Florida State College at Jacksonville (College) Issues an RFP for Public Relations, Branding, & Marketing

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The specific assignment is to find an agency that can partner with the College to provide Brand Refresh Research & Development and related services.

Florida State College at Jacksonville {FSCJ) is a public, non-profit higher education institution that offers a variety of programs and services to meet the education and training needs of more than 50,000 students per year. In academic year 2013-2014, FSCJ was 8th in the nation for the number of associate degrees awarded among public, two- and four-year institutions.

Convenient and Affordable:

FSCJ has five campuses and six centers throughout Duval and Nassau counties including online classes globally accessed through our Open Campus.

Academic Programs and Courses:

Built upon a steep history of effectively serving Duval and Nassau counties, FSCJ continues to expand its academic offerings to include 13 bachelor’s degrees, 45 associate degrees and more than 100 technical and workforce certificates. FSCJ also offers non-credit continuing education, professional certifications and industry certifications that can provide career advancement opportunities through advanced certifications, increased knowledge and enhanced skillsets.

Project Overview:

The College objective is to seek a vendor partner that will assist in a brand refresh research and development study focusing primarily on new-student enrollment, returning students, campus engagement, and other external communications. The study would be based on external market research, an assessment of academic and co-curricular programs, and attitudes of campus constituents and alumni.

Statement of Need:

The College must develop a coherent, integrated marketing program, built around and utilizing a broad range of communication platforms (traditional and digital media), to increase brand awareness, secure a stable and consistent enrollment, and enhance campus engagement.  The goal of said assignment is to enhance perceptions within target markets and campus constituents, determine key differentiators and positioning within the current competitive environment, and highlight FSCJ as an institution committed to excellence.

New positioning will be developed that will align key messaging and marketing activities that will ensure that prospective students receive consistent, relevant, compelling messages from the College at the optimum times during the college decision process. In addition, this positioning will be utilized to develop the most effective communications, touch points, and brand attributes that can be used to focus the College as an institution that creates valued and lasting relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the greater community over  time.

Scope of Work:

Conduct a brand audit to help FSCJ assess perception and awareness levels to define and measure brand. This study will be used to assess perceptions about FSCJ in terms of institutional  quality,  marketing, and   recruitment   strategies  and  competitor   institutions .

  • Perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities, Threats} Analysis of FSCJ’s marketing program and identify areas of improvement and growth.
  • Provide a cursory assessment of FSCJ’s competitive institutions (lists will be provided} with regard to marketing strengths and weaknesses.

The goal of this contract would be to gauge institutional brand strength among the following constituencies:

  • Community/business leaders;
  • Prospective  high school students  within and  outside of  Florida;
  • High school guidance  counselors and community  college liaisons;
  • Parents of prospective high school students;
  • Transfer students;
  • Admitted students who did not enroll;
  • Non-traditional and adult students;
  • Current students;
  • FSCJ faculty/staff;
  • Alumni, both recent and long-term

Immediate Priorities:

  • Research – Clearly articulate competitive set, and identify the key attributes that sets FSCJ apart from its competition.
  • Brand Awareness – Ensure target markets know Florida State College at Jacksonville, and have top of mind awareness
  • Enrollment – Achieve a consistent number of first year, transfer and returning students, in alignment with the College’s enrollment goals.
  • Messaging – Create a set of key messages and brand attributes that can easily be shared with current and prospective students.

The desired vendor partner will conduct market research to:

  1. evaluate awareness and perceptions among prospective students and influencers;
  2. assess  FSCJ’s competitive  position with  regard to student  recruitment;
  3. evaluate current student/faculty/staff  attitudes and  perceptions;

Based on the research findings and agreed-upon goals, the vendor will develop comprehensive brand refresh elements that clearly identify the appeal and differentiates the value that FSCJ provides to its stakeholders.

Marketing Plan:

The vendor will develop a marketing plan, including resource allocation recommendations that will drive brand awareness and enrollment. The development of the plan will include an audit of existing marketing activities and messages, in both traditional and digital media. This information will serve as a foundation for making the best decisions at all levels of planning, strategy and execution.

Implementation:

The vendor will partner with FSCJ, advising on and/or implementing the marketing plan objectives. Preference will be given to firms that can provide writing, design, production, and other assistance, in a wide variety of admissions materials and communications media, in the implementation of the plan. The selected partner will also provide regular reports related to external marketing activities.

Proposal due by October 21st, 2016 to:

SEALED RFP #2017-17

Randi Brokvist

Executive Director of Purchasing

Florida State College at Jacksonville

501 West State Street, Room 305

Jacksonville, FL 32202-4068

Major PR firms with a presence in Florida include Finn Partners & Zimmerman Agency.

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