Riceland Foods Issues Public Relations RFP

Riceland Foods, a farmer owned cooperative headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas has issued an RFP seeking a full service marketing and Public Relations firm. Riceland invites proposals from interested marketing agencies with experience in:

• brand development and management;
• marketing;
• social media strategy, implementation, and management;
• website design and development;
• and market research.

The work to be performed will support Riceland’s retail business lines.  Riceland Foods and its family farmers have provided the world with wholesome, nutritious rice since 1921. Grown in the United States, our rice is known for its high quality and versatility, and that’s why Riceland has become a trusted brand around the globe. Riceland is a unique company.

Year of Incorporation 1921

Number of Employees: Over 2000

Annual Revenue ~ $1Billion

Retail sales across 47 states

Learn more at www.Riceland.com

Riceland Marketing Goals:

Working in collaboration with the Consumer Products Team at Riceland, the marketing contractor will work towards and measure efforts against the following goals:

• Drive measurable traffic and sales leads to Riceland using a marketing mix that spans digital, PR, event support and targeted offline communications
• Increase brand awareness of the family farmer owned cooperative as the world’s largest miller and marketer of rice and rice production
• Reinforce Riceland Food’s brand image in the US as providing high quality products to consumers and customers
• Drive consumer consideration for Riceland Foods products and brands locally, regionally, and nationally
• Build greater industry awareness of Riceland’s products, programs and custom solutions and position Riceland as an innovator and thought leader in the space
• Showcase the value of rice and rice products as a critical part of a healthy, balanced diet
• Demonstrate Riceland Food’s commitment to sustainability and hunger relief
• Develop pride in and ownership of Riceland Foods as a major contributor to Arkansas and the region among farmer members, employees, staff and the region at large
• Maximize brand visibility with a well-rounded marketing plan throughout all channels
• Emphasize social and digital assets to drive awareness and engagement regionally, nationally and globally
• Accentuate an emotional connection with the brand through branded content creation and strategic distribution
• Identify opportunities to impact specific markets of interest nationally
• Focus attention on core brand values, allowing flexibility as growth strategy matures
• Create and implement a customer engagement plan that significantly reduces customer churn
• Provide opportunities for B2B relationship touch points and growth
• Build initiatives to highlight existing community engagement and social responsibility efforts

Scope of Work:

The scope of work will include the following:

Strategy:

• Serve as Riceland’s expert advisor for the development and implementation of marketing strategies for its revenue generating business lines within retail
• Develop a marketing plan focused on achieving Riceland’s Marketing Goals
• Create quarterly planning objectives and reporting for ensuring tactics are managed on brand and on budget, and accountable to measurement KPIs

Marketing and Public Relations:

• Provide graphic design and content development for digital, print, and collateral material, as requested
• Manage public relations resources to accomplish the objectives as described in the marketing plan
• Provide strategic campaign support, including planning, development, and execution; multi-channel outreach; and branded material development
• Support Riceland’s internal marketing needs by providing integrated collateral templates

Digital:

• Provide website design, development, and content services, as needed.
• Provide social media strategy development, content, and execution.

Market Research:

• Conduct market research to identify target industry segments with the highest revenue generating probability, as needed
• Conduct customer surveys, as needed

Branding:

• Advising Riceland on maintaining brand consistency
• Making recommendations on brand advancement

Proposals are due March 2^nd to abadamson@Riceland.com.

Strong food PR firms include Hunter PR and 5WPR.