Hollywood, California Issues Branding RFP

The pickup Entertainment Trolley Service in Hollywood, California is seeking a branding agency. The City of West Hollywood, known as the “Creative City,” was incorporated in 1984. It is 1.9 square miles in area and is bounded by Beverly Hills to the west, Hollywood to the east, and Los Angeles to the north and south. West Hollywood is home to approximately 34,000 residents and over 3,500 businesses. The weekend population swells as neighbors from nearby communities take advantage of shopping, dining and entertainment in the CITY.

BACKGROUND

Introduced in 2013 as a six-month pilot program, The PickUp quickly gained notoriety through its unique branding and active social media presence. Based on feedback gathered through surveys, social media outlets and input from local residents and community stakeholders, the West Hollywood City Council voted to continue the free trolley service. In FY 2015, the  West  Hollywood  City Council approved an expansion to the program that included the addition of  service days and an extension of the service’s route. The PickUp currently runs on Friday and Saturday evenings from 8pm-3am and on Sundays from 2-10pm.

Among the elements that contribute to The PickUp’s success are the service’s fun and energetic brand and the CITY’s digital marketing efforts for the service. In 2013, when The PickUp was launched, the CITY developed a brand identity and visual vocabulary for The PickUp that included logo design, color palette for vehicle and pedestrian signage, the name and tagline for the service, and vehicle wrap. The goal was to create a brand that resonated with City residents and visitors who frequent the CITY’s nightlife venues along Santa Monica Boulevard. Creative content designed to engage riders of The PickUp and inform potential riders about the service is posted on the service’s digital channels, which include a website and an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

SCOPE OF WORK

The City of West Hollywood (“CITY”) is seeking a qualified  firm to provide digital media marketing and graphic design services for The PickUp entertainment trolley service. The successful applicant will manage and produce content for The PickUp’s social media pages, update and design collateral materials, and assist in developing and launching promotional concepts. The CITY’s goals are to continue generating regional awareness about the service, strengthen brand messaging, develop opportunities for rider engagement, and to increase the number of followers across The PickUp’s social media channels.

1. Refreshing Service Brand Elements
   • The City would like to update visual elements of The PickUp’s brand. Specifically, the Contractor will update the service’s existing visual vocabulary (color palettes, icon systems, fonts, textures, and other service imagery).Contractor will also update the service’s core identity systems, including the service’s logo and develop of new bus wraps, which should incorporate refreshed brand elements. Please see Exhibit A for a description of The PickUp brand, which illustrates the service’s existing visual vocabulary.

2. Social Media and Interactive Content Development
   • The City would like to refresh and diversify the type of content that is posted on The PickUp’s social media pages (see Attachment D for a list of digital media platforms currently used to market The PickUp). For almost four years, the City has followed a consistent post-development formula, which relies heavily on photos taken by a professional photographer of riders onboard The PickUp trolleys. As a part of the brand refresh strategy, the City is looking to incorporate new elements to its social media posts to encourage post engagement, and also increase regional awareness of the service.To that end, Contractor will produce content for The PickUp’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that is witty, fun, and written in the voice and tone of The PickUp as described in the service’s brand book, Exhibit
     • Contractor shall post content 14-16 times per week. Content should be engaging and user-centric, and when possible, include the following elements:
       • Facebook Live, Instagram story, etc.;
       • Service-specific GIFs;
       • Colorful memes, developed by Contractor, that incorporate brand elements;
       • Rider photos taken by professional photographer who is provided by the Contractor;
       • A combination of text, photo and video posts highlighting lifestyle and public service aspects of The PickUp;
       • Polls that are both light and serious (for feedback); and
       • User-submitted content (text and multimedia).
     • In addition to regularly scheduled posts, the contractor shall develop promotional concepts for The PickUp’s social media pages that are specific to special holiday service days (St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Sunday before Memorial Day, 4th of July, Sunday before Labor Day, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve) that may fall outside of The PickUp’s regular schedule. The CITY is also interested in exploring new social media platforms for the marketing of The PickUp, primarily Snapchat, along with any other platforms that emerge during the duration of the agreement.

3. Marketing Collateral Development
   • Contractor shall produce and update The PickUp’s print and electronic marketing collateral. Examples of work to be done include:
     • Design and update on a monthly basis the Perk Card, a card distributed as part of The PickUp’s ridership incentive program;
     • Design and update informational brochures and service guides as needed;
     • Update and create route maps for the regular service, LA PRIDE Weekend, and Halloween;
     • Develop promotional memes/window clings to promote  special   service days and perk program;
     • Update content on The PickUp’s website, as needed.

4. Ad DevelopmentContractor shall work with the CITY in developing advertising content that will be primarily aimed at increasing awareness about the service.Contractor shall develop colorful, attention-grabbing creative that reflect the service’s brand. At a minimum, six (6) ad concepts should be developed each year. Concepts could be deployed via web media (e.g. WeHoVille), Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, mobile applications (e.g. Grindr), and print formats.

Proposal due by Friday, May 5^th, 2017 to:
City of West Hollywood 8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069-6216

Strong California based entertainment PR agencies include 42 West, PMK*BNC and BWR.