AUSTIN (KXAN) — Did you know that the city of Austin doesn’t have a single definition for what a “communications campaign” is?

That’s according to a June 2 city memo from Austin Communications & Engagement, or ACE. It was sent this week to update councilmembers about the city’s efforts to communicate with residents more efficiently.

“Combined, communications and marketing efforts across departments received millions of impressions and accumulated broad reach,” the memo states. “Between FY 2024 and FY 2025, campaigns mainly focus on sharing disaster preparedness best practices, amplifying awareness of community engagement opportunities, and notifying residents about important changes to utility services.”

The memo also announced the release of a data dashboard this week. It examines 233 campaigns by city departments in 2024 and 2025, representing a total spend of $10.38 million, the memo states.

Total communications campaigns by city department, FY 24 & FY 25. (Courtesy city of Austin)

Communications budgets by city department (Courtesy city of Austin)

According to the dashboard, the most effective campaign was “Journey with AUS.” The Austin Aviation campaign reached more than 920.5 million people with a budget of $1.02 million, which the dashboard says is around “$9.2 million in publicity value.”

Austin’s Animal Services, Public Health and Transportation and Public Works departments each had campaigns with the next highest reach. Those three combined earned about 89.6 million impressions off a spend of $162,000.

All of this work, according to ACE Director Jessica King, will help the city optimize how it conducts communications campaigns.

The Marketing and Communications Dashboard is a first step towards reviewing City communications campaigns holistically,” King’s memo says. “It provides a centralized view of citywide campaign activity, staffing, and spending. The dashboard has the potential to support more strategic media spending, particularly in situations where departments can leverage collective buying power.”

ACE’s next steps on the initiative appear focused on the creation of standard definitions, metrics and strategies.

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