This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by Bi-State Development (BSD) to provide professional counsel, marketing & strategic planning services from a full-service marketing and creative agency to assist in the development and implementation of marketing activities for Bi-State Development and its enterprises.
Scope of Work:
Bi-State Development is searching for a full-service marketing and creative agency that will assist in the development and implementation of marketing activities for Bi-State Development and enterprises. Enterprises included in this scope of work are Metro Transit, St. Louis Downtown Airport, and the St. Louis Regional Freightway.
o Bi-State Development (BSD), the parent organization, is a dynamic and multi-faceted resource for growing economic development in the St. Louis region. With deep expertise in planning and implementation, BSD is uniquely empowered to provide real solutions to regional challenges with a model of efficiency and accountability. More information is available at BiStateDev.org.
o Metro Transit operates the St. Louis region’s public transportation system which includes 400 cleanburning diesel buses that serve 68 MetroBus routes in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Metro also operates MetroLink light rail vehicles on 46 miles of track serving 38 stations in the two-state area, and operates Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans. More information is available at MetroStLouis.org.
o St. Louis Downtown Airport is the third busiest airport in Illinois and is conveniently located approximately three miles from the Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis. Professional sports teams, political and business leaders, entertainers, and hundreds of general aviation pilots fly in and out of the airport, generating as many as 8,500 takeoffs and landings a month, with planes ranging in size from Boeing 737 charter flights to personal ultralight airplanes. St. Louis Downtown Airport is home to 26 businesses, including Jet Aviation, an international aircraft maintenance and services company that operates on 60 acres of airport property. The airport generates more than 3,700 jobs for the region and provides a regional economic impact of $584 million.
o St. Louis Regional Freightway: Bi-State Development’s newest enterprise was created as a publicprivate partnership to optimize the region’s freight transportation network. Its goal is to produce results that strengthen the St. Louis region by increasing job growth and improving the local economy. The cooperative effort will determine how the region manages the movement of freight on the roads, rails, rivers, airports, and pipelines. Public and private partnerships will be developed in order to create the foundation for planning, marketing, and advocacy of the bi-state region as a premier freight hub. It is estimated the freightway partnership will support 230,000 jobs.
1. Brand Management Counsel, Strategic Development & Tactical Execution
o Assist with the strategic development & positioning, core target identification (through research), key messages for target audiences, visual appearance, brand personality and tone, as well as methods of measurement against specific brand and or industry KPI’s (key performance indicators) for Bi-State Development and the emerging enterprises listed above.
o When necessary development and execution of tactical elements including logos, advertising – digital, print, radio, tv, and out-of-home solutions.
2. Media Strategic Plan Development & Tactical Solutions
o Recommend media strategies and tactics pursuant to annual marketing plan, to identified brand targets as well as key messages.
o Conduct post-buy analysis including recommendations on how to improve our media mix. Media to be purchased / negotiated by Bi-State Development.
o Media mix to include best practices across industry, traditional & emerging media with a focus on growing the organization’s awareness within the media trends such as targeted digital media, paid search and web / digital advertising.
o Overall media plan (strategic message delivery plan) should also include recommendations on use of social media, direct email and geo-targeted messaging.
o Responsibilities included on-going management of direct marketing activities and making recommendations for refinement / improvement.
3. Support Sales Team with Relevant and Effective Collateral Materials
o Propose and create relevant, targeted and effective collateral materials to be used by the various enterprise sales teams at tradeshows, industry conferences, and with local partners.
Service Overview
The selected agency will assist BSD in the development, management and production of services for specific marketing and advertising projects that include, but are not limited to, the following:
o Strategic Planning
o Brand Management / Development
o Social Media
o Collateral Design
o Web Development
o Email Marketing
o Sales Promotion
o Out of Home Advertising
o Interactive
o Broadcast and Print
o Media Planning
o Marketing Research Strategy
Awarded Contractor shall be required to attend meetings as necessary with/or at Bi-State Development, also as necessary with external/outside communication, website development, industry events and other agencies as required. It is preferred that the BSD’s main account contacts be located within the St. Louis region.
Due Date:
March 9, 2021
Address:
Bi-State Development Agency (Metro)
211 N Broadway, Ste 700
St Louis MO 63102-2595