The North Texas Tollway Authority seeks a qualified full-service advertising agency of record to develop strategic campaigns and creative concepts designed to build brand awareness, inform opinion, motivate customer behaviors, and promote products and services. The agency must be nimble – able to meet tight deadlines and quick turnarounds while working within the guidelines of a public-sector business while delivering a return on investment (ROI) for all campaigns. Agency must be financially stable to work within the confines of billing against a purchase order.
Overall agency must be equipped to research, develop and implement creative concepts, campaigns and promotions for North Texas markets in alignment with NTTA’s strategic goals and initiatives. Propose campaign strategies that are true to the NTTA brand and provide measurable ROI. Develop comprehensive, cost-effective and creative advertising campaigns and place ads for NTTA with various media channels in the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) market. Execution includes placement, optimization, cancellations, auditing, payment to vendors and billing. Agency must produce creative elements for multiple media channels to support all campaigns, including traditional media (i.e., television, radio, and print), outdoor, online, direct mail, interactive, social media and other new or relevant media channels.
Background:
NTTA is a regional tollway authority governed by Chapter 366 of the Texas Transportation Code authorized to acquire, construct, maintain, repair, and operate turnpike projects in the North Texas region. NTTA serves its member counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant and is responsible for the NTTA System of toll roads in the region, including 360 Tollway, Dallas North Tollway, President George Bush Turnpike, Sam Rayburn Tollway, Addison Airport Toll Tunnel, Lewisville Lake Toll Bridge, Chisholm Trail Parkway and Mountain Creek Lake Bridge. NTTA is governed by a nine-member board of directors (Board) with two members appointed by each of the four NTTA member counties. A ninth member is appointed by the Governor of Texas. For more information, a list of the individuals who currently serve on the NTTA Board of Directors is provided on NTTA’s website at www.ntta.org.
NTTA’s mission is to provide a safe and reliable toll road system, increase value and mobility options for our customers, operate in a businesslike manner, protect our bondholders, and partner to meet our region’s growing need for transportation infrastructure. NTTA’s organizational values include integrity, teamwork, excellence, accountability, leadership, and transparency.
Scope of Work:
The North Texas Tollway Authority seeks a qualified full-service advertising agency of record to develop strategic campaigns and creative concepts designed to build brand awareness, inform opinion, motivate customer behaviors, and promote products and services. The agency must be nimble – able to meet tight deadlines and quick turnarounds while working within the guidelines of a public-sector business and deliver a return on investment (ROI) for all campaigns. Agency must be financially stable to work within the confines of billing against a purchase order.
Overall agency must be equipped to research, develop and implement creative concepts, campaigns and promotions for North Texas markets in alignment with NTTA’s strategic goals and initiatives. Propose campaign strategies that are true to the NTTA brand and provide measurable ROI. Develop comprehensive, cost-effective and creative advertising campaigns and place ads for NTTA with various media channels in the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) market. Execution includes placement, optimization, cancellations, auditing, payment to vendors and billing.
Agency must produce creative elements for multiple media channels to support all campaigns, including traditional media (i.e., television, radio, and print), outdoor, online, direct mail, interactive, social media and other new or relevant media channels.
RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS:
In addition, the agency must have the capability to conduct research during initial stages of strategic creative development and planning that summarizes the marketplace or business environment and gauges target market customers’ opinions or behaviors. Research and remain up-to-date on relevant marketing and advertising trends to support recommended strategies. Research and analyze the impact of campaigns and strategies against the goals and objectives when asked with the use of:
- Focus Groups and Surveys – Test messaging, new products and overall NTTA customer satisfaction.
- Trend Analysis – Provide insight into customer behavior as it relates to road usage, paying tolls and driving within DFW. Market research to support campaigns and strategies.
- Campaign Metrics – Report on campaign progress, recommend adjustments as needed and determine ROI.
A more detailed breakdown of agency requirements as it pertains to NTTA includes:
- CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
- Branding
- Campaigns designed to continue the positioning of NTTA as the toll provider of choice for DFW and the TollTag as the best way to use toll roads.
- Campaigns designed to increase transportation on NTTA toll roads using a TollTag account.
- Strategy and Tactics
- Develop unique opportunities within campaigns that result in proven ROI.
- Create on-going brand positioning through each marketing medium and encourage product adoption.
