Scope: Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau seeks a Marketing Services Agency with the ability to provide best-in-class advertising and marketing services, including, but not limited to the following services. Such professional services may be required for various projects to be issued in separate Task Orders, including, but not limited to the following services (in accordance with Professional_Services_Agreement_Over_35K_Task_Order-MARKETING):
• Based off destination market research, coordinate with Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau staff to develop a strategic and actionable brand strategy and annual marketing program that drives visitation and increases brand awareness in key markets and with target audiences, including niche audiences.
• Utilizing the creative brand campaign, develop and execute an annual media plan for the destination, including strategies and recommendations for paid, earned, owned, shared and social media.
• Collaborate with Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau staff and partners to implement the annual media plan.
• Graphic design and production services for creative assets to support the media plan, including native advertising, social, digital, display, television, radio, and any other medium that may arise.
• Copywriting services as necessary.
• Assistance with securing earned media coverage.
• PR Listening Services.
• Search Engine Marketing.
• Social Media Integration of paid and organic content, collaborating with Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau staff across various social platforms.
o Prepare overall plan and strategy for optimizing digital content to ensure maximum performance and visibility for all digital components (website content and images, advertising, social media and other digital components in the organization’s marketing mix)
o The overall plan and strategy goals are to ensure consistent use of keywords, tags, schema markup and other optimization tools as required to ensure a consistent voice in all marketing and advertising communications
o Coordinate with County’s website SEO vendor.
• Design and produce promotional materials and collateral, including a new Visitor Guide and map, with print and digital versions.
• Collaborate with other agencies and teams to achieve strategic goals, including at minimum, monthly planning meetings with each individual agency and appropriate staff.
• Willingness to work with local photographers, videographers and volunteer talent. Projects may require after hours or weekend work.
• Account updates and strategic presentations during Tourist Development Council Meetings (Initial presentation of plan, plus one annual update). Attend in person.
• Assist with crisis management as needed (e.g., hurricane response) to include but not be limited to Public Relations, social media and/or specialized campaigns.
• Annually set KPI’s. Report progress to Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau staff and to Tourist Development Council in a full report including highlights and insights as requested.
• Draft Tourism Marketing Award submissions
• Must be Z-DOS certified or become certified within 30 days of contract execution.
• Observe market research and data from campaigns to provide insights and recommendations.
• Monthly KPI measurement and reporting, monthly digital analytics and media/campaign ROI. Website tracking/reporting. Mobile tracking and reporting.
• Provide monthly invoicing, reporting and insights.
o Obtain written authorization, in the form of a written task order, for all work in advance of performing the work.
• Annual updates to the Tourist Development Council (TDC).
Annual Goals for the Marketing Firm
• Provide: Brand Strategy and Account Management, Content Development and Marketing, Creative Development and Production, Reporting and Analytics, Media Planning and Buying, and Paid Media Placements.
• Marketing Campaign Development: Develop a research-driven annual marketing campaign targeting key markets, including niche markets, informed by primary destination research. The campaign should target our “best guest” while strategically driving visitation to Florida’s Adventure Coast and increasing brand awareness through engaging and impactful marketing and advertising initiatives.
• Integrated Media Planning and Execution: Utilize the creative brand campaign to develop and execute a comprehensive annual media plan that effectively reaches Florida’s Adventure Coast’s target audiences across various platforms. This should include strategic placements, ad formats, and messaging tailored to each channel for maximum impact and ROI.
• Data-Driven Performance Measurement: Develop and Implement KPI measurement strategies to track the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and initiatives. Provide monthly digital analytics reports and media/campaign ROI analysis to assess performance, optimize strategies, and ensure alignment with Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau’s objectives. Implement website and mobile tracking/reporting mechanisms to monitor visitor behavior and inform ongoing content curation, design, and optimization efforts.
• Future Goals: The selected agency will be expected to play a role in the development of campaigns and creative executions that support Florida’s Adventure Coast ’s initiatives, including continuing to grow brand awareness and visitation, while executing our strategic plan. Additional goals include redirecting visitors to alternative paddling adventures while encouraging Partners to promote sustainability practices. The Visitor’s Bureau is also planning for more Familiarization or FAM Trips and working with Influencers to promote the destination, as well as increasing Partner engagement and co-op marketing opportunities for Partners.
• Public Relations Assistance: Understand costs around PR services, including PR listening services to help identify media coverage of the destination. Additionally, there may be an opportunity for the awarded vendor to pitch stories to the media and assist with increasing earned media for the County.
Operational requirements include:
• If located outside of the Hernando County area, the agency shall be consistently available and in‐market on a regular basis.
• The selected agency shall assign a permanent team that will take ownership of the Hernando County Tourism/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau account. Vendor must assign one account manager to this account. Frequently changing or ad hoc assignment of personnel will not be accepted and can be considered grounds for contract termination.
• All media and outside purchases will be at net cost with no markup. Fees and commissions, if any, shall be paid to the County or credited against agency billings.
• Written Task Orders must be submitted for each billable job and then fully executed, by vendor, department and Chief Procurement Officer or designee, prior to performance of any work or services. Task Order or estimate must accompany billing. If changes are necessary because of a request by Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau Staff, TDC or for other reasons, new or revised estimates must be provided and signed prior to any performance of services.
• Billing per job must include proof of agency payment for outside expenses, copies of all out-ofpocket expenses incurred, signed estimate and affidavit indicating total number of agency hours incurred.
• The Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau retains ownership and all rights of use (including by assigns) of all marketing and advertising materials generated by the agency(s) and paid for by the County for use in its campaigns.
• The Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau maintains the right to use any agency‐generated materials as it deems necessary and may do so without consent or approval. • Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau shall have final review and approval of all work concepts, created and or produced for the account by the agency.
• Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau requires universal releases for materials unless mutually agreed cost considerations become prohibitive, such as model releases, music, photography, etc. Any restrictions on contracted materials such as photography, talent, models, etc. are to be provided to the Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau in advance with implications stated. In general, buyouts should be incorporated into the initial production costs.
• Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau retains the right to hire/contract/work with other advertising, marketing, promotion or technology agencies/vendors including freelance creative suppliers as deemed appropriate to achieve County needs.
• Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau must be advised of all current and new Central Florida business solicitations by the selected agency so the Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau can determine if these present a potential conflict of interest.
• Hernando County Tourism Department/Florida’s Adventure Coast Visitors Bureau must abide by state regulations that prohibit public entities from making advance payment of goods and services.
Due Date: 10:00 a.m., LOCAL TIME ON Monday, June 23, 2025
Contact: Cathy Tefft, Procurement Manager (352) 754-4020 ctefft@co.hernando.fl.us
