Newspaper supplement causes broker confusion

CAAMP is setting the record straight about its contribution to a mortgage advertising supplement in last Wednesday’s Globe and Mail, answering member confusion about who, in fact, paid for it.

CAAMP is setting the record straight about its contribution to a mortgage advertising supplement in last Wednesday’s Globe and Mail, answering member confusion about who, in fact, paid for it.

“The insert is put together by The Globe and Mail as an advertorial,” wrote CAAMP President Jim Murphy in an email responding to a broker-member. “CAAMP has nothing to do with the editorial or with the advertisers. The Globe approaches interested parties to see if they wish to participate. CAAMP has a choice in these inserts.  We can say no and therefore see no information presented on mortgage brokers or the AMP.  Or we can participate and explain the benefits of working with an AMP as we did.”

The six-page supplement “Mortgage Update” features an advertorial interview with Murphy that informs homebuyers about the AMP designation as well as mortgage brokers. It appears on Page 6, behind similar articles from some of the country’s largest banks, including RBC. Murphy also appears alongside bank officials in the supplement’s lead article on the front page.

The CAAMP head is now clearing up confusion about the piece, answering broker suggestions the association paid for the entire supplement. That just simply isn’t the case, said Murphy.

“Like the National Post and the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail publishes special mortgage insert sections during the spring buying season,” he said in the email sent to a broker in southwestern Ontario on Thursday. “They have done this for several years.”

The clarification comes on the heels of a CAAMP update on its advertising efforts, sent to members last Friday.

Investing in the promotion of the AMP designation remains a high priority for the association and CAAMP is pleased to be launching its largest AMP radio campaign on April 18,” reads the announcement. “The commercial will be airing on English and French stations across the country for six weeks. AMP print ads began running in late March with additional ads appearing in April in special Mortgage sections of local and national newspapers.”

The communication may have helped to create confusion about who exactly footed the bill for the Globe supplement.