- Planning
- TollTags – Develop concepts that promote the use of TollTags resulting in increased penetration rates throughout DFW. Campaigns must be true to the NTTA brand and provide measurable ROI.
- Violation Enforcement – Promote timely payment of NTTA tolls, ramifications for nonpayment and promoting new consequences for nonpayment as they arise.
- Road Usage – Promote use of NTTA roads specifically through the use of a TollTag.
- Product Launch – Provide short-and long-term campaigns for new product launches to the DFW market. Ability to promote NTTA and its billing services within the managed lane industry while maintaining the separation from core NTTA roadways and projects.
STRATEGY AND PLANNING:
- Social Media
- Develop unique social opportunities for all campaigns that increase ROI and expands NTTA’s social platforms.
- Campaign integration – Extend campaign opportunities into paid and organic social campaigns to increase ROI, generate community engagement and expand NTTA’s social platforms.
MARKETING AND ADVERTISING:
- Creative
- Develop creative concepts and full advertising campaigns for North Texas markets on initiatives including, but not limited to, product launches, TollTags, Specialty TollTags, Tollmate, customer road use, toll customer value programs
- Production – Develop scripts, hire talent and oversee production of radio and television spots for all campaigns.
- Production – Script and produce radio and television spots for all campaigns
- TEXPress Lanes – Promote use of a TollTag to travel all TEXPress lanes throughout DFW
- Monthly, Quarterly Performance Reporting – Produce regular reports detailing timelines, production schedules and status of all creative projects, monthly planned media buys and effectiveness of campaigns and ROI.
- Develop concept, design, write and produce specialized collateral pieces, including NTTA’s Annual Report. Provide printed and online versions of collateral.
- Maps and Pamphlets – Develop maps and pamphlets outlining the NTTA toll roads, products and community awareness programs
MEDIA BUYING:
- Full Service – Develop comprehensive, cost-effective campaigns and place ads for NTTA with various media channels in DFW. Execution includes placement, optimization, cancellations, auditing, payment to vendors and billing.
Digital/banner ad placement:
o Develop strategic campaign to drive results aligned with NTTA’s annual objectives and goals
o Adapt ad campaign or create fresh concepts
o Manage re-marketing for customer acquisition and increase sales, increase customer engagement via landing page hits, click-through rates, etc.
o Alleviate/manage audience overlap of sponsorship websites for display ads
o Strategic suggestions toward achieving annual NTTA business goals
o Report weekly, monthly and quarterly with comprehensive results, customer engagement data, recommended adjustments as campaign rolls out and recommendations for next digital campaign.
Social Media Advertising:
o Mange social media creative, ad placement, management and reporting
o Focus on varying campaigns for TollTag, Tollmate, TollPerks and Specialty TollTags
o TollTag – heavy focus on area around the new 360 Tollway
o Also target PGBT, LBJ East, NTE, CTP, SRT corridors +10 miles
o Execution on campaign creative rotation, manage frequency per creative
o Manage audience overlap between campaign creatives
o Strategic suggestions toward achieving annual NTTA business goals
o Report weekly, monthly and quarterly with comprehensive results, customer engagement data, recommended adjustments as campaign rolls out and recommendations for next digital campaign.
Organic & Native Content reporting:
o Organic social reporting for KPIs
o Engagement – Positive/Neutral/Negative
o Red Thumb campaign & partner publication management
o Brand Monitoring for product mentions, hashtags, etc.
o Shared content: Red Thumb & Specialty Tags
o Reporting weekly, monthly, and quarterly
MOBILE MARKETING:
o Mobile campaigns for Tollmate across social and display
o Increase app downloads & in-app activity
o Increase app awareness, installs, usage, re-engagement
o Inclusion of deep linking
o App Store Optimization
o Monthly reporting of metrics and ROI of advertising campaign
ACCOUNT STEWARDSHIP:
- Learn the Business – Attend necessary meetings on an as-needed basis to fully comprehend NTTA’s business, operations, objectives, goals and initiatives. Mange the advertising budget and prepare monthly recap with details of spend. Remain up-to-date on relevant marketing and advertising trends, trends, news stories and changes within the tolling industry, particularly those areas that relate to NTTA.
Due Date:
June 25th
Address:
Procurement Department – Jasmine Ackbar
North Texas Tollway Authority
5900 West Plano Parkway, Suite 100
Plano, TX 75093
Edelman PR and Zeno Group are possible contenders for this assignment.