Porter decided that the best way would be to do so through one of Vaynerchuk’s own close associates: in this case, Gary Vee’s personal videographer David Rock (D-Rock).

In this remarkable moment in history between pandemic-related lockdowns that forced many individuals to find new ways to make money and a looming economic recession, Porter believes that this new platform will help many people meet their needs while also saving them money.

A “MADE IN HAMILTON” BARTER SYSTEM

John Porter, who grew up in Hamilton and went to high school in Stoney Creek, has been bartering for over 20 years. After graduating from high school, Porter was heading to study engineering at the University of Waterloo. To save up some money, he got a job selling alarm systems and learned he was very good at closing deals. He decided to put school on hold when he met an entrepreneur in Toronto who introduced him to the value of barter.

“I found out that D-Rock had been trying to get the D Rock handle on Instagram, but another user had taken it. I got to know that user and learned that his daughter loved to ride horses. I traded some furniture from my house for BarterPay Barter Credits, which I then used to acquire a high-quality saddle that I offered in exchange for the rights to the D-Rock Instagram username. The guy agreed.” Porter then emailed D-Rock to tell him he now owned the Instagram handle and would trade it for a one-to-one meeting with Vaynerchuk in New York. After initially refusing, D-Rock eventually changed his mind, and not long afterwards, Porter found himself in New York, sitting in front of Gary Vee himself. Porter had gotten his meeting and proved the value of bartering in a single stroke of brilliance.

Having achieved great success with BarterPay, a business-to-business (B2B) service, Porter now aims to bring the trading-based model to individuals with Barter It. Barter It will be a downloadable app that users can access by signing up for a small monthly subscription.

“The big issue for many businesses is that there is so much idle inventory just sitting around along with unsold time that expires,” says Porter. “I quickly learned that when you can’t sell something, you can always barter it for a product or service of equal value. Especially in a recession, turning to a bartering system that activates that stranded capacity, it’s a way to save money.”

According to Porter, almost anything that you can sell, you can barter, whether it’s chess boards, 3D printed items, or cooking utensils or services such as woodworking, lawncare, or piano lessons.

Like BarterPay, Barter It will be a Canada-wide closed loop trading platform, but Porter is staying close to his roots in east Hamiton and Stoney Creek. “Our head office is between Fruitland and Fifty Road. We will start where we are.

“We’re in the planning stage and getting ready for funding,” says Porter, “and as we enter an economic recession, the sharing economy, the environment, and building community face-to-face are at the forefront of people’s awareness.”

The principle of person-to-person barter-

MARCH/APRIL 2023 HCM 31

The p A s T T wo ye A rs h A ve re A lly shown us T he we A knesses of T he exis T ing sys T ems”

John porTer

ing is very simple, says Porter, and is already familiar to anyone who’s ever used Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace. “If I have a lawnmower, for example, and I need a pair of hockey skates for my kid, and I don’t have the money for the skates, I would need to find someone with the skates who needs a lawnmower of equal value. We’re like Kijiji and FB Marketplace rolled up in one, combined with a new digital form of payment.”

It’s always challenging for two people to agree on value, which Barter It addresses using a credit system called “BITS”, its own internal points system. “For valuation purposes, you can think of each BIT as worth $1 CAD,” says Porter. “Users earn BITS with each successful trade, and they can take those BITS and barter and trade with anyone in the entire ecosystem to get what they need. There’s no longer the conundrum of finding only a one-to-one trade: it’s now a closed-loop ecosystem where everyone can get what they need, all while conserving real cash that they can spend on rent, hydro bills, and other expenses.”

Beyond commerce, Porter believes in cultivating community. “The past two years have really shown us the weaknesses of the existing systems and just how much we depend on each other to live well. I want to facilitate conversations and in-person meetups, and the app does that. This is about the environment, sharing, and upcycling, especially as we navigate these difficult times. I’m happy to start here at home.” n

E.D. Smith waS ElEctED a mEmbEr of ParliamEnt in 1900 anD woulD latEr bEcomE a SEnator.

PACKAGES

Hamiltonians support businesses they see in their magazines**

8 in 10 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to visit a store recommended by or advertised in a magazine they read. 76%

7 in 10 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to visit a website recommended by or advertised in a magazine they read. 68%

7 in 10 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to recommend products or services as a result of seeing them in a magazine they read? 68%

1 in 3 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to shop at stores in one of Hamilton’s Business Improvement Areas (BIAs). 31%

1 in 4 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to purchase a new vehicle in the coming year. 24%

1 in 4 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to purchase furniture, major appliances, home décor, home renovation in the coming year. 23%

1 in 7 respondents are very likely/somewhat likely to take an out-of-town vacation in the coming year. 15%

ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP

PACKAGES

CITY LIFE Section

Sponsorship Branding

Front page cover sponsorship recognition: “This issue is sponsored by YOUR COMPANY”

HCM PRINT STATS

DISTRIBUTION

HAMILTON CITY Magazine is distributed to 10,00015,000 Hamilton and Burlington households with above-average household income ($150,000$300,000) with post-secondary education. Our digital magazine audience (i.e., unique users/ readers) is also diverse in its reach and growing fast, with almost 18,000 unique users in its first few months. We can get your message out to the people you want to connect with in Hamilton, Burlington and across the GTHA.

HCM is distributed at select independent Hamilton retailers (Dr. Disc Music, Mixed Media/King West Books, EPIC Books (Locke Street and Sherman Ave. North), The City and The City Books (Ottawa St. North) and the Art Gallery of Hamilton shop. It is also sold at Chapters, Indigo and Coles in Hamilton, Burlington and locations across the GTHA.

HCM DIGITAL STATS

DIGITAL MAGAZINE UNIQUE USERS/VISITORS:

• TOTAL — 17,538 unique users

• August 29 digital launch

• September 30 — 5,082

• October 31 — 6,269

(+1,187 new users – 23%)

• November 30 — 9,412

(+3,143 new users – 50%)

• December 31 — 13,087

(+3,817 new users – 41%)

• January 31 — 15,512

(+2,425 new users – 19%)

• February 28 – 17,531

(+2,026 new users – 13%)

DIGITAL USERS BY PLATFORM

• Mobile 12K (66.8%)

• Desktop 5K (28.5%)

• Tablet 824 (4.7%)

Double big box

DOUBLE BIG BOX