Purpose:
Destination BC wishes to pre-qualify a list of independent consultants (“Qualified Suppliers”) with experience and expertise in one or both of the following Service Areas:
- Marketing Strategy and/or
- Marketing Communications (the “Services”).
Background:
As an industry-led Crown corporation, Destination British Columbia works collaboratively with tourism stakeholders across the province to coordinate marketing at the international, provincial, regional and local levels. Destination British Columbia is mandated to fulfil several key marketing and leadership responsibilities critical to the long-term, sustainable growth of the provincial tourism industry. These include:
- Marketing British Columbia domestically, nationally and internationally as a tourist destination;
- Promoting the development and growth of the tourism industry in British Columbia to increase revenue and employment in, and the economic benefits generated by, the industry, including, without limitation, by:
o Providing support for regional, sectorial and community tourism marketing;
o Providing industry leadership in tourism marketing;
o Promoting training and development related to tourism marketing;
o Providing support for Visitor Centres; and
o Conducting tourism-related market research;
- Enhancing public awareness of tourism and its economic value to British Columbia; and
- Providing advice and recommendations on tourism-related matters.
Global Marketing
Destination BC’s Global Marketing team is comprised of four divisions (Global content, Global marketing channels, Global Partnerships and Digital Strategy and IT), which together are responsible to deliver strategic, high-quality and cost-effective marketing activities outlined in Destination BC’s 2018 Global Marketing Plan.
Destination BC’s Global Marketing team has identified the following key aspiration:
Magnetic through nature’s power, British Columbia is the most captivating destination in our core markets, swiftly transforming dreamers into visitors and advocates. Innovative marketing programs will further enable BC tourism partners to be stronger, together.
This aspiration is brought to life through three strategic marketing pillars:
- Captivate: Create an emotional urgency to visit BC.
- Generate: Generate leads for BC tourism businesses, OTAs and travel trade.
- Advocate: Amplify traveller advocacy about BC.
The three strategic marketing pillars are supported by a strong digital marketing strategy and the following capabilities:
- A content strategy and management
- Superior data ecosystem and data-driven marketing expertise
- Strategic partnerships, and
- Marketing innovation.
The desired outcome of our marketing efforts is to become the most highly recommended destination in North America, and lead Canada in the growth of overnight visitor expenditures.
Destination BC practices an ‘always on’ approach to marketing, and throughout the year, the global marketing team plans and executes many individual and concurrent marketing programs on a global scale. These programs are implemented by Destination BC directly and increasingly, together with partners such as Destination Canada, and BC destination marketing organizations and BC tourism businesses.
Destination BC’s global marketing team continues to push the boundaries of digital marketing and innovation in the Destination Management Organization tourism sector. Respondents should be comfortable providing services within a fast-paced environment, where agility, innovation, data fluency and the adoption and use of new marketing technologies are the norm. To learn more about our Corporate Strategy, and Global Marketing Strategy and our consumer brand, please visit: http://strategy.destinationbc.ca/.
Scope of Work:
Service Areas:
- MARKETING STRATEGY
- MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Qualified Suppliers will be expected to have proven experience and capabilities to provide the following services to the extent that all or some of these are required to meet the marketing objectives of Destination British Columbia as described in the Corporate Strategy. All Respondents will be required to work collaboratively with other Destination BC marketing agencies, stakeholders, partners, suppliers and contractors.
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MARKETING STRATEGY
- Strategy Development: end-to-end marketing strategy development, including but not limited to:
o Competitive Review: researching, reviewing, and analysing competitive marketing activities;
o Opportunity Analysis: researching and evaluating market opportunities and target audiences;
o Stakeholder Consultation: gathering input and feedback from DBC leadership and/or external industry partners;
o Tactical recommendations: development of tactical plan to deliver on strategy.
- Marketing and Campaign Planning: planning, implementing, monitoring, optimizing and evaluating niche, small and large integrated marketing programs and advertising campaigns (all media types) including but not limited to writing and presenting marketing strategies and plans for specific programs, writing and presenting agency marketing briefs to internal and external stakeholders and agencies, managing internal/external stakeholders including the marketing agency;
- Media planning: providing strategic oversight to integrated media planning activities including owned, earned, and paid (traditional/offline, digital and social media).
- Project management: providing oversight for the following types of projects, including but not limited to: market research, procurement of marketing sub-contractors, procurement and management of marketing technology projects.
- Focus on Results: Collaborating with Destination BC and its partners to achieve Destination BC’s marketing objectives as outline in its Corporate Strategy.
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MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
- Project management: provide project management for marketing activities including but not limited to:
o advertising campaigns (production management, performance management, agency management, budget management, stakeholder relations);
o advertising asset production related to campaigns (e.g., digital display, video, paid social, native, OOH, TV, print, etc.);
o marketing communications/creative asset development (e.g., TIC videos, web pages/forms, content updates, email creative);
o brand asset planning and production (e.g., photo/video shoots) and brand development projects
o content marketing projects, including content partnerships and social media;
o traditional/non-traditional partnership commitments;
o corporate communications/public relations; and
o managing internal/external stakeholders including the marketing agency.
Due Date:
February 16, 2018
Address:
Destination British Columbia
12th Floor – 510 Burrard Street
Vancouver BC V6C 3A8