Workforce Wayne dba Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance (WPWA), a 501(c)3 Not for Profit Corporation, is seeking a qualified agency to develop a branding and marketing program as part of the Wayne Tomorrow! Dairy Today initiative. The initiative is being implemented as part of the Wayne County Agriculture Development Plan (“Agriculture Plan”) for Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
Background:
Wayne County is located in the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania within the northern Pocono Mountains. Approximately 90 miles from New York City, Wayne County is home to 51,500 residents. The County is a mix of small downtown centers, agricultural lands, open space and outdoor recreational areas. The County shares its borders with New York State to the north and east, and the Pennsylvania counties of Pike, Monroe, Lackawanna and Susquehanna to the south and west. Wayne County is not part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); our nearest urban centers are Scranton, Binghamton and the New York City/northern New Jersey metro area. There are approximately 1,450 business establishments in Wayne, and the top employment industries are Healthcare, Retail Trade, and Accommodation and Food Services. Wayne County’s general economy is struggling and has the lowest personal per capita income in the seven-county northeastern PA region. Our Per Capita Personal Income of $37,447 is 75% of the State’s average of $49,745. We have the least diversified industry profile in the region—our top three employment sectors are typically low-wage-earning industries and comprise nearly half of our total employment. We are addressing our unsustainable economic trends through Wayne Tomorrow!
Scope of Work:
The Consultant will engage with Wayne County agencies, Wayne Tomorrow! Agriculture Workgroup stakeholders, agri-businesses, educational institutions and others to implement information-gathering approaches to gain an understanding of past and current dairy and broader agricultural branding and marketing activities in Wayne County and the surrounding area; review and reference current, innovative and forward-thinking dairy and agricultural initiatives and trends in the U.S. to determine what would be appropriate for Wayne County; and draft a branding and marketing plan that contains, at a minimum, the elements found below. Existing agricultural studies and data will be made available to the Consultant, including (but not limited to):
A. Agriculture Land Use Study, Wayne County Planning Department, plus GIS data already available;
B. Wayne Tomorrow! SWOT analysis, completed in 2012 with input from different agriculture sectors (Dairy, Livestock, Equine, Vegetable and others);
C. Farms Inventory (partially complete; will be completed through local sources);
D. Wayne County Agricultural Development Plan;
E. Wayne County Dairy Processing Feasibility Study;
F. Inventory of processing facilities, resources and other agricultural infrastructure
A. Detailed project description to include specific project activities and the goal to be achieved by carrying out the proposed project activities. The project is a proposed regional dairy branding and pairing program.
Wayne County needs this regional branding and marketing program to retain and grow its dairy industry. Pairing dairy products with others made or grown locally is a critical element. The program is essential to addressing the problem of low commodity-milk prices in the market, which is driving dairy farmers out of business. Wayne County is approximately 105 miles from New York City and Philadelphia. It is within 150 miles of almost 40 million people who have higher than average incomes and spend more than average on food, both in and out of the home. A recently prepared Agriculture Economic Development Plan (funded by the Appalachia Regional Commission) suggested capitalizing on this advantage. A Dairy Processing Plant feasibility study (funded by USDA Rural Development) is currently underway for a local dairy processing facility that will manufacture dairy products specifically geared to these metropolitan and adjacent markets. Proper branding and pairing of these dairy products with other agricultural products produced in Wayne County should allow dairy farmers to realize higher prices for their milk. This is the project goal.
The project will include the following specific activities:
1. A marketing professional will be contracted to study market demand by identifying those characteristics of demand within nearby metro areas that must be addressed for a dairy branding and pairing program to be successful in effectively reaching consumers within those markets and creating brand recognition.
2. These characteristics will be used to develop a brand concept that will then be tested with metro-area consumers of dairy products.
3. Once the brand concept has been tested and refined, a logo design will be created to establish the brand identity.
4. The marketing professional will also address product pairing opportunities, key brand messaging, brand positioning, marketing of the brand and other aspects of firmly establishing the brand in the marketplace in a way that generates higher dairy-product pricing that will translate into higher farm incomes.
B. Specific location of the project site. This project does not involve a specific site, although the branding program will be focused on Wayne County and adjoining areas in the immediate region. Brand creation will serve to build an economic foundation for a proposed dairy processing plant that is expected to be located in Wayne County.
C. Projected schedule and detailed timeline for the project. It is anticipated that the project will be completed within six months of contract award to the selected marketing professional on the following schedule.
Due Date:
12/01/2020
Address:
Lucyann Vierling Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance P.O. Box 526 Hawley, PA 18428 proposals@wpworkforce.org
Strong consumer PR firms include Hunter PR and Zeno Group.