This solicitation is for services to assist the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and its partners in the development of a year-long statewide impaired driving campaign. This public awareness campaign will combine all previous TxDOT impaired driving campaigns which include the following:
1.1. Football Season-November through February
1.2. Christmas/New Year Holiday Season-December;
1.3. College and Young Adult; Spring Break & College Safety Programs
1.4. Spring Holidays; April – May – Social Media Only
1.5. Faces of Drunk Driving- June & July (July 4th holiday focus)
1.6. Labor Day Impaired Driving Mobilization-August & September
This campaign will consist of a single integrated campaign that will utilize a single slogan, with multiple outreach period flights to address each of the above areas.
Background:
TxDOT has launched a campaign that continues to focus on impaired driving; most of which has been centered on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) time frames and/or holidays. TxDOT will continue to include all the above campaigns under the umbrella of the Statewide Impaired Driving Campaign that will be comprised of multiple flight dates. Football Season Impaired Driving Campaign – Alcohol-related traffic crashes in Texas are alarmingly high during football season. To continue addressing this serious issue TxDOT developed the Football Season Impaired Driving Campaign to encourage fans to always have a game plan for a sober ride before kickoff. The campaign aims to reduce the number of DWI-related traffic crashes occurring on football game days when a Texas college or professional team is playing. Football is a huge part of Texas culture and TxDOT wants to encourage fans to enjoy the big games, but to be responsible when it comes to game-day drinking.
Christmas and New Year’s Campaign – Christmas and New Year’s holiday season is usually one of the happiest times of the year. But unfortunately, it is also a time when we see an increase in impaired driving crashes – not only in Texas, but in other states as well. For this reason, the NHTSA made federal grants available to qualifying states for a holiday impaired driving prevention campaign and public education media messages, along with law enforcement partnerships and mobilizations. TxDOT has traditionally started paid media the first week in December and maintained an active presence until New Year’s Day. The enforcement mobilization usually runs the last two weeks in December up to New Year’s Day. During the 2017 holiday season time period (holiday season time period is defined as Dec. 1, 2017 – Jan. 1, 2018), there were 2,469 alcohol related traffic crashes in Texas, resulting in 96 fatalities and 202 serious injuries. This is a 4 percent increase in alcohol related traffic crashes in Texas during the holiday season time period compared to the previous year (2016). This is a 3 percent decrease in alcohol related traffic crash fatalities in Texas during the holiday season time period compared to the previous year (2016). During the 2017 holiday season time period, 5 percent of total traffic crashes in Texas were alcohol related and 28 percent of total crash fatalities were alcohol related. During the New Year’s holiday time period for 2017 (holiday time period is defined as 6:00 p.m., Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, to 11:59 p.m., Monday, Jan. 1, 2018), there were 3,982 traffic crashes in Texas during the New Year’s holiday time period, resulting in 37 fatalities and 123 serious injuries. A decrease in fatalities is encouraging but there is still a lot of work to be done. TxDOT works to educate the public by encouraging partiers to plan ahead for how they will get a safe ride home, and has partnered with the National Safety Council to reach employers who plan to serve alcohol at company holiday parties – asking them to educate their employees and to create designated driver programs. College & Young Adult, Spring Break Impaired Driving Campaign – Because Texas sees an increase in the number of impaired driving crashes during the spring break period, TxDOT created the College & Young Adult Campaign to combat this issue. This campaign is directed specifically at this high-risk segment of the population, 17-34 years old. TxDOT runs paid media and participates in college and university safety programs prior to and during spring break. We also tour local spring break hot spots to engage those attending in a conversation about the dangers of drinking and driving and the need to plan ahead. Spring break usually happens in mid-March and paid media for this campaign runs for 2-3 weeks prior to and during the week of spring break. This campaign has also included an outreach effort during fall college orientation period including the distribution of educational materials to college dorms and student unions. Spring Holidays – The spring holidays (April – May), i.e., Easter, Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day, time of year is a very popular time around the state. During the 2018 spring holiday period there were 3,983 DUI -alcohol related crashes in the state of Texas resulting in 384 serious injuries and 160 fatalities. This campaign will concentrate on social media only. Faces of Drunk Driving – Drunk driving can have serious consequences, far beyond the legal and financial ones. Thousands of lives are permanently impacted each year because of someone’s decision to get behind the wheel while impaired from the effects of alcohol. The Faces of Drunk Driving public education campaign highlight the extensive human toll that drinking and driving can have and provides personal accounts from victims, families and others whose lives have been shattered. Labor Day Impaired Driving Campaign – The Labor Day holiday is another major focus for NHTSA because the Labor Day holiday is also the time for college orientation parties and end-of-summer festivities, and unfortunately these can include drinking alcohol and driving. As with Christmas, this campaign funding requires increased law enforcement mobilization. Labor Day weekend is an especially dangerous time on our roads. According to TxDOT statistics there were 328 DUI-alcohol related crashes that resulted in eight fatalities and 25 serious injuries during the 2018 Labor Day holiday period. The campaign reminds drivers and motorcyclists to avoid drinking and driving or else face severe consequences.
Scope of Work:
RESPONDENT QUALIFICATIONS: The respondent shall:
5.1. Be a company engaged in the business of providing marketing, advertising, and public relations service, which includes the development, implementation, management, execution and evaluation of statewide campaigns for a minimum of five years in the last seven years.
Due Date:
July 30
Address:
Attn: Carrie Sanford, 580 IH 45 North, Huntsville, TX 77320
Relevant agencies worth considering include Hunter PR and Magrino PR.