Orange County Issues Marketing RFP

The Orange County Transportation Authority has issued a marketing RFP – The budget for this effort is $180,000 .

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) was formed in June 1991 to address ongoing transportation needs in Orange County. The concept behind OCTA was to create one agency to develop and implement transportation programs designed to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. As OCTA’s first modern streetcar, the OC Streetcar will connect the community from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (SARTC), which provides regional rail, OCTA bus, and intercity and international bus services, through Santa Ana’s central business district and Civic Center, and northwest on the former path of the Pacific Electric Streetcar over the Santa Ana River to Garden Grove, where it will meet OCTA’s busiest bus line on Harbor Boulevard. OCTA is the agency responsible for planning, designing, building, and operating the OC Streetcar.

The goals of the OC Streetcar Marketing Activities: Print Collateral and Digital Communications (Marketing Activities) are to provide creative services that will establish a brand for the OC Streetcar and support public outreach activities as OCTA works through the design phase and prepares for project construction. OCTA is seeking a firm to partner with to develop an array of marketing materials that will create awareness and excitement for the OC Streetcar that can innovatively accommodate both a diverse population and the digital market.

Types of services that will help OCTA achieve these goals include:

• Marketing & Digital Marketing Campaign Development, Management, and Optimization
• Email, social media, and mobile marketing strategy development, implementation, and optimization
• Online and traditional media planning, buying, and optimization
• Ethnic marketing and translation (Hispanic and Asian)
• Print and digital creative development, design/copywriting, and production
• Market/customer research, segmentation study, online survey design, implementation, and reporting
• Web, mobile app, and video design and production

MARKETING APPROACH

The Santa Ana and Garden Grove area is home to an especially diverse population, including a Spanish-speaking majority and significant number of Vietnamese speakers. With 91 percent of Americans now owning a cell phone, 63 percent of them using their cell phone to access the Internet, and 73 percent using social networking sites, it is also important to consider that traditional marketing methods are not always the best method of reaching target audiences. Developing in-language information and managing multicultural tools, both traditional media and digital media, will be critical in reaching and communicating with all levels of stakeholders along the OC Streetcar alignment.

With the diverse and expansive geography of Orange County, the greatest challenge faced overall is creating and building brand awareness for the OC Streetcar.

Deliverables include:

1. Execution of online and offline activities – graphics design and layout, web design and programming, and other functions needed
2. Print and distribute collateral materials

Target Markets

• Neighborhood / Homeowner Associations
• Diverse Communities
• Businesses/ Business Associations
• Community Groups
• Educational Institutions
• Faith-based Organizations
• Government Facilities
• Community Resource Centers
• Current Bus and Rail Riders
• Tourists
• General Public
• Media
• Marketing partners

Goals and Objectives

The primary goals and objectives of the Marketing Activities are to:

• Create brand awareness and positive perception of the OC Streetcar
• Educate and inform target audiences about the progress of the OC Streetcar through the design and beginnings of the construction phase
• Encourage excitement about future use of the streetcar service
• Position streetcar service as a viable transportation option for home to work, recreational, and other trips

SCOPE OF SERVICES

As the demographics and communication behaviors of residents of Orange County and those in close proximity to the alignment continue to change, marketing the OC Streetcar is becoming increasingly complex. In an effort to address these changes and implement comprehensive Marketing Activities, OCTA is planning to retain a full-service firm to perform various marketing activities.

Firms shall provide turnkey marketing activities and be able to act as a prime contractor in each of the following areas:

• Marketing & Digital Marketing Campaign Development, Management, and Optimization Each campaign should include, but not limited to, the following components to drive traffic, project awareness, and enthusiasm:
• Campaign goals development and effectiveness tracking
• Identifying target audiences and providing insight to customer behavior
• Developing key campaign messaging and potential offers for campaign success
• Developing strategy for reaching and engaging target audiences
• Developing mixed media campaign consisting of traditional and online media
• Email, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing Strategy Development, Implementation, and Optimization

Research, develop, and propose new and innovative digital marketing strategies and tactics through email, social media, and/or mobile to help OCTA communicate with a variety of stakeholder groups. Execute a successful agile marketing plan to improve

performance and return on investment (ROI). Provide systematic solution to implement, manage, and optimize social media platforms, as well as analytics to maximize public interaction and engagement.

• Online and Traditional Media Planning, Buying, and Optimization Understand where the target audiences live online and offline, develop a flexible and high- quality media plan for each campaign to include targeting endemic and broad reach sites/media, as well as niche media/sites with loyal and passionate followings to engage target  audiences  in  a  clutter-free,  relevant  environment.
• Ethnic Marketing and Translation (Hispanic and Asian) Research, develop, and implement marketing activities targeting specific ethnic markets in Orange County and surrounding communities.
• Print and Digital Creative Development, Design, Copywriting, and Production Create strategic and innovative design theme and message that resonate with campaign target audiences in both online and print formats. Be able to respond quickly to execute creative development through design, copywriting, and production in a timely manner to meet the project deadlines.
• Market/Customer Research, Segmentation Study, Online Survey Design, Implementation and Reporting To assist marketing planning and strategy development, identified research needs to gain target audience insights and market intelligent information through primary and secondary research and surveys. Use state-of-the-art techniques to design, implement, and report appropriate study/survey as needed.
• Web and Mobile Design and Development To assist in web and mobile design and execution as necessary, the Firm must have proficiency with web and mobile design, development, testing, and deployment.
• Video Production Produce campaign videos for online and television viewing, to include treatments, script development, casting, filming (using professional equipment and post production), editing, sound mixing, musical scoring and titling
• Photography Provide original photography services to support approved marketing plans to showcase OCTA’s products and services in a favorable and imaginative way.
• Collateral Production, Printing, Distribution, and Specialty Printing Various types of printing projects will require production, distribution (including direct mail and other types of delivery), installation, and/or removal during the course of this contract term, based on the approved marketing plan developed.

Proposal due by August 8, 2016 to:

Orange County Transportation Authority
550 South Main Street
P.O. Box 14184
Orange, California 92863-1584
Phone: 714.560. 5786, Fax:  714.560.5792
Email: ideneau@octa.net