Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) Issues Marketing RFP
The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) is a regional planning commission and political subdivision of the State of Texas serving Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Travis, and Williamson Counties.CAPCOG is requesting proposals for services from qualified and experienced vendors to develop and implement marketing campaigns for the Commute Solutions and Air Central Texas programs in2019. The annual budget allocated for this project shall not exceed $162,500, with up to three, one-year options to renew. CAPCOG will select a vendor based on best value
CAPCOG intends to carry out two region-wide marketing campaigns under this contract from June 1– September 30, 2019:
· A Commute Solutions marketing campaign for $112,500.00 focused onincreasing awareness and use of alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) transportation, particularly during periods of peak congestions; and
· An Air Central Texas marketing campaign for up to $50,000.00 focused on increasing awareness about air pollution generally and increasing the willingness of residents to take action to reduce air emissions.
Commute Solutions Campaign
CAPCOG manages and operates the Commute Solutions Program – a regional Transportation Demand Management (TDM) initiative that works to promote alternatives to single occupancy vehicle use (SOV) in the CAPCOG region, with a particular focus on the six-county Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) region that includes Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. More information on the program can be found at www.CommuteSolutions.com.
Key goals for this campaign include:
· Increasing the awareness of residents about the various sustainable commuting options as alternatives to SOV commuting during peak congestion periods within the CAMPO region;
· Increasing the willingness of residents to use these options; and
· Increase the understanding and urgency of the need for sustainable, more efficient commuting within the region among members of the public to help them amplify this message in their own channels ofcommunication.
Although we refer to “alternatives to SOV commuting” and “alternative commuting,” the vendor should also note that we desire to develop and use messaging that avoids diminishing other choices as marginal, which some stakeholders feel that the term “alternative commuting” does.
Sustainable transportation modes and choices that may be promoted through this campaign include:
· Carpooling
o CAPCOG’s MyCommuteSolutions.com platform can help facilitate carpool matching
· Vanpooling
o Either through CapMetro’s MetroRideshare program or privatevanpooling)
· Transit
o Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority (CapMetro) and the Capital Area Rural Transit System (CARTS) are the public transit service providers in the region
o Private/Micro-transit options are also becoming available within theregion
· Active Transportation
o Biking
o Walking
o Skateboards/scooters
· Teleworking
o Both part-time and full-time
· Alternative work schedules
o Flexible work schedules: Different start/end times than 8:00 am and 5:00pm
o Compressed work weeks: Working schedules that result in 1-2 weekdays without a commute
Some priorities for this campaign include:
· Increasing the use of sustainable commuting choices in areas with high rates of SOV commuting and along the most
· Encourage residents to visit the Commute Solutions website
· Reaching residents who live outside of the CapMetro service area who work within the CapMetro service area
· Increasing awareness among low-income, minority, disabled, senior, and non-English-speaking populations about their options
· Getting people to use the MyCommuteSolutions.com platform, a ride-matching/trip-planning tool to help users find car/vanpools, plan and log sustainable trips (carpool, vanpool, transit, etc.)
CAPCOG expects this campaign to involve both broad-based mass-media advertising and more narrowly targeted advertising for specific geographic areas and populations
At the conclusion of this campaign, CAPCOG will assess the success of the marketing campaign at achieving CAPCOG’s goals based on a variety of metrics, including website visits, social media followers, and self-reported levels of awareness “Commute Solutions” and behavior change from surveys.
Air Central Texas
The second advertising campaign will focus on promoting general air quality awareness and encouraging residents to take actions that reduce air pollution, including actions beyond reducing SOV commuting. This campaign will be conducted under the auspices of “Air Central Texas” (www.aircentraltexas.org), which is targeted at Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties.
· General air quality awareness: 50% of expenditures
o Focus: increase awareness of the air quality index, health impacts of air pollution, economic/regulatory consequences of violating air quality standards, and ozone action days
o Target populations: parents, adults with respiratory diseases, adults who work outdoors, seniors and senior care-takers
· Emission reduction messaging: 50% of expenditures
o Focus: Increase willingness of the general public to take action to reduce emissions, including driving clean vehicles and conserving energy
o Target populations: general public
Scope of Work:
Campaign Development
By May 31, 2019, the selected vendor shall:
· Meet with CAPCOG and other stakeholders to discuss strategy and planning for marketing the Commute Solutions and Air Central Texas programs (within 1 week of award of contract)
· Develop advertising messaging and other assets based on this feedback and the vendor’s proposal
Campaign Implementation
The selected vendor shall:
· Source and use a broad range of outlets to connect with people, such as, radio, social media, web banners and tile ads, targeted ad placement on websites, digital mobile, and television
· Successfully launch and carryout the approved marketing campaign plans
· Provide all final marketing material files to CAPCOG in electronic file formats that can be re-used in other marketing efforts within 5 business days of the use of the material in advertising, or at a time mutually agreed to between the vendor and CAPCOG
Reporting
The selected vendor shall:
· Provide monthly progress reports that include detailed information on the development and implementation of the marketing campaigns, including:
o Ad placement outlet
o Gross Impressions
o Cost per gross impression
o Conversions/Click-Through
o Cost per Conversions/Click-Through
o Any other measureable metric identified in the strategic marketing plan
o Any auditing/verification activities performed
· Provide a final report that summarizes information on the development and implementation of the marketing campaigns, including:
o Ad placement outlets
o Gross Impressions
o Cost per gross impression
o Conversions/Click-Through
o Cost per Conversions/Click-Through
o Any other measureable metric identified in the strategic marketing plan
o Recommendation for enhancements to future Commute Solutions and Air Central Texas campaigns
Due Date:
April 16th 2019 at 12pm
Contact:
Sheila Jennings
Phone Number: 512-916-6006
E-mail Address: sjennings@capcog.org
Agencies worth considering for this assignment include Makovsky PR and Hunter PR.
