The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific (EAP) Affairs’ Office of Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State whom seeks a contractor to execute a strategic communications and branding campaign in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in order to promote positive messaging about the United States as a committed friend and partner of the Northern Pacific.
The U.S. Department of State continues diplomatic efforts with the Northern Pacific countries of the Freely Associated States (FAS). Under the Compacts of Free Association with Palau, the FSM, and the RMI, the United States has remained steadfast partners with these countries for more than a quarter century by providing them security, monetary annual assistance, and visa-free access to the United States. In order to prevent development of potential negative perception of the U.S.; the United States intends to implement a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy that coordinates messaging across the interagency and builds public confidence about the cur- rent and future strength of U.S. partnerships.
Scope of Work
This project aims to support accurate representations about the United States as a committed friend and partner of the Northern Pacific within the countries of Palau, the FSM, and the RMI. This will be accomplished by:- Building awareness among target audiences about the positive impact of U.S. assistance to the FAS, including both direct economic assistance and the wide array of federal programs and benefits they receive.
- Easing public anxiety about the expiration of the financial provisions in the Compacts by emphasizing the elements which will remain in place after 2023 (to the extent possible depending on whether certain policy decisions have been made at the time of the campaign).
- Framing messages on U.S. assistance to the FAS within the larger context of U.S. commitment to the security and economic prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region in order to highlight the United States as the continued partner of choice.
All communications and branding efforts will target three primary audiences in order of priority:
- Influencers and opinion makers in Palau, the FSM, and the RMI who set the tone of conversation about the Compact and relations with the United States.
- The large FAS diaspora who migrate back and forth between the Northern Pacific and the United States and often serve as advocates for the U.S.-FAS relationships to Congress and other U.S. government officials
- Vulnerable populations within these countries who rely on U.S. assistance, are anxious about the impact of the end of specific U.S. financial assistance provisions on their livelihoods and communities, and are susceptible to narratives perpetrated by other actors about potential non-U.S. sources of future assistance.
