PHILADELPHIA GAS WORKS ISSUES CREATIVE AND COMMUNICATIONS RFP
PGW is seeking proposals for media placement services, strategic communications support, market insight, and creative design services in order to provide PGW with services and materials relating to its communications campaigns and activities.
Background:
PGW is a municipally-owned natural gas distribution utility operated by the Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation (hereafter referred to as “PFMC”). The successful Proposer will enter into a negotiated contract with PGW by PFMC. PGW provides natural gas service to approximately 500,000 active accounts within the city of Philadelphia, through its 6,000 mile pipeline system. PGW is the only utility currently distributing natural gas within the city of Philadelphia, and its mission is to enhance the quality of life and promote business development in the community by meeting Philadelphia’s energy needs. PGW has an in-house Department of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs which, amongst other functions, develops, coordinates, and manages PGW’s Paid Media (e.g., advertising), Earned Media (e.g., media relations), Owned Media (e.g., websites and publications), Shared Media (e.g., social media), Strategic Communications and Crisis Communications functions, while also managing its public affairs programs and operating as the primary coordinating manager for all company communications and outreach initiatives. The department is comprised of the Office of Corporate Communications and the Office of Public Affairs.
Scope of Work:
Contracted services may incorporate:
- Print ads
- Out Of Home (OOH) advertising
- Online advertising & social media engagement
- Mobile marketing
- Radio advertising
- TV advertising
- Media relations
- Strategic communication support
- Crisis and activist engagement and communications support
Set forth below please find a description of PGW’s primary approved communications campaigns.
Supporting the Ongoing Development and Implementation of a Unified Corporate Communications Strategy, Including:
- Promoting PGW’s energy solutions to B2B audiences (business decision makers and their influencers) by a) positioning PGW as a leader and b) assisting in the generation of new leads.
- Supporting PGW’s conservation campaign (which promotes the efficient use of natural gas and its role in a cleaner, greener Philadelphia) by encouraging people to conserve more and educating the community on the ability of natural gas to help us reach our shared environmental goals.
- Sharing information on selected residential payment assistance programs with appropriate customer segments (e.g., low-income customers, non-English speaking customers, customers in arrears, etc.)
- Assisting in the development and roll-out of PGW’s awareness and education campaign to inform residents of the benefits and rationale for PGW’s ongoing 1,500 mile infrastructure improvement program.
- Providing residents and stakeholders with accurate information about the benefits and opportunities that LNG offers.
PGW also deploys specific communications campaigns, annually, which will require media placement and other services:
- Supporting PLP, PGW’s natural gas appliance servicing program, available to all PGW customers. This is a sales and promotion campaign.
- Encouraging more LIHEAP-eligible PGW customers to apply for LIHEAP, a Federal grant program for households struggling to pay heating bills during the winter.
- The Pipeline Safety campaign educates customers and residents about how to safely enjoy the benefits of natural gas, how to avoid damaging PGW’s infrastructure, and what to do if someone smells natural gas or if there is a natural gas emergency.
- LCP is a campaign that targets Landlords (Commercial and Residential) who are registered with the City of Philadelphia, so they can avoid the impact of a tenant’s PGW debt.
- Legal notices; as a regulated utility, PGW must place legal notices from time to time during the year.
- HR advertising is a periodic occurrence in order to promote PGW as a great place to work.
Providing Communications Services, to Include:
1) Media planning and placement; negotiating for best price, time of day placement and flight- terms with all agreed media outlets. This includes providing PGW with proofs and finals of all ads prior to placement.
2) Monitoring campaign activity; working with the Office of Corporate Communications to revise and refine campaigns; tracking agreed performance metrics.
3) Post-campaign reporting, to include all placements and performance as well as recommendations for future improvements.
4) Strategic communications planning to include earned media and other communications activities, in order to attain a more sustained and impactful audience engagement with the PGW brand.
5) Issues and message mapping to identify communications gaps, create processes and protocols, assign responsibilities and objectives, and recommend engagement options.
6) Audience research, including a Point of View outline to inform and improve messaging across PGW’s communication campaigns, for the purpose of improving engagement, driving response rates and enhancing PGW’s ability to connect with specific audiences.
7) Channel research to enable PGW to fold in new and emerging communications channels and technologies to the mix of media selected for its communication campaigns.
8) Campaign audits to ensure PGW’s communication activities are supporting each other and generating brand synergies under the unified campaign strategy.
9) Creative consultation and support for campaigns, including scripts review, copy consulting, graphic design development, strategy, direction and channel optimization, and artwork. Also, may include campaign ideation services and spec creative.
Due Date:
May 22nd, 2019.
Address:
PGW Supply Chain Department, 800 W. Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
