Scope: St. Louis Community College invites all interested and qualified parties to submit a proposal for Marketing Research and Consumer Insights, Strategic Marketing Planning/Campaign Creation, Graphic Design, Writing. STLCC recognizes that these are distinct areas of expertise and therefore will accept bids on any single area or combination of one or more areas of specialization identified below.
ONE – RESEARCH AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS
RESEARCH AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS:
Our partner(s) must be adept at conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and summarizing market research that results in actionable recommendations. Specifically, STLCC is seeking a partner capable of leading:
• Audience segmentation studies to clearly identify and prioritize (by opportunity) our varying audiences. Data must include, but not be limited to, demographic, psychographic, behavioral, attitudinal, and media consumption (anticipate 5-8 segments)
• A situation analysis to define STLCC’s marketplace/business environment and inform our brand positioning. The situation analysis must include, but not be limited to: SWOT analyses, 5 Cs analysis (company, collaborators, customers, competitors, climate/context)
• STLCC’s brand health study to measure brand equity and awareness, including ongoing quarterly monitoring reports, summaries, and insights
ANALYSIS & MEASUREMENT:
Our partner(s) must be adept at measuring and analyzing pre- to post-performance based on predetermined criteria. In addition, our partner must be experienced at tracking performance throughout the process and recalibrating to optimize performance to achieve success metrics.
TWO– STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANNING/CAMPAIGNCREATION
STLCC is seeking a strategic, creative agency to partner with the College’s internal marketing and communications team and media partner to achieve its marketing and communications goals and objectives. Agency partner(s) must excel following areas of expertise:
• Strategic planning
• Campaign development
o Concept development
o Strategically-sound, initiative-driven campaign creation
o Best-in-class class creative development and execution for digital (ie: video, social, web, ads) and traditional (ie: print, broadcast, outdoor)
• Account management: best-in-class brand/account management with extreme attention to detail and acute time and budget management skills
• Partnership and collaboration: team player who can partner and collaborate with STLCC’s internal marketing and communications team and various agency partners (media) and vendors.
• Content and asset creation:
o Seamless, multi-use content creation and application
o Quick-turn original content development (videos, storytelling, article development, profile development, web design/edits.)
THREE – GRAPHIC DESIGN SERVICES
STLCC is seeking turnkey graphic design services for both print and online marketing campaigns. The graphic designer will work within the STLCC brand and style guides, be detail-oriented and provide exceptional creative designs. Project types would vary and include requests such as: print and online ads, brochures, posters, billboards, programs, digital graphics for on-campus digital screens, social media graphics, photo retouching, infographics and logo creation. Graphic design files must be provided in InDesign and Illustrator and saved per the client’s request as a PDF or JPEG, ready for production and placement.
FOUR – WRITING SERVICES
St. Louis Community College seeks professional writing services in support of marketing and communications for internal and external audiences. Writer(s) should have a strong background with experience in either journalism, public relations, communications, marketing, or other related fields. Writing projects may include but are not limited to: blog content, including knowledge of SEO best practices, annual reports, brochures, pamphlets, electronic and/or print newsletters, pressreleases, feature stories about STLCC faculty,staff,students, departments, etc., general collateral items, content for the STLCC website,social media and columns for industry publications. Writer(s) must be adept and knowledgeable of Associated Press style while also following STLCC brand standardsforstyle, voice, tone, creativity and accuracy. Writer(s)should have at least five years of high-quality, progressive experience,solid references and a portfolio that can be viewed electronically, either online or as PDFs. Writer(s)should submit projects assigned on behalf of the College as Microsoft Word documents ready for production and placement.
REQUIREMENTS / DELIVERABLES:
Identify Area of Interest:
1. Clearly identify which area or combination of areas agency is bidding on.
• Marketing Research and Consumer Insights
• Strategic Marketing Planning/Campaign Creation
• Graphic Design Services
• Writing Services
Agency/Vendor Description:
1. Agency/Vendor name, contact information and web address. Include name, title, email address and direct telephone number of the individual who willserve asthe agency’s primary contact.
2. Description of your agency, including its philosophy, unique point-of-difference, position in marketplace, strongest capabilities or service niches.
3. Organization structure: office locations; number of full-time employees showing the breakdown by function (management, account service, creative, planning/research, media, promotion, interactive, admin./financial, production, etc.).
4. Current client list, their tenure and key projects.
5. Accounts won in the past two years.
6. Accounts lost or resigned over the past two years and explain why the account has moved.
7. Current client account(s) that could be in potential conflict with STLCC.
Account Management:
1. Please describe how your firm would organize a team for STLCC. Include titles, short biographies, reporting structure relationships, seniority levels, primary/day-to-day contact(s), location, and other pertinent data. Also include details on any portion of the campaign that would be outsourced.
Agency Capabilities:
1. Does your firm have experience in the higher education and/or non-profit sector? If so, provide client name, project timeframe and type of project. Is the company still a client?
2. If you have no experience in these sectors, how will your team educate themselves? What percentage of the research costs would be attributable to educating the team?
3. What is your approach to project development, and what evaluation measures are imposed during your process to ensure that the thinking generated and solutions presented can best serve the interests of the client?
4. Discuss how your agency produces its best work. Please speak to the coordination between your account management, planning, and creative teams and discuss any best practicesthat you feel your agency is using in this regard.
5. Please describe the processes and tools your firm employs to evaluate and measure results of your marketing communications efforts. Please be specific as to overall program/campaign measurement.
6. Please provide a comprehensive list of research resources/tools that might be used during the course of this contract.
Agency Experience:
Note: 1, 2 and 3 may be combined into a single case study according to the business(es) you are bidding on.
1. Present up to three consumer insights study case histories.
2. Present up to three brand-building/rebranding case histories.
3. Present up to three creative campaign case studies.
4. List your website URL.
5. Include any other information you believe would be important for us to consider.
6. List at least three clients (industry clients preferred) among your present roster who we might call as a reference for your capabilities and services.
Fees:
Please define how your firm manages budgets, billing and invoicing.
1. Explain your hourly rate/blended rate structure
2. Identify billing method
3. Explain how out-of-pocket expenses, including travel and talent, are billed
Creative:
Fees and estimated number of hours to deliver example campaign identified below: Please line item estimated fee and hours for each deliverable.
▪ Concepts (3-5)
▪ Creative development of 1 concept, including execution and application for the following elements:
▪ Print: FP4C ad (2 executions)
▪ Outdoor: Billboards – 2 executions
▪ Campus Signage – poster, door cling, banner (1 each)
▪ Creative assets (3 versions) that can be applied to email, website, internal use
▪ Video (for broadcast, digital TV and social)
• 2, 2-3 minute edited videos
• 5, :30 edited videos
▪ Radio
• 2 :30 radio spots
• 2 :15 radio spots
▪ Social Media Campaigns-2 executions
Due Date: June 16, 2025 5:00p CST
Contact: Nasser Raghei Email: nraghei@stlcc.edu Phone: 314-539-5246
