The City of Berkeley, California seeks to engage a communications firm to lead the creation of an Economic Development Communications Strategy. The goal of this project is to create communication tools that promote and enhance Berkeley’s reputation as a great place to do business, work, and invest. Targeted audiences for these communications tools include small business operators, startup entrepreneurs, retailers, real estate developers, manufacturers, and other private sector actors.
Berkeley is located in Alameda County on the east side of the San Francisco Bay. At the geographic midpoint of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the City is 20 minutes (or 10 miles away) from San Francisco and within easy reach to population centers in Contra Costa County and Silicon Valley. Encompassing 17.7 square miles and with a population of 118,853 residents, Berkeley has the highest population density of any city in the East Bay region. The City is defined to a large degree, both culturally and economically, by the presence of the University of California campus located on the eastern side of the City. The City is famous around the globe as a center for academic achievement, scientific exploration, free speech and the arts.
This project will convene economic development stakeholders with an aim to develop and generate an overarching messaging strategy to inform investors (commercial real estate, small business, high tech, etc.), workers in Berkeley and beyond, and big and small businesses of the unique advantages that Berkeley has to offer. The objective is for the Economic Development Communications Strategy to inform the creation of communication tools that will support public relations campaigns, earned media, and magnify the perception of the City of Berkeley as the place for business.
Scope of Work
Activities
- Research – Assess current City communication efforts and how Berkeley is perceived as a place for business in the East Bay and the greater Bay Area
- Engage Stakeholders – Identify shared communication objectives, existing efforts, and future plans
- Produce Deliverables – Provide draft documents (described below), collect feedback, and incorporate feedback into revised final communications plan.
Deliverables include:
Draft Economic Development Branding and Communications Strategy. To include direction on key shared communication objectives, target audiences, effective messages for shared target audiences, and cost effective channels to reach those audiences. Include guidance regarding communication assets (e.g., websites, print materials, video, social media) evaluated to be most effective for achieving shared goals. Recommendations are to include expected budget ranges for creating communication assets, and costs for distribution channels such as adverting, public relations efforts, videos, etc.
Final Economic Development Branding and Communications Strategy – Present draft document to City staff and stakeholders, collect feedback on draft recommendations, and revise communications plan as appropriate.
Proposals must be received by June 2, 2016 to:
City of Berkeley
Finance Department/General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
Coyne PR, Zeno Group & Padilla CRT all have California operations.
