MARKETING RFP ISSUED BY PALM BEACH STATE COLLEGE
DUE DATE: Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 2:00 PM (EST)
2 INTRODUCTION
This Request for Qualifications (Solicitation) is to review responsesfrom advertising, marketing & event firms to select one or more firms to provide marketing & event related services for Palm Beach State College (College) under a Professional Services Agreement as authorized by the Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees (College).
These advertising, marketing & event related services are to include, but are not limited to, digital advertising, enrollment marketing, branding, market research, marketing strategy, search engine optimization, social media, graphic design, animation, video production, public relations, community engagement, and outreach, public education, event planning & support and other activities impacting Palm Beach State College and its students, on an as-needed basis.
It is the intention of the College to develop a list of pre-qualified vendors who will provide services under the awarded Contract for Advertising, Marketing & Event Services. Qualified proposers meeting the evaluation criteria of this solicitation may receive an award for one or more categories under the contract.
This is a full-service contract that is grouped into eight (8) categories that represent the broad service needs of the College in the Advertising, Marketing, and Event Services area. The eight (8) categories covered under this solicitation
include:
• Category A – Market Research, Strategy Development & Analytics
• Category B – Branding & Creative Services
• Category C – Campaign Execution
• Category D – Audio / Visual Production
• Category E – Media & Public Relations Services
• Category F – Engagement Marketing Services and Community Engagement & Outreach
• Category G – Voiceover Talent Services
• Category H – Event Planning & Event Support Services
An emphasis will be placed on selecting vendor/s who will work closely with the College to develop an integrated marketing plan to position Palm Beach State College (PBSC) as the college of choice for prospective students, including traditional high school graduates, adult learners, career changers, and military and veteran students. The emphasis will be on promoting PBSC’s innovative teaching and learning environment, and new and expanded academic and vocational programs, along with its caring community, technology-rich resources, student support services, numerous student clubs and activities, and career-focused pathways.
Goals include:
• Attracting new students
• Retaining students
• Providing access to customizable options for enrolling
• Increasing the number of students who enroll and complete degree and certificate programs.
• Celebrating the quality of academic offerings and teaching faculty
• Spreading awareness of successful outcomes of students, alumni, and community/business collaborations.
2.0 SCOPE OF WORK/SERVICES
2.1 ANTICIPATED SCOPE OF SERVICES
It is the intent of this solicitation to identify and make available to the College, vendors capable of providing Market Research, Strategy & Analytics; Branding & Creative Services; Campaign Execution; Audio Visual Production; Media & Public Relations; and Engagement Marketing Services and Community Engagement & Outreach, Event Planning & Support services through the Office of Communications & Public Affairs (OCPA) on behalf of multiple College departments, on an as-needed basis.
The Office of Communications & Public Affairs (OCPA) collaborates with college departments on messaging strategies to increase public awareness and access to College services, programs, and initiatives. OCPA serves as the in-house marketing agency supporting the College’s strategic goals and objectives as well as an overall branding strategy.
OCPA’s functional units include:
• Creative and Branding Services
• Account/Project Management
• Digital Communications Services
• Digital Media Services
OCPA engages agency partners to provide both consulting and actual execution activities that support the College’s strategic and overall branding goals and provide project-based services for various departments and agencies. Agencies may work under the guidance of OCPA or directly with the College marketing leads, with OCPA functioning in an advisory and/or contract compliance capacity. OCPA is seeking agency partners with a proven track record of providing innovative digital and traditional communication strategies, data-driven customer and user experience recommendations, and roadmaps, as well as developing and executing all aspects of public education and civic engagement campaigns, among other capabilities.
2.2 SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED
Services may include, but not be limited to, the following:
Category A – Market Research, Strategy Development & Analytics
1. Develop project/campaign marketing communications strategy.
2. Development of media plans and marketing toolkits reflective of the key metrics and messages, target audience, and creative direction.
3. Database Marketing
4. Develop comprehensive SEO (search engine optimization strategies)
5. Develop and implement innovative marketing strategies.
6. Marketing Data Analysis including:
• Establishing campaign benchmarks
• Performing marketing measurement and optimization activities
• Performing pre- and post-campaign reporting, including data visualizations and dashboards that integrate and aggregate marketing data.
• Performing advanced analytics and data science functions
• Developing governance and infrastructure policy
7. Design and implement customer survey research initiatives and deliver customer insights.
8. Track trends and perform quantitative research to determine communications effectiveness.
9. Recommend new opportunities and developments in media consumption.
Category B – Branding & Creative Services
1. Brand Development
• Creative concepts aligned to marketing strategy and goals.
• Style Guide
2. Writing creative briefs
3. Designing content and graphical elements per project
4. Developing creative campaigns to include creative concept development; creative design; copywriting; video production; graphical design, resizing and layout; creative revisions, etc.
5. Creating multimedia presentations
6. Providing project management activities including developing requirements; identifying resources; developing project plans; documenting workflows; providing status updates; identifying risks, etc.
7. Rendering native files into usable formats for digital or broadcast purposes.
Category C – Campaign Execution
1. Creative campaign development to include creative concept development; storyboarding; creative design; copywriting, video production; graphical design and resizing; layout, creative revisions, etc.
2. Developing content as needed per media plan:
• Copywriting: print, radio, TV, web, outdoor, and social media
• Content translations: Ability to provide work samples in multiple languages including but not limited to English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole
3. Graphic design as needed per media plan requirements.
4. Print and production of campaign collateral.
5. Media plan recommendations reflective of audience research, key metrics; messages, target audiences, recommended budget; timetable, and creative process.
