Branding RFP Issued By College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

The College is seeking proposals to support a major rebranding initiative. The outcomes of this initiative

will include:

• Research (e.g. interviews, focus groups, surveys, audit of existing brand and creative assets)

• Defining audience personas for testing

• A new visual identity—a logo/wordmark

• A cohesive branding platform that supports the goals and essence of the College

• Supporting brand guidelines

• Supporting visual elements

• Consistent application of the visual identity in all communication and public outreach activities

• Increased public awareness about the College and its role in the health-care system

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

Request for Proposal 2 of 8

While the College would prefer to award a single contract for all services anticipated in this RFP, it will

also consider bids for a subset of the scope being split between multiple vendors, and reserves the right

to award multiple contracts for these services if it is in its best interest to do so

Background:

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (the College) regulates the practice of

medicine under the authority of provincial law, the Health Professions Act and the bylaws made under

the Act. All physicians and surgeons who practise medicine in the province must be registrants of the

College. Guided by its mission, mandate and values, the College’s overriding interest is the protection and safety

of patients. The role of the College is to ensure registrants meet expected standards of practice and

conduct.

Scope of Work:

The College intends to take a phased approach with the project as outlined below. Our goal is to create

multiple opportunities for consultation and engagement with stakeholders during the research and

discovery phase, and audience testing throughout the brand and visual identity development phase to

test concepts and ideas.

Note: Efforts must be made to engage with individuals who identify as Indigenous.

Stakeholders

Primary

• Internal: Board, leadership team, staff

• Registrants: physicians and surgeons across the province

• Public: a diverse mix of BC’s general public

Secondary

• Ministry of Health

• The association: Doctors of BC

• UBC Faculty of Medicine

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

Request for Proposal 3 of 8

• Other BC health regulators

• Medical regulatory authorities across Canada

Phase one – research and discovery

This phase is intended to discover how key stakeholders and audiences currently perceive the College,

its identity and reputation, and to determine a future brand approach that aligns with the College’s

mandate of public protection, and supports the goals of inclusivity and accessibility.

Activities in this phase should include:

• Scanning and analyzing branding of comparable regulators across Canada and worldwide

• Researching and consulting with College stakeholders (e.g. BC patients, registrants, staff, board

members, Ministry of Health) through focus groups, surveys, interviews, etc. to assess

perceptions and reflections about the College and its current identity

• Establishing a market baseline for the perception and sentiment of the current brand and

identity

• Reviewing media coverage provided by the College to gain a better understanding of the key

issues facing health profession regulators, as well as media/public perceptions of the College as

an effective regulator

• Defining personas for UX testing purposes

• Producing and presenting a final written report on the research, including recommendations on

the approach and way forward for developing a new brand and visual identify

Phase two – brand development

Phase two of the project will apply phase one research results to develop the new brand and visual

identity.

Activities in this phase should include:

• Developing the brand essence and emotional appeal, brand concepts and components (images,

ideas) that lead to the final visual identity that will be extensively tested with audiences

• Developing a “brand manual” that articulates the rationale for the elements and essence of the

new visual identity: colour palette, typography, illustration style, imagery, etc.

• Developing and presenting the brand approach and two options for a new visual identity to

internal stakeholders for final endorsement/buy-in and Board approval

Note: The new visual identity must be versatile and easy to apply on all online, print and other collateral

uses.

Phase three – brand implementation

Phase three of the project would see the introduction and implementation of the brand and visual

identity across all communication channels and collateral.

Activities in this phase should include:

• Developing a plan to phase in the new visual identity and other brand elements across the

College: website theme, stationery, signage, etc.

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

Request for Proposal 4 of 8

• Providing input to the communications and public affairs team on retiring the crest (recognizing

this historic milestone) and communicating the new brand and visual identity and rationale to

external stakeholders for maximum exposure

o E.g. Designing and producing a video to introduce the College, explain its mandate, and

to launch the new brand and visual identity

• Developing formal guidelines to outline the appropriate use of all brand components, including

the visual identity

Due Date: September 10, 2021

Address:

Must be emailed as a PDF file to communications@cpsbc.ca

5WPR and Alison Brod are top tier beauty PR agencies.