City of Laguna Niguel Issues Marketing Services RFP

The City of Laguna Niguel (City) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms(Consultant) to develop a marketing, branding, communications, and public outreach campaign to coincide with the inaugural year of the City’s new Summer Trolley Program (Trolley Program). The Consultant will have experience in traditional and nontraditional advertising, word of mouth advertising, social media, graphic design, research, and public relations.

In addition to helping promote the inaugural year of the Trolley Program, the City is seeking an ongoing campaign that incorporates a wide range of marketing strategies that effectively promote, increase awareness and ridership, and implement branding of the Trolley Program to key audiences. The Trolley Program operates each summer, between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend (approximately 15 weeks) and will run from Thursday through Sunday. Rides are free and service will begin at approximately 10:00 a.m. and end at approximately 10:00 p.m. The Trolley Program will not utilize a traditional open-air trolley vehicle as used by regional cities such as Dana Point and Laguna Beach.

The City of Laguna Niguel is a 14.72 square mile bedroom community with a population of approximately 67,208 located in Orange County, California. The City was incorporated on December 1, 1989 as a master planned community and enjoys a strong retail and commercial environment. The City is known for its mild coastal climate, low crime rate, and its numerous parks and public trails. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 49°F to 78°F and is rarely below 43°F or above 86°F. The median age in Laguna Niguel is 45.66 where 20% of the population is younger than age 17; 30% is between age 18 and 44; 32% is between age 45 and 64; and 18% is over the age of 65. There are 27,061 dwelling units where 73% are owner occupied and 27% are renter occupied. The median home price is $1,076,278. Surrounding the City are the cities of Dana Point, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano. Each of the cities has an established trolley program. The Laguna Niguel Summer Trolley Program will connect with the trolley programs operated by Dana Point and Laguna Beach.

Project Goals

If effective marketing is critical for the success of an existing transit program, it is doubly so for a new program. For this reason, the City seeks to partner with an experienced Consultant that can effectively introduce the community to the Trolley Program. The awarded Consultant will provide marketing services as outlined in Section I-7 (Scope of Work). The Marketing Program will be considered successful if the following project deliverables are met:

1. The Consultant understands the aggressive timeframe between the City Council award of contract (March 1, 2022) and the beginning of the Trolley Program on May 26, 2022.

2. Regarding the inaugural year of the Trolley Program, the Consultant will successfully deliver on all strategies in their submitted proposal before May 26, 2022.

3. The Consultant will film the content for the two promotional videos between May 10-12, 2022 and complete the final videos by May 19, 2022.

4. The City intends on awarding a multi-year agreement to the Consultant (until September 30, 2026) contingent on the receipt of funding from OCTA. If funding is no longer provided by OCTA, the City will no longer require the services of the Consultant.

5. The Consultant will communicate with the City on a regular basis to ensure the success of the proposed marketing program for the Trolley Program.

Scope of Work

The awarded Consultant will develop an itemized proposal that includes the services listed in this section of the RFP. Depending on the total cost of the proposal, the City will determine which services to award in consideration of the City’s budget. The project budget for the inaugural year of the Trolley Program is between $40,000 – $75,000. The project budget for the ongoing campaign is between $10,000 – $20,000.

Inaugural Year (May 26, 2022 – September 5, 2022)

1. Branding and Identity Strategy: Develop a campaign for the Trolley Program with a logo and tagline to stimulate the community.

2. Graphic Design Strategy: Produce materials such as brochures, fact sheets, flyers, graphics, posters, and other collateral that are targeted at two demographics (under 18 and over 18 years of age).

3. Media Strategy:

a. Video: Plan, write, shoot, and edit two promotional videos. One video will be less than 60 seconds to share on social media. The second video will be a longer version for the City’s website and YouTube page. Filming will take place between May 10-12, 2022. The final videos should be available by May 19, 2022 (as the Trolley Program starts on May 26, 2022). Itemize the cost to provide actors/actresses for the video. Depending on the cost, the City may provide actors/actresses at no cost.

b. Media Package: Develop a media package that contains the logo, images and copy formatted for sharing on social media, the City website, and other platforms. Photos in the media package should include actors/actresses representing two demographics (under 18 and over 18 years of age). Itemize the cost to provide actors/actresses for the video. Depending on the cost, the City may provide actors/actresses at no cost.

4. Promotional Items: Recommend branded items that will help promote the Trolley Program. If the City desires promotional items, the City will place the order (separate from the contract with the Consultant). That way, the Consultant is compensated for the recommendations, but the Consultant’s contract budget is not used for the items.

5. Social Media Strategy: Evaluate the City’s existing social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram). Develop a social media strategy to promote the Trolley Program that includes 15 unique posts (to coincide with the 15 weeks the program will operate between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends). Posts should target two demographics (under 18 and over 18 years of age).

6. Other Strategies: Recommend other creative strategies based on your experience. Make certain to itemize these strategies so the City can understand the cost in relation to overall budget

Ongoing Campaign (Each summer between May 2023 – September 2026)

The City was awarded a Project V grant by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) to operate the Trolley Program for up to five summers. The City will continue to receive Project V grant funds each year if the minimum Project V grant criteria is achieved. The criteria pertain to ridership (the number of people that utilize the Trolley Program each month) and therefore, the work of the Consultant to spread awareness of the Trolley Program within Laguna Niguel and the surrounding communities is important. The Trolley Program will continue if Project V grants funds are available. If the Trolley Program continues, the City desires the Consultant to continue the ongoing campaign in advance of each summer. Regarding the ongoing campaign, the Consultant will recommend their strategy to the City, and provide the itemized cost for each strategy.

Project Budget

The project budget for the inaugural year of the Trolley Program is between $40,000 – $75,000. The project budget for the ongoing campaign is between $10,000 – $20,000. See Section I-1 (Program Background) for more information.

RFP Submittal Information

Interested Consultants will submit a PDF copy of your Proposal, emailed to the City Contact or provided via cloud service (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.) Late proposals will not be accepted.

RFP Submittal Location

Laguna Niguel City Hall, c/o Russell Narahara 30111 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

RFP Due Date

February 1, 2022 by 2:00 p.m. PST

City Contact / Project Manager

Russell Narahara Senior Management Analyst City of Laguna Niguel Phone: (949) 362-4313 Email: RNarahara@cityoflagunaniguel.org

Relevant agencies to include for this assignment include Ruder Finn and Finn Partners.