City of Los Angeles Issues Anti-Tobacco Media & Outreach RFP
Through this Request for Proposal (“RFP”), the Office of the City Attorney seeks a contractor to develop and implement Join the Conversation. Proposers must demonstrate the ability to develop a multi-media (online, print, radio, and TV) campaign, as well as organize in person gatherings raising awareness regarding tobacco use. Subject to future availability of Prop. 56 funds, the media and outreach activities to be developed and implemented through this RFP shall be created in mind with carrying the project forward beyond the initial project term (1/1/19 – 12/31/19). Coordinated by the Office of the City Attorney’s Community Engagement & Outreach Unit, Join the Conversation will feature English and Spanish digital and non-digital outreach spanning TV and radio PSAs, social media and print campaigns, town halls, and peer to peer/influencer engagement. Through this strategic approach, it is anticipated that youth tobacco use will decrease as children, their family members, educators, and communities develop greater awareness of harmful tobacco and tobacco related products (including ecigarettes, juuling, and vaping), as well as dangerous product delivery methods, health risks, and addiction risks.
Background:
The City Attorney has prosecutorial jurisdiction over all misdemeanor offenses occurring within the City of Los Angeles, including illegal sales of tobacco products to minors by retailers. In addition to traditional prosecution methods, the City Attorney also deploys a variety of non-prosecutorial outreach and tobacco cessation strategies to address youth cigarette smoking, e-cigarettes, vaping, and juuling. The Tobacco Enforcement Unit oversees the regulation of nearly 5,000 local tobacco retailers to ensure compliance with the City’s Tobacco Permit guidelines and all tobacco related laws. The Unit is a nationally recognized, community oriented model engaged in long standing justice, school, and community partnerships addressing youth tobacco cessation.
In November 2016, California voters approved Proposition 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (the “Act”). (Codified at Revenue & Taxation Code, §§ 30130.50 – 30130.57.) This measure increased the excise tax rate on tobacco products for the purpose of reducing smoking and thus reducing mortality, disease, healthcare costs, loss of productivity, and other adverse impacts of smoking. The Act also established the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 Fund (the Fund) and designated the distribution of revenues from the Fund. (Revenue & Taxation Code, §§ 30130.53, 30130.55, 30130.57.) Among other designations of tax revenues, the Act provides funding each year to the California Attorney General’s Office to be distributed to local agencies to support tobacco enforcement and outreach. These programs include enforcement of state and local laws related to the illegal sales and marketing of tobacco to minors, increasing investigative activities, compliance checks to reduce illegal sales of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors and youth, and anti-tobacco outreach and awareness.
Following a competitive process, the CITY ATTORNEY was awarded a Prop. 56 grant from the California Attorney General’s Office in May, 2018 to launch the DATA Initiative. As part of the DATA Initiative, the CITY ATTORNEY will launch an intensive, multi-media outreach campaign to address youth centered tobacco use entitled “Join the Conversation.” The purpose of this RFP is to seek a qualified Contractor who will undertake a comprehensive planning and initial launch of outreach and awareness strategies that can be sustained through future Prop. 56 grant funds.
Scope of Work:
Design and Implementation Team:
The Selected Contractor shall employ and supervise a Design and Implementation Team to design and implement English and Spanish digital and non-digital anti-tobacco (including vaping, e-cigarette, and juuling) outreach and media materials throughout the grant period. Design and Implementation Team staff members shall be experienced and qualified in large scale outreach campaigns.
At least one member of the Design and Implementation Team shall serve as the point of contact for the CITY ATTORNEY.
All printed materials developed for public distribution through Join the Conversation must be produced through a union shop and bear a union label (union bug).
Data Collection and Analysis:
As this project relates to a grant funded program, data collection and performance measures will be integral to Join the Conversation. As such, the Selected Contractor shall provide the Community Engagement & Outreach Unit with monthly reports containing information on the following data sets, which will be incorporated into broader DATA Initiative grant reporting requirements to be met by the CITY ATTORNEY:
- Number of radio spots, tv spots, social media posts, internet/email communications, and written materials developed;
- Number of radio spots, tv spots, social media posts, internet/email communications, and written materials distributed;
- Number of estimated viewers and listeners to radio, television, social media, internet and print messages;
- Number of visitors online to the Join the Conversation web-page:
- Number of Join the Conversation community meetings, town halls, information tables, and public events;
- Number of attendees at the community meetings, town halls, information tables, and public events; and
- Qualitative assessments regarding the effectiveness of the messaging to reduce tobacco products among youth and behavior changes.
Design Content Sharing and Collaboration:
The Selected Contractor shall work with Community Engagement and Outreach Unit to develop and manage content, facilitate content sharing across agencies and technology platforms, plan and execute public events/town halls, host information tables, and provide technical assistance as required.
All Join the Conversation materials developed for the City will be the intellectual property of the City of Los Angeles.
Project Deliverables:
In addition to the reports containing specific data sets that must be provided to the Community Engagement & Outreach Unit as stated above in “Data Collection and Analysis,” the Selected Contractor shall prepare and submit the progress reports listed below to the CITY ATTORNEY:
- Online Media Campaign Development and Implementation (English and Spanish)
- TV and Radio Spots Development and Implementation (English and Spanish)
- City Attorney website Development and Implementation (English and Spanish only)
- Town Hall Development and Implementation (English and Spanish)
- Metrics for Grant Reporting
Due Date:
October 31st
Address:
Leti Garcia
Assistant to Rob Wilcox, Director,
Community Engagement & Outreach
Office of the City Attorney
200 North Main Street, 8th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012
LA PR firms include Zeno Group and Edelman PR.
