Purpose:
This Request for Bids (RFB) is designed to solicit price quotations and/or bids from qualified service providers for the purpose of digital marketing assistance to recruit, retain and reactivate anglers in Minnesota.
RBFF Contact Person:
Name: Joanne Martonik
Title: Senior Manager, Stakeholder Marketing & Communications
Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation
500 Montgomery Street, Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
E-mail: jmartonik@rbff.org
Closing Date and Time: Friday, August 2, 2024, 5:00 PM ET
Background
Our Mission & Funding:
RBFF is an independent, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational fishing and boating and thereby increase public awareness and appreciation of the need for protecting, conserving, and restoring this nation’s aquatic natural resources.
In recent years, a shared concern has emerged in the boating, fishing and conservation communities.
Participation in recreational boating and fishing is changing, and in some cases declining. Projections of demographic trends indicate that in the next 25 years significant population growth will only be occurring among groups who have not traditionally been as involved with boating and fishing.
Furthermore, current fishing and boating participant demographics reflect a population most likely to age out of the sport within the next few years. This signifies obvious economic impacts in both private and public sectors, with additional considerations in the areas of aquatic resource stewardship.
RBFF’s challenge is to maintain and increase participation among those groups where fishing and boating have always played an important role, while diversifying to include a wider representation including youth, Hispanic/Latino and outdoor enthusiasts not currently active in boating and fishing.
RBFF’s funding is administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The original source of the funds, the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, is comprised of excise taxes paid by manufacturers of fishing tackle and a consumer tax on motorboat fuel.
Our Audiences
RBFF’s mission can best – and arguably only – be accomplished through successful collaboration and partnership with stakeholders. In doing so, RBFF intends to build ownership of its efforts, and outcomes, among a broad array of key stakeholder groups. RBFF’s direct to consumer outreach to educate and motivate consumers to participate in fishing and boating focuses on key core and growth target audiences based on prior segmentation analysis:
• Growth: Multicultural Family Outdoors audience which includes families with young children (ages 6-17) who are new to boating and fishing. Largest segment with huge opportunity. RBFF focuses most of media efforts on this segment currently.
• Core: Outdoor enthusiasts (avid outdoorsmen/women) & affable adventurers (outdoorsy, adventure seeking); have tried fishing and boating.
• Occasional boaters and anglers who may also have lapsed in participation.
• Avid boaters and anglers
Primary stakeholder groups include:
• Fishing and boating industry (manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers);
• State and federal natural resource agency personnel (aquatic education, license sales and marketing, fisheries management, parks/access site management, communications and information management);
• Non-governmental advocacy or public interest groups such as:
o Conservation organizations
o Boating and fishing organizations
o Safety organizations
o Media and outdoor communications groups
Our Campaigns:
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns to create awareness around boating, fishing and conservation, and educate people about the benefits of participation. Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar help boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign websites, TakeMeFishing.org, and VamosAPescar.org, feature how-to videos, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-bystate map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots. For more information about RBFF and its Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ brand campaigns, please visit www.takemefishing.org/corporate.
Purpose:
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has entered into an agreement with the MN Department of Natural Resources to create a co-branded digital marketing campaign. RBFF seeks a marketing agency to create, execute and evaluate a media plan to recruit, retain, and reactivate anglers and boaters.
The plan should include a recommendation of target audiences, media mix and costs, and potential impressions, clicks and/or other metrics.
Most of the creative is already finished and ready to be used but some creative design work may be needed.
The Agreement between RBFF and MN Department of Natural Resources includes the following:
The Grantee (RBFF), who is not a state employee, will:
2.1.Comply with required grants management policies and procedures set forth through Minn.Stat.§16B.97, Subd. 4 (a) (1).
2.2.Provide data-backed campaign messages and ad creative to reach women, girls and families in Minnesota and encourage them to fish.
2.3.Provide guidance and insights to recommend marketing strategies in conjunction with the State.
All decisions, tactics, messages, images and platforms must be approved by the State.
2.4.Contract with external marketing vendors to execute ads after State and Grantee have agreed upon campaign details.
2.5.Collaborate with State marketing coordinator, State designers or external design agencies to create necessary creative assets. State and Grantee to review all assets before go-live.
2.5.1. Assets may be co-branded with State and “Take Me Fishing” logos OR only DNR logo to A/B test creative performance of multiple logos vs. one logo.
2.6.Contribute $10,000 toward a marketing campaign in summer/fall 2024 to determine best performing message and creative in Minnesota.
The State shall:
2.7.Draft campaign messages that utilize Grantee’s “Find your best self” campaign research and make it relevant to Minnesota audiences. Grantee to review messages before go-live.
2.8.Provide guidance and insights to recommend marketing strategies in conjunction with the Grantee. All decisions, tactics, messages, images and platforms must be agreed upon by State and Grantee.
2.9.Collaborate with external marketing agency to approve campaign plan, budget breakdown, tactics and ad placements.
2.10. Collaborate with internal designers, Grantee, or external design agencies to create necessary creative assets. State and Grantee to review all assets before go-live.
2.11. Contribute $10,000 toward a test marketing campaign in summer/fall 2024 to determine best performing message and creative in Minnesota.