NOVA SCOTIA ISSUES ADVERTISING RFP
The successful proponent will provide Production Coordination; Advertising Sales Management and Revenue Collection; French Translation Services; Digital Conversion of Print Publications and Graphic Design and Artwork Production for both the English and French Editions of the Doers and Dreamers Guide.
Background:
TNS conducts extensive research and works with communities, tourism businesses and organizations to enhance product and experience offerings, implement new revenue-generating strategies, and leverage marketing investments in priority markets to help build Nova Scotia’s competitiveness as a leisure travel destination and grow the province’s tourism industry.
Tourism Nova Scotia is the provincial marketing organization responsible for attracting high-spending, first-time leisure travellers to Nova Scotia. Marketing activities include consumer advertising, travel media and travel trade activity, and increasingly, digital marketing which is focused on promoting NovaScotia.com through display advertising, social media, direct email marketing, etc.
Traditional print literature continues to play an important role in marketing to potential visitors and providing visitor servicing, however the emphasis on digital as a planning and buying tool continues to grow. The Doers and Dreamers Travel Guides are produced in both English and French and continue to be the flagship promotional tourism publications for Nova Scotia. The guides are also published in digital PDF formats and are included on NovaScotia.com.
Tourism Nova Scotia is seeking a qualified proponent to provide Production Coordination; Advertising Sales Management and Revenue Collection; French Translation Services; Digital Conversion of Print Publications and Graphic Design and Artwork Production for both the English and French Editions of the Doers and Dreamers Guide.
Scope of Work:
The successful proponent will provide Production Coordination; Advertising Sales Management and Revenue Collection; French Translation Services; Digital Conversion of Print Publications and Graphic Design and Artwork Production for both the English and French Editions of the Doers and Dreamers Guide
The following section outlines the scope of work and deliverable requirements associated with this project. Proponents are requested to review these requirements in detail and consider them when preparing the RFP response. The successful proponent will provide the requirements as listed.
Project Deliverables
A. Production Services
1. Work with Tourism Nova Scotia stakeholders including industry operators and their advertising designers, the contracted printer, the department’s editor, the database manager and Tourism Nova Scotia’s advertising Agency of Record (AOR), digital agency and the client (Project Manager).
2. Publish the 2020 Doers and Dreamers Guides which will resemble the 2019 edition in basic format and production complexity, produce English and French editions concurrently (French edition is fundamentally a duplication of the English edition with minor content adjustments), and convert the printed versions of the Doers & Dreamers Guides to a digital format.
3. Deliver a high-quality digital product that will version the Doers & Dreamers Guides for NovaScotia.com and partner sites/marketing activities, including proposing new innovative strategies and/or ideas for digital publishing.
4. Complete all production work for both English and French versions in accordance with project timelines and press schedules. Typically, this will be due in January (for the English version) and February (for the French version) of each year, but dates are dependent on press availability with the printer. Digital versions will be complete by March 31st of each year.
5. Remit ad revenues and applicable sales taxes collected to Tourism Nova Scotia by March 31 of each year.
6. All project deliverables are to be presented to the identified Project Sponsors for review, approval and acceptance. TNS has final approval regarding all advertising.
7. All work products are the property of TNS.
B. Submission of Advertising Revenues
· The successful proponent will assume responsibility for all advertising sales including print and digital ads, production coordination, invoicing, ad trafficking for both the Doers and Dreamers Guides and NovaScotia.com, revenue collection and budget reconciliation
· TNS expects the successful proponent to open the advertising for each edition for a minimum of eight (8) weeks, with advertising closing to potential advertisers on November 30th of the year preceding the production year (e.g., Advertising sales for the 2020 edition of the Doers and Dreamers Guide are to close on November 30, 2019).
· The successful proponent is expected to acquire a minimum of two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars ($275,000.00) in advertising sales revenue for the first edition of the guide under this agreement. For the second edition of the guide under this agreement, the successful proponent is expected to acquire a minimum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) in advertising sales revenue. In the vent that the agreement is extended for a third edition, the successful proponent is expected to acquire a minimum of three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars ($325,000.00) in advertising sales revenue.
· All advertising revenue is to be collected by the successful proponent and submitted to Tourism Nova Scotia on a bi-weekly basis, including a detailed accounting slip indicating net ad price paid, all applicable taxes, and total paid in separate columns. All revenue is to be submitted no later than March 31st of each year. Payment by operators is to be made out, in cheque, money order or certified bank draft form to “Tourism Nova Scotia”.
Experience and Qualifications
The Successful proponent should have:
o Extensive experience in cross-selling advertising across multiple platforms and custom publishing project management.
o Experience and familiarity with ad design for print, publication layout and conversion of traditional print media to digital properties.
Due Date:
July 16, 2019
Address:
Procurement – Department of Internal Services,
5161 George Street, Suite 600, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1M7
Strong tourism PR agencies include Hunter PR and Ronn Torossian’s 5WPR.