6. Development and execution of multi-media advertising plans (both paid and earned)
7. Development of marketing collateral
8. Media placement recommendations (but not placement)
9. Creation of data visualizations and dashboards that integrate live data from various relevant sources, including Google Analytics, Google Ads, and others.
10. Social Media Management / Campaign Execution
• Development and execution of social media strategy
• Development of content calendar
• Development of strategy and tactics for reputation management and crisis communications plans
• Creation of content including, but not limited to, copywriting, storytelling, original photography, selection of stock photography, graphic design, animated gifs, and video production.
• Social media engagement through various platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch.
• Monitor and respond to relevant posts.
• Influencer engagement planning
• Development of social media campaigns to increase the presence of College departments.
• Pre-campaign, ongoing and post-campaign reporting on key analytics including, but not limited to, URL clicks, follower growth, and engagement statistics (i.e., shares, mentions, likes, hashtag uses, sentiment analysis, and contest results).
11. Provide data-driven recommendations for campaign optimization and message revisions as needed throughout the campaign.
Category D – Audio / Visual Production
1. Photography and Video Services to include photography of people, products, and events, as well as photo editing and video production and editing.
2. Pre-production Services:
• Creating concept boards or storyboards
• Script / Content writing
• Find and secure location(s) – obtain any permits and clearances.
• Secure Talent – Advertise for on-camera talent and audition talent and choose an actor/actress.
• Audition voiceover talent
• Line-up extras
• Secure makeup artist
• Determine equipment needs and obtain equipment.
• Assign crew and schedule shoot.
• Furnishing props/costumes
• Rehearsal/Blocking: Run through action, timing it and determining where extras will be placed and what they will do.
• Creation of a shooting plan
3. Production services
• Shoot video.
• Design and incorporate graphic design, as necessary.
• Record voiceovers
• Log and transcribe videos.
• Produce commercials.
4. Post-Production Services
• Coordinate and secure music licenses through clearinghouses
• Captions and subtitles
• Post-Production editing and graphic services, as necessary, including but not limited to animation, special effects, etc.
5. Delivering at least two (2) edits and the final cut via a cloud-based file transfer utility.
Category E – Media & Public Relations Services
1. Media plan recommendations reflective of the key metrics and messages, target audience, timetable, and creative direction.
2. Building positive sentiment from various audiences through earned media (news coverage)
3. Development and execution of earned media through multiple channels.
4. Providing reports that convert earned media coverage into its advertising value equivalent based on current rates as well as ROI reports.
5. Public relations plan for earned media that includes the use of multiple communication channels based on strategic direction and marketing plan.
Category F – Engagement Marketing Services and Community Engagement & Outreach
1. Develop Public Involvement Plans that will achieve effective community awareness.
2. Suggest and implement community-based partnerships, engagement initiatives, online and offline engagement tools, and strategic alliances to enhance brand awareness through customer experience.
3. Develop strategy, plan and execute engagement marketing to either enhance or complement active marketing campaigns or communication efforts in order to drive engagement.
4. Conduct field assessments for capital projects and identify potential impacts to stakeholders.
5. Develop and maintain stakeholder database of target audience or residents impacted by College projects including but not limited to homeowners, businesses and schools affected by design and construction.
6. Plan, organize and attend special events and meetings, whether public or not, to include briefings with affected parties throughout any or all project phases, as necessary.
7. Develop and execute creative community engagement projects through tactics including, but not limited to, guerilla marketing, event activations, and community contests.
8. Engage the community through guerilla marketing tactics, and event activations.
9. Disseminate collateral materials to the public regarding projects (capital or other) that impact the community.
10. Provide project updates to community, as needed.
Category G – Voiceover Talent Services
1. Provide male and female voiceover talent in multiple languages including but not limited to English, Spanish and Haitian Creole for the College’s evaluation and selection.
2. Record the voiceover at the Contractor’s studio and provide to the College with an MP3 file or acceptable format via email and/or file transfer utility.
3. Furnish all labor, equipment and supervision necessary to provide professional voiceover services.
4. Provide a re-read of the script within 48 hours at the College’s request.
5. Correspond via email and respond to requests by the College within 48 hours.
6. Provide professional voiceover service to the College in multiple languages including but not limited to English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, on an as needed basis, for spots varying in length including: 15, 30, 60 seconds and program length scripts.
Group H – Event Planning & Event Support Services
1. Event Planning- Includes, but is not limited to: To Create, organize and supervise all aspects of an event such as, but
not limited to ribbon-cutting events, public facility tours, press conferences, staff/employee recognition activities, fundraising events, open house events, construction-related events (i.e., ground breaking ceremonies), hosted industry conferences, etc. Event planning includes budgeting, establishing dates and alternate dates, selecting and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, and coordinating transportation and parking. Event planning also includes some or all of the following, depending on the event: developing a theme or motif for the event, arranging for speakers and alternate speakers, coordinating location support (such as electricity and other utilities), arranging decor, tables, chairs, tents, event support and security, catering, police, fire, portable toilets, parking, signage, emergency plans, and cleanup.
2. Event Support- Includes but is not limited to: Relates to service assistance (support) once all functional elements of a scheduled event have been established and/or a site has been secured. Included in part or in total would be: graphic design, back-drop graphic imprinted signs or panels, onsite support personnel for registration, surveys, workshop facilitators but not presenters, greeters, and other services that are ancillary to the successful event outcome.
2.3 CAMPUSES/LOCATIONS SERVED
The College currently has facilities in the following locations:
• Lake Worth
• Boca Raton
• Palm Beach Gardens
• Belle Glade
• Loxahatchee Groves
• Count and Countess DeHoernle Historic Building – West Palm Beach
The selected firms may be required to work under the direction of the Office of Communications & Public Affairs (OCPA) at any location, as needed.
