The Shasta Regional Transportation Agency (SRTA) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Shasta County region. Member agencies are the cities of Anderson, Redding, and Shasta Lake, the county of Shasta and the Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA). Information regarding SRTA, regional plans and programs, and this procurement are available online at www.srta.ca.gov. SRTA is seeking a qualified consultant to provide on-call transit public outreach and marketing support services, with an emphasis on engaging and effective public outreach that meets applicable state and federal guidelines. SRTA is particularly interested in finding consultants with previous experience working with public agencies and transit providers.
Background:
Residents of the Shasta Region need to be informed of public transportation projects funded by SRTA. As noted in the Shasta Participation and Partnership Plan, “without early and ongoing public involvement, SRTA may miss opportunities to add value to projects; or worse, bring the wrong mobility solutions to market.”
SRTA is expected to launch several new regional transit initiatives in the near future. Building public awareness and having engaging brand identities for these services is expected to be critical to their success. The immediate need is to market ShastaConnect, a demonstration project that will provide on-demand general public transit services within the Shasta Region on Sundays. SRTA anticipates having the bulk of the ShastaConnect marketing tasks completed in the Spring and Summer of 2019 as part of a planned July 2019 launch of the service.
An additional longer-term need will be marketing for the Salmon Runner, an intercity zero-emission bus service between Redding and Sacramento. This service already has some high-level marketing material, but SRTA will require additional marketing services as we draw nearer to the anticipated of a December 2019 launch date.
These launch dates are subject to many variables and may be delayed by several months. SRTA provides other existing public transportation services. All existing and future public transportation services require branding, promotion and education regarding the type of services offered, routes, and new ways of fare payment and ticketing.
Finally, SRTA conducts planning studies and annual reviews that include public outreach. SRTA requires assistance with various forms of public engagement such as social media, information, press releases public workshops.
Scope of Work:
SRTA is seeking a qualified consultant to provide on-call transit public outreach and marketing support services, with an emphasis on engaging and effective public outreach that meets applicable state and federal guidelines. SRTA is particularly interested in finding consultants with previous experience working with public agencies and transit providers.
The listing below represents broad functional categories where consultant services may be needed and is not comprehensive. Other services to accomplish the desired results outcomes consistent with this solicitation may be recommended by the vendor as part of their proposal:
Category 1: Brand Creation and Development
SRTA anticipates the need to build at least two unique brands over the planned three-year life of the contract.
Example tasks may include, but not be limited to:
• Create a cohesive brand identity for new public transportation services. This may include:
o Develop visual logo(s).
o Develop audio logo(s).
o Develop color palette(s).
o Develop jingle(s).
o Develop font(s).
• Develop branding themes and slogans.
• Develop and implement market and/or customer surveys.
Category 2: Graphic Design
Although graphic design is a component of brand creation, it is also required to maximize effectiveness of day-to-day operations.
Example tasks may include, but not be limited to:
• Create vehicle wraps.
• Create passenger guides and displays.
• Create service information posters.
• Create templates for reports, plans, flyers, et cetera.
• Create custom graphics for reports, plans, posters, web content, media outreach materials, et cetera.
Category 3: Content Development
In addition to effective design, engaging content is another key component of marketing and outreach. SRTA values clear and concise content that avoids unnecessary planning and legal jargon.
Example tasks may include, but not be limited to:
• Develop and issue press releases.
• Develop direct mailings.
• Develop media kits.
• Develop and evaluate social media strategies.
o Produce social media content (text, infographics, photos).
• Develop online story maps using ArcGIS.
• Develop interactive maps for public feedback.
• Write FAQs.
• Produce short videos to be released on social media, community television, or other platforms.
Category 4: Website Design & Development
The consultant may be asked to develop and a design one or more website(s) to help market SRTA’s transit services. Any website developed, regardless of scope or scale, should be a responsive design that works on a variety of devices and meets all current laws and regulations regarding accessibility, privacy, security, et cetera.
Example tasks may include, but not be limited to:
• Design and develop a full-fledged website with its own domain that may include service maps, schedules, fares, or other features.
• Provide integration with third-party software (e.g. Routematch or Google Maps).
• Design and develop a simple “landing page” for a particular service within the existing SRTA website.
Category 5: Advertising Assistance
The consultant will assist SRTA with advertising its services to the public. SRTA is interested in exploring innovative platforms such as pre-film advertising at cinemas or on streaming services such as Spotify and/or YouTube. Consultant should have familiarity with modern advertising platforms and mediums, as well as current best practices.
Example tasks may include, but not be limited to:
• Identify target markets and demographics.
• Create advertising campaigns including content and deployment strategies.
• Evaluate effectiveness of campaigns and identify ways to improve future campaigns.
• Provide guidance and assistance in identifying more effective ways to use advertising as part of our ongoing outreach efforts.
Due Date:
February 11th, 2019.
Address:
APCO Worldwide and MWWPR have relevant experience.