CITY OF BARSTOW – CITY BRANDING

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS/PROPOSALS FOR:

Branding and Marketing Firm to assist with City Rebranding

Contact: Gil Keinan Local Equity

Contact: Gil Keinan Local Equity 603 N Euclid Ave

Ontario, CA 91762 Email: Barstow@localequity.com

A. Introduction

The City of Barstow (City) is located in the Mojave Desert Region of central San Bernardino County, California, about 130 miles northeast of Los Angeles and 150 miles southwest of Las Vegas. The population of Barstow is approximately 23,000 and serves as a vibrant regional retail commercial center. Strong interstate highway travel-oriented services, a large rail facility, and two major military bases contribute to a diversified economic base.

Recently, the City has experienced successful commercial and residential growth, and anticipates further growth in the coming years. For this reason, the City seeks the services of a professional and experienced marketing consultant to assist with updating of the city’s branding, and to create a proactive and consistent marketing campaign.

B. Executive Summary

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals to establish a lump sum contract through competitive negotiation with a qualified consulting firm with solid experience in marketing research (both quantitative and qualitative), message/positioning development, and municipal identity/branding including development of a brand values statement; logo development and associated graphic standards; and recommendations for brand rollout through social media marketing as well as traditional marketing.

The City of Barstow is seeking the development of a comprehensive brand marketing campaign to drive business attraction and retention, energize current residents and position the municipality as a desirable place for relocation, and enhance general perception.

C. Purpose

1. The City of Barstow requests proposals by qualified firms to research, create, and develop an implementation plan for a community branding initiative for the City of Barstow. Responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) will provide the City with the information required to assess, evaluate, and select a consultant based on prior experience, qualification, methodology and approach, and work performed in similarly sized communities.

2. The primary goals/objectives to be achieved by the branding initiative include, but are not limited to:

a. Uniformity – The brand should convey a common message and image to audiences both within and outside the City of Barstow. A defined message that will market the City locally, statewide, nationally and internationally as a great place to live, work, shop, and do business; a community historically focused on sustainability and conservation; the right place for development, redevelopment and investment; the perfect mix for a business-friendly community.

b. Community Identity/Pride – Identify and promote what makes the City distinct and appealing in a regionally competitive environment for investors, businesses, retailers, visitors, and residents.

c. Community and Economic Development Promotion – Promote a healthy economy, attract private investment, new residents and young professionals, and retain key businesses and creative talent.

d. Flexibility – The brand must be flexible and adaptable in order to meet the needs of a variety of departments and municipal functions within the City, as well as

groups and businesses within the City in their specific marketing initiatives, while maintaining consistency with their overall brand. It must also be flexible enough to grow and evolve along with any changes in the market.

e. Endorsement – The brand must be authentic and resonate with community leadership in the City and with business leadership in the greater Southern California area

D. Scope of Work

Project Management – The consultant will lead all aspects of the City community marketing and branding initiative, including the following:

1. Advisory to City management – Meetings throughout the process will be required.

2. Lead for facilitating various focus groups comprised of community leadership and business owners to determine existing attitudes, perceptions, opportunities and challenges to enhancing the City’s image.

3. Facilitator during the research process and/or testing of the new brand – Include descriptions of community engagement efforts that will take place during this process. The consultant will be expected to employ creative means of public involvement to ensure that community leaders and the business community are aware of and involved in the project.

4. Research – Research will be the basis for the development of a brand concept, creative elements, messaging/positioning and the overall brand initiative. The consultant will create and implement a brand research plan, which will include qualitative and quantitative research with key publics to identify the following:

a. The key elements of the City of Barstow.

b. Analysis of competitor marketing strategies.

c. Measures that will be used to determine if the branding effort is successful.

5. Strategic Plan – The consultant will develop strategic objectives that will help better inform the City of Barstow on implementation, management and ongoing promotion of the brand to include, but not be limited to the following:

a. Promotion of the use of the brand among City of Barstow departments.

b. Maintenance and consistency of brand image and messaging while providing suitable flexibility for the target audiences of the participating agencies.

c. Recommendations of ways to articulate the brand; define markets and promotional avenues; and advise on strategies to better promote and create brand awareness.

6. Creative/Development of Brand – The consultant will develop creative elements that include design concepts, logos, messages, brand statement, tagline, and other products to support the overall brand initiative. A minimum of three distinct creative options must be presented, based on the results of the research. The selected logo design will be delivered, with the final option delivered with a style manual and guidelines for use and the capability of use in the following

a. Print and electronic advertising

b. Website design

c. Media placement

d. Public relations

e. Events

f. Templates

7. Implementation Plan – The consultant will develop an action plan for implementation of the brand in sufficient detail to allow Steering Committee to understand the approach and work plan. An Action Plan should include, but not be limited to the following:

a. Estimated costs/budget associated with the implementation process.

b. Proposed timelines for development of creative elements.

c. Recommended positioning logo and brand guidelines.

d. Implementation plans for brand identity applications and brand identity maintenance plan.

Submittal Instructions, Questions and Timeline

A. Registration Form

All interested parties are required to complete and return the registration form, found in Attachment C.

B. Pre-Bid Meeting

A Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 23, 2022 at 2:00 pm PT. Interested parties should register here: https://pepperdine.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlfuippjMqGdRphiIy-jBl-VnunuO2n6iY

C. Questions

Interested parties may not communicate about this RFP with elected officials or staff representing the City of Barstow, or any other individuals retained by the City to support this procurement. All questions and requests for clarification must be submitted in writing to barstow@localequity.com by 4:00 pm on Monday, June 6, 2022. Questions after that date/time will not be answered.

Responses to questions submitted prior to the established question deadline will be released on Monday, June 13, 2022.

D. Submittal Deadline

Please return RFQ/P responses for review by Monday, June 27, 2022 at 4:00 pm to the contact listed below. All proposals must be received prior to the aforementioned deadline. Any proposal received after the deadline shall not be considered.

The City may continue to solicit qualifications and proposals beyond the above date if the City, in its respective sole determination, is not satisfied with the number and quality of submittals received.

E. Digital Submittal and Contact

Proposal packages are limited to 30 pages and 15MB in size, including all attachments and addendums. Proposal packages are to be submitted electronically to:

Email: barstow@localequity.com

All responses must be completed as required, signed by an officer of the firm who is authorized to enter into a binding agreement with the City on behalf of the company. Proposals (as described below) are to be digitally submitted to the email address and time designated above and clearly identified with the Consultant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address. Submit one digital proposal titled as “Request for Qualifications/Proposal – City of Barstow Branding.”