Okaloosa County Issues Marketing & Public Relations RFP
It is the intent of the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department to solicit proposals from strategic marketing and advertising agencies to provide Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations Services for the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Background:
The Tourist Development Department is known within the tourism industry as the Emerald Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and is comprised of three Welcome Centers, the Emerald Coast Convention Center, and the Emerald Coast Film Commission. Agency strategies and initiatives may be directed to any of these organizations. The CVB is seeking the professional services of a qualified full-service marketing and advertising agency or a joint venture of multiple specialized agencies to work with the CVB in the development, implementation and evaluation of the CVB’s strategic, integrated marketing programs to promote Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, Florida as a premier travel destination to state, regional, national and international markets. The CVB seeks an agency partner that can help develop and deliver an integrated program that maximizes paid, owned, earned, and shared media strategies.
The Mission of the CVB is to proactively manage tourism within the destination, to nurture and foster the area’s natural resources, and to develop and implement socially conscious initiatives that mindfully balance the quality of life for locals and vacationers alike.
The Vision of the CVB is to become a partner-based organization that develops a positive identity that will elevate the destination from a commodity brand to a luxury brand and ultimately position Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Okaloosa Island as a premiere travel destination within the United States.
The CVB’s Goals & Objectives are as follows:
- Increase Tourist Development Tax revenue in Prime season (August-May) by 10%
- Increase visitor spending by 10%
- Earned media value 1.5x more than paid media spend
- 60% occupancy at the Emerald Coast Convention Center with 20% revenue increase
- Increase partner exposure by 20%
- Increase social media engagement by 30%
Scope of Work:
The CVB seeks a full-service marketing and advertising agency or a joint venture of multiple specialized agencies with the ability to provide a broad range of marketing services, including:
- Account Services
- Accounting, billing, invoice reconciliation
- Branding and brand management
- Collateral development
- Cooperative advertising programs
- Creative and production services for traditional, digital, and emerging mediums
- Crisis communications planning & execution
- Digital marketing & ad serving
- Event procurement & production
- Industry relations
- Interactive media
- Media planning, evaluation, negotiation, and purchasing
- Media point-of-view review/analysis/recommendation
- Mobile and mobile application development and maintenance
- Mobile tracking and reporting
- Planning and attendance at out-of-market press deskside meetings
- Planning of in-market FAM tours and out-of-market media missions
- Print and broadcast ad trafficking
- Public Relations services
- Regional promotion and cross-branding
- Research and strategic planning
- ROI & KPI measurement, tracking and reporting
- Search Engine Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization
- Social Media planning, execution, reporting & analysis
- Social media influencers
- Subcontracting for goods and services as necessary to execute marketing programs
- Website content curation & design
- Website tracking/reporting
- Other related services as needed
Annual scope of work includes the following:
RESEARCH/ANALYTICS
- Develop, maintain, monitor and grow a solid research system that offers continual data that may influence the marketing strategies such as:
- Advertising effectiveness
- Attribution modeling
- Behavioral analysis
- Brand identity and impact
- Competitive set analysis
- Consumer trends and insights
- Economic impact
- Market viability analysis
- Media and creative-related consumer research
- Social listening
Monthly analysis of paid, owned, earned and shared marketing initiatives.
CREATIVE PLANNING & EXECUTION
- Develop an over-arching brand that will be integrated across all of the CVB’s marketing initiatives.
- Create unified creative assets that clearly communicate the brand message and destination’s attributes to meet the CVB’s goals and objectives.
- Provide creative and other support as needed for other CVB programs and projects, including creative support for the annual Visitors Guide, monthly e-newsletters, websites, the Welcome Centers, the Emerald Coast Film Commission and the Emerald Coast Convention Center.
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EXECUTION
- Develop an annual marketing strategy to grow tourism in the destination, with an emphasis on promoting the area using paid, owned, earned and shared media and marketing strategies.
- Create strong media strategies that reach our visitor profile in new and emerging markets domestically and within international markets.
- Develop advertising programs in coordination with the CVB team and its partner program members that meet the overall marketing objectives.
PUBLIC RELATIONS & PUBLICITY
- Develop, execute, and track public relations program in coordination with CVB staff.
- Monitor media trends and identify appropriate opportunities to pursue.
- Generate story ideas and assist with pitching approved idea.
- Apply current best practices while implementing an ROI/tracking system for earned media.
- Develop media events and publicity in targeted markets.
- Provide support for the development and implementation of media familiarization tours for domestic and international media, including traditional media and social media.
- Develop and implement an on-going communication program for targeted media and local tourism industry such as a monthly e-news briefing (or other mechanism) of what’s new, what’s trending, hot stories, etc.
- Assist with the development of an updated, online pressroom.
- Work with CVB team to develop a comprehensive annual content plan.
- Develop a crisis-specific messaging, and implement a crisis-specific media plan.
ACCOUNT SERVICES
- Daily/weekly communication with CVB team.
- Required in-market presence no less than 8 business days per month, to include one Saturday and Sunday each month.
- Monthly presentation to Tourist Development Council.
- Accurate, on-time monthly billing for media and agency services, including proof of performance.
- Monthly digital analytics and media/campaign ROI.
- Extensive organizational skills and exemplary communication skills
Due Date:
August 1st
Address:
Marketing, Advertising, & Public Relations Services for Okaloosa County Tourist Development Department
RFP TDD 53-18
Okaloosa County Purchasing Department
5479A Old Bethel Road
Crestview, FL 32536
Zimmerman PR is a Florida located PR agency.
