Alaska Travel Industry Association Seeks Ad Agency

Alaska Travel Industry Association is seeking an agency for Advertising for Alaska’s Tourism Marketing Program. The Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is the leading non-profit, member-based trade association for the travel industry in Alaska. With over 700 tourism business members and partners, ATIA is the leading industry organization promoting Alaska as a top visitor destination, communicating and promoting the Alaskan tourism industry as one of the state’s major economic forces, and the respected voice of the industry for the growth of the industry, while remaining attentive to care for the environment, recognition of cultures and Alaska’s unique quality of life.

ATIA is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors. The ATIA Board guides the Association’s priorities as the state’s leading nonprofit membership association for the Alaska travel industry. The Board of Directors approves ATIA’s annual budget and acts on issues important to tourism businesses and partners. In 2014, ATIA advocated for the creation of the Alaska Tourism Marketing Board (ATMB). Senate Bill (SB) 194 passed the Alaska State House and Senate unanimously, creating the ATMB. The Alaska Tourism Marketing Board (ATMB), a board within the Governor’s Boards and Commissions office, advises ATIA and the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) on Alaska’s destination marketing program.

In 2016, with the Governor’s support, the management and implementation of Alaska’s tourism marketing program was transitioned to industry through ATIA. ATIA receives funding from a State of Alaska grant and implements an annual tourism marketing program. The program has included television and magazine advertising, direct mail campaigns with lead generation, digital advertising, social media, public and media relation strategies, and domestic and international travel trade outreach. Over the last 2-3 years, Alaska’s tourism marketing program funding, through allocations from government, has dramatically decreased from previous years’ funding. In past years, Alaska has seen healthy tourism marketing budgets in the $10 to $16 million range. In this past fiscal year, ATIA has managed and implemented a tourism marketing program with a $1.5 million budget.

In fall 2016, the ATMB members and ATIA leaders met for a strategic planning session to identify goals and strategies for Alaska’s destination marketing program moving forward.
ATIA is seeking highly skilled and experienced marketing, public relations, destination market research and advertising teams to work in concert with the ATIA team to develop and implement multi-media, marketing strategies to keep Alaska top of mind of domestic and international target audiences.

SCOPE OF WORK

Purpose:
To develop a destination marketing advertising campaign, placing Alaska as a top destination of choice among Alaska’s target audiences.
Overview
The Alaska tourism marketing program is a research-based, multi-pronged program with the goals of generating interest and awareness in Alaska as a travel destination and increasing year-round visitation to Alaska. The target audience has been baby boomers (ages 45-65), college-educated, no children at home with an annual household income over $100,000.

ATIA’s marketing efforts for components 1-2 will be multifaceted and coordinated. It is understood there may be overlap among tasks within each component and other marketing activities not covered in the scope of this RFP. The award of the contract for a particular component does not guarantee the contractor exclusivity to perform the tasks under that component. Contractors may be required to work in tandem with other contractors.

ATIA may award one or more contracts to companies that will execute marketing initiatives within the two components listed below. The purpose of dividing the work into two components is to provide ATIA greater access to the most creative, innovative and entrepreneurial proposers. Companies may submit proposals on one component or both components. Companies that include both components in the proposal should address efficiencies of scale.

Component 1: Creative, Advertising & Brand Identity Component 2: Collateral Development Each component should utilize existing third-party research and address the goals of increasing interest in Alaska as a visitor destination, strengthening brand identity and top of mind awareness, generating high-quality leads and requests for trip-planning information and providing monitoring and reporting mechanisms to measure effectiveness and efficiency. Proposers should identify how they will incorporate all regions of Alaska and position Alaska as a year-round destination. As appropriate, proposals should also include ideas for cooperative marketing programs for Alaska tourism businesses to participate. These programs are ways for the industry to partner with the tourism marketing program, ideally in a self-funded manner. Each proposal shall include account management, including monthly reporting, program analysis, budget tracking and participation in industry marketing meetings.

This RFP does NOT include the following:

• Media relations
• Digital advertising
• Social media

An authorized representative from the contracting agency must be available for the project meetings throughout the life of the contract. Project meetings include ATMB / ATIA and appropriate committee and sub-committee meetings.
All campaign strategies, advertising concepts, budgets, talent, ad copy and scripts, any materials associated with the campaign must be submitted and approved by ATIA’s Vice President or associated committee/sub-committee.

Component 1: Creative, Advertising & Brand Identity

• Develop and implement a national media campaign which may include print, broadcast and/or outdoor advertising. The contractor shall develop the yearly advertising strategy with goals (except digital and media relations which are included in separate RFPs), conduct media research and analysis, negotiate cost-efficient media buys and produce the creative for the advertising plan. Creative should promote the brand-identity of Alaska with the goal of either generating awareness or direct response.
• Contractor is also responsible for securing film and photography rights for use by the Alaska tourism marketing program. This includes negotiating with photographers, setting up photo shoots and shot lists and editing photographs and film.
• Contractor would be responsible for ensuring all advertising reflects the Alaska brand. However, should it be required, contractor must be capable of proposing new brand identity, standards and positioning.
• Deliverables include a comprehensive advertising plan inclusive of concepts and strategy, brand identity and positioning, market segmentation, data, analysis of information, creative design, market development and testing, graphic standards, media plans, evaluations, negotiations, placement of ads, account management and all supporting documentation for all services.
• For this RFP, prepare an annual advertising plan with the above elements assuming a budget of $4 million. Show how the program can be scalable at lower budget levels. Proposal should include up to three examples of previous ad creatives, and address how a direct response campaign would produce quality reach and responses through efficient means.

Component 2: Collateral Development

• Up until 2017, Alaska has produced a vacation planner which includes editorial and business advertisements. Historically, there were approximately 500 advertisers with ad sizes ranging from a two-line business listing to a full-page, four color display ad. The vacation planner had been about 100 pages and had a distribution of 450,000. Due to budget constraints, no vacation planner was produced in 2017. ATIA would like a new fulfillment piece developed for distribution that may or may not be comparable to the previous vacation planner.
• ATIA is seeking proposals for a new collateral piece to distribute to leads generated through the advertising campaign. Proposal should include conceptual design, layout, production and shipment to fulfillment house. The collateral should address overcoming travel barriers to Alaska and provide useful trip-planning information. Proposals should include pages, size and advertising types. Contractor will have access to existing photo assets. Work done under the scope of this component would not require contractor to purchase photography or organize a photo shoot. The advertisements are sold by ATIA but the contractor is responsible for including them in the publication. Assume production of 100,000 pieces. Although the contractor will not be responsible for paying for printing or fulfillment, the piece will need to be developed so the advertising revenue will cover the costs of production, printing and postage.
• Other collateral materials may include flyers, posters, displays, and travel trade promotional items.
• Deliverables include design, layout, editorial content, ad placements, printing and shipping of collateral piece to warehouse for distribution.
• Proposal should include up to three examples of collateral pieces designed by the proposer.

Proposal due by April 20, 2017 to:
Alaska Travel Industry Association Attn: Sioux-z Marshall
610 E 5th Ave, Ste 200
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 646- 3313
Email: smarshall@alaskatia.org<mailto:smarshall@alaskatia.org>