The Washington State, Bates Technical College, hereafter referred to as “AGENCY,” is requesting proposals from advertising and marketing contractors or agencies to provide marketing, digital advertising, and graphic design services. This Request for Proposal (RFP) outlines basic requirements for services to be provided. The college is the client and makes no guarantee as to the number and size of projects which may be awarded under this proposal. The Agency may elect to use in-house services and resources for all or part of any project. The Agency’s Communication and Marketing team will be the agency’s point of contact throughout the contract and will coordinate the professional services required of the agency/firm. The term for the agreement will be one (1) year with an option to renew for two (3) additional one-year terms if mutually agreed upon by the college and agency/firm. The purpose of this RFP is to provide a fair evaluation for all candidates and to provide the candidates with the evaluation criteria and submission requirements. AGENCY intends to award one contract(s) to provide the services described in this RFP.
Background:
Bates Technical College annually serves approximately 3,000 career training students and 10,000 more community members on three campuses in programs such as Continuing Education, Child Studies, High School, General Education and Basic Studies, and others. A leader in hands-on learning, Bates’ classroom settings mirror the workplace, providing students with opportunities to practice and develop skills to levels required for successful employment. Bates offers two-year associate of applied science degrees, certificates of competency, certificates of training, industry certifications and, in specific programs, prepares students for the achievement of state licensure. The college maintains articulation degrees with several four-year universities, making some of the college’s two-year degrees transferable.
Scope of Work:
The AGENCY is seeking a digital advertising and/or marketing contractor or agency to:
• Strengthen the competitive position of Bates Technical College relative to the other colleges with whom the college competes for prospective students.
• Increase enrollment, including from diverse communities, and increase awareness of the college’s offerings.
• Support recruitment and retention efforts and build community awareness perception affinity.
Professional Services (will include the following but are not limited to):
• Strategy, market research, and analysis
• Advertising: conception, planning, design, development, production, and evaluation
• Media buying, placement, and monitoring/ tracking, and digital campaign management services
The AGENCY primarily focuses on advertising fall, winter, spring, and summer registration.
Target markets
1. High school students seeking/parents of high school students:
a. Transfer to a four-year university to obtain a bachelor’s degree
b. Degree and/or certificate for a trade or occupation
2. Online learners:
a. Students who wish to complete their degree completely online.
3. Adult learners seeking:
a. New career opportunities or switching careers
b. Upskilling or advancing a career c. Adult basic education/GED prep d. Personal enrichment for themselves (seniors) or their children
4. Businesses seeking training for their employees
5. Opinion leaders and community pillars who can: a. Advocate for college initiatives b. Support for college development
How the AGENCY currently gets its message across:
Digital and non-digital marketing and advertising:
• SEM (search engine marketing)
• Social media channels/social media marketing and optimization
• Display advertising on mobile devices, DMAP/Geotargeting
• Digital media advertising
The selected contractor would be expected to:
• Collaborate with the AGENCY’S Communication and Marketing team to develop an integrated marketing plan to position the college as a first choice college for target audiences and as an educational leader in the region.
• Be easily accessible for meetings or campus visits.
• Analyze demographic data to determine primary, secondary, and tertiary marketing targets for purposes of recruiting students who will apply and register for courses at Bates Technical College.
• Identify unique and innovative ways to reach target audiences in an effective way.
• Develop an advertising placement/purchasing strategy for contract period that is designed primarily to recruit students and secondarily to enhance the reputation of Bates Technical College. Said strategy can include, but is not limited to, a combination of traditional and non-traditional channels. Said strategy should include a detailed calendar of media placements and data compilations and be built around the College’s four enrollment periods and ongoing recruitment efforts.
• Negotiate competitive rates to maximize effectiveness of placements.
• Provide detailed written specifications of all media buys and media placement recommendations to the college for approval prior to placing any media buy.
• Purchase media on behalf of the college during the contract period.
• Assist in, or solely develop creative designs based on strategic plan goals.
• Brand promise clarification and effective communication of coordinated, consistent brand execution messages.
• Provide ongoing return on investment information that specifically demonstrates the effectiveness of every facet of the ad strategy. The ROI data should be provided regularly in an easy-to-understand, easy-to-access manner (i.e. dashboard concept or report form) and include comparisons to industry standards/expectations in each medium.
this Request for Proposals in Braille or on tape.
Due Date:
June 13
Address:
1101 South Yakima Avenue Building C103 – Shipping and Receiving Tacoma, WA 98405
Agencies worth considering include Alison Brod PR and W2O group.