University of Houston Issues Advertising and Marketing RFP

The University seeks an advertising and marketing communications firm to develop and implement effective advertising and marketing communications programs to build and sustain enrollment growth through a diverse range of student recruitment, student retention and alumni/community outreach initiatives.

Nestled on a 524-acre wildlife and nature preserve, University of Houston-Clear Lake (“University” or “UHCL”) has become a cornerstone of higher education along the upper Gulf Coast of Texas. Located midway between Houston and Galveston, Texas, adjacent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the Armand Bayou Nature Center, the University serves a diverse student population from the state, the nation and abroad. In 2007, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved creation of UHCL Pearland Campus. The new campus was developed as a partnership between UHCL and City of Pearland. Classes began at Pearland Campus in fall 2010.  In fall 2014, UHCL welcomed its first freshmen and sophomores.

Scope of Work:

A. Update and refine current marketing plan, messaging and materials to promote UHCL, UHCL Pearland Campus and UHCL Online favorably compared to competing institutions. Build on established brand promise and guidelines to develop recommendations for marketing communications strategies and tactics that will more effectively integrate the University’s approach to enrollment growth, student success and alumni/community support and awareness.

All marketing communications must speak effectively, in contemporary language, to targeted audiences, which include the following:

• UHCL internal audiences
• Prospective students (undergraduate and graduate)
• Current students (undergraduate and graduate)
• Parents
• High school counselors and community college advisers
• Employers
• Alumni
• Community at large

B. Revise and update advertising and media plan to effectively deliver key messages via print and digital media to potential students—including high school and Hispanic demographic groups—and to help meet enrollment goals in a highly competitive higher education marketplace.

C. Produce new and update existing marketing collateral materials  (brochures,  posters, etc.) to promote more than 80 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, which are housed across the University’s four colleges.

Scope of Work Deliverables:

A. Develop a strategic plan to allocate advertising/media budget  effectively across print  and digital media to support the University’s positioning strategy and to reach various target markets effectively. Create and produce advertising for the recommended media mix and purchase media placements to execute this plan, which should include the use  of digital media and internet search marketing. Digital marketing campaign plans should encompass a comprehensive range of tactics such as search engine marketing, display/retargeting, web banners, social media and affiliate marketing. (Digital marketing does not include management of the university’s social profiles.) Monitor and provide analytic data to ensure the effectiveness of advertising and media expenditures.

B. Design, write copy for, and lay out brochures, flyers, posters, announcements and other marketing communications collateral in print and digital formats. Projects will be  initiated primarily by Enrollment Management operations (Admissions, Distance Education, etc.) and the University’s four colleges; however, the agency will also need to be available to work with other departments as needed, particularly the Office of  Student Services and Office of University Advancement.

Due Date:

August 2 to:

UHCL Procurement Department
Attn: Debra Carpenter, Executive Director Procurement & Payables North Office Annex II
Houston, TX 77058

Texas PR firms include Ketchum PR and Burson Marsteller.