Fairfax County Economic Development Authority Issues Marketing RFP
The objective of this RFP is to enter into a contract with a firm or firms that will offer a unique and novel combination of branding, market research, marketing communications services and metrics to promote Fairfax County as an innovative business and technology center for companies and employees. This campaign will be the basis of an initiative to attract and retain talent that companies need to start, grow and succeed. Cutting-edge approaches for marketing to millennial and Generation Z workers of all backgrounds, especially those interested in high-demand technology fields, will be required. These approaches must apply creative, out-of-the-box, non-traditional strategies and tactics that will get the attention of the target audiences and position Fairfax County as an innovative technology center in the center of the exciting Washington, D.C., region.
Traditional economic development marketing has targeted C-level executives who make site location decisions. We will continue to do that, but attracting and retaining talent is a critical issue now, especially for technology hubs such as Fairfax County, and so talent-focused approaches must take precedence. This will be done to support the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) mission to attract and retain businesses, attract and retain employees, create job opportunities for county residents, and build the commercial tax base that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors uses to fund high-quality public services.
Background:
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority helps businesses — of all sizes, from diverse backgrounds and from all over the world — thrive with market intelligence, site selection assistance and business investment services. We also are a liaison to our county and state governments. And we offer these services free of charge. Contact us. From here, you can create a world of change.
Scope of Work:
The purpose of this RFP is to obtain the services of a bidder or bidders to perform the following services:
a. Conduct market research on millennial and Gen Z workers, especially ages 25 to 35, in Fairfax County and nationally to understand what factors are important in their decisions on where to work and live. We are primarily looking for qualitative and quantitative primary research; focus groups and surveys, for example. The research must be tailored to include millennial and Gen Z workers of diverse backgrounds and those from historically underemployed and disadvantaged communities.
b. Use the research findings to develop and execute a branding strategy and a marketing communications program that promotes Fairfax County as a dynamic location that is the business center of Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area.
The branding strategy must result in a visually recognizable, strong, genuine, memorable and consistent brand for Fairfax County that positions it as a place where great companies do great things and is a great place to thrive in a career.
The marketing communications component of this talent attraction and retention initiative must include an innovative and comprehensive mix of strategies and tactics that raise awareness of Fairfax County as a community filled with employers that are doing interesting work that is changing their industries – and doing it in the Washington, D.C., region that is one of the most exciting places in the world to live and work.
Target audiences of this initiative will be millennials and members of Generation Z, especially those interested in high-demand technical and professional services occupations. Targets of the attraction and retention program will include workers of all backgrounds from markets outside the Washington area, those who grew up in Northern Virginia and the Washington area and who are looking for a job after graduating from college, new-collar workers seeking employment in technology fields, and workers in historically underemployed and disadvantaged communities.
Another target will be C-level executives who make location decisions for their businesses.
Strategies and tactics, developed in conjunction with designated FCEDA representatives and others as approved by the FCEDA, must be unique and grab the attention of the target audiences. This campaign will be unprecedented in the United States.
Cutting-edge approaches for marketing to millennial and Generation Z workers of all backgrounds, especially those interested in high-demand technology fields, will be required. These approaches must apply creative, out-of-the-box, non-traditional strategies, tactics and technologies that will get the attention of the target audience and position Fairfax County as an innovative technology center in the center of the exciting Washington, D.C., region.
The campaign should be designed to leverage and be coordinated with current branding campaigns for Fairfax County, companies in Fairfax County, and/or institutions of higher learning in the county.
This program must be designed to be used in Fairfax County and the Washington, D.C., area, in the United States and in the FCEDA’s key markets around the world.
c. Develop and execute a national media relations program that promotes Fairfax County as a great business location and a great place to work. This program should also promote the FCEDA President and CEO to a regional and national audience as an authoritative resource on the importance of talent attraction and retention strategies for communities that want to build their economies.
d. Recommend innovative, defined and measurable metrics for the marketing communications and media relations programs to show their effectiveness. Analyze regularly the effectiveness of the program, and make recommendations to the FCEDA regarding subsequent strategies and tactics.
Due Date:
October 4, 2019
Address:
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, 8300 Boone Boulevard, Suite 450, Tysons, Virginia 22182
Firms worth considering for this assignment include APCO Worldwide and MWWPR.
