Scope: 5.0 SCOPE OF WORK, SPECIFICATIONS, TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
The University of Arizona seeks to reimagine our comprehensive brand strategy to strengthen our position as a leader in student success and research, while highlighting our unique role as the state’s flagship and land-grant university.
5.1 Landscape: 5.1.1 Existing Brand Strategy: Our current brand strategy was developed seven years ago and while the bones of that work are still solid, we have evolved significantly as an institution (new President, new research leadership, new marketing leadership, etc.) and we recognize there is a need to evolve the strategy. However, this is not a wholesale rebrand. Additionally, this project will leverage existing market research and data generated via U of A’s current paid media strategy to inform key insights and decisions. We need a partner who is excited to collaborate closely with our internal team to move this initiative forward.
Current Brand Strategy: Core Brand Idea: Imagination Drives Resolve Page 29 of 39 Every day, we embody the idea that the impossible is possible. We approach everything from our students and our state to the planet and beyond with a drive toward innovation and impact. These ideas are based on six brand pillars that guide all of our marketing and communications:
Of the Desert | Embracing the rich heritage of the land and people around us, we adapt to a rapidly changing world.
Limitless Possibilities | Curious about ourselves, others and the universe, we see challenges as opportunities.
Driving Force of Change | Always improving, we think ahead to future generations.
Purposeful Research | We work to expand human potential, explore new horizons and enrich life for all.
Power of Perspectives | Together, our impact is far greater than what we could achieve alone.
“Bear Down!” | We embody a spirit of confident perseverance.
Leverage Existing Work: 5.1.1.1 In the summer of 2024 our team undertook a market research study that aimed to measure our reputation, favorability and performance across key attributes. This survey was fielded with college-aware audiences in legacy Pac-12 markets and our new Big 12 markets. This data will be provided to our partner as a baseline for our brand strategy work. 5.1.1.2 We have worked with the same media buying agency for the last several years. The data
generated from these campaigns provides insights into what content is compelling to our various audiences.
3 Purpose & Values: More information available at: arizona.edu/purpose-mission-valuesPURPOSE Working together to expand human potential, explore new horizons and enrich life forall. Page 30 of 39 MISSION Continuously improve how we educate and innovate so we can lead the way in developing adaptive problem-solvers capable of tackling our greatest challenges. CORE VALUES INTEGRITY • COMPASSION • EXPLORATION • ADAPTATION INCLUSION • DETERMINATION
Objectives: Our primary objective is to differentiate the U of A from key competitors, specifically Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Colorado (our largest out of state competitor for applications), in a much more direct way than we ever have before and in a way that resonates and enhances our reputation with diverse audiences (alumni, students, staff, faculty, parents, funding agencies, the general public, etc.).
5.1.11 Project Details & Timeline: Project Title: University of Arizona Brand StrategyReimagination Rough Timeline: Mid April | Begin Work June 1 | First draft to present to universityleadership Aug 2025 | Draft rolled out to the broader campus community for feedback Sept 2025 | Brand strategy work is completed 5.1.12 References: Please provide three (3) client references (at least one within higher education). References will only be called for finalists in the Round 2 evaluation phase. University of Arizona internal references are acceptable as long as contacts are NOT members of the RFP committee. 5.1.13 Capabilities: Vendors will be evaluated based on the below required and preferred capabilities. The University may make multiple awards forany or all of the projects if deemed in the University’s best interest. Project Management vendor(s) will be required to: 5.1.13.1 Required Capabilities: 5.1.13.1.1 Strong organizational and cultural fit 5.1.13.1.2 Stable and dependable points of contact 5.1.13.1.3 Ability, willingness and clear methodology for engaging collaboratively with the campus community.
Submission Specifications: To be considered for this RFP firms must follow these specifications outlined below. We have created this format to evaluate submissions equally. • Attend optional pre-proposal meeting held on January 13, 2025 via Zoom. • The Vendor Response should be organized in this way: o COVER (not included in page count) ▪ Organization Name, RFP # and Date o FIRM PROFILE ▪ Firm Introduction ▪ Client Mix • Provide a comprehensive list of recent Higher Education clients (last 5 years), with institutions of varying size and scope but inclusive oflarge R1 public institutions. • Describe how the University of Arizona would fit within the agency portfolio (relative account size among clients). ▪ Organizational Fit • Methodology for engaging the U of A community to provide valuable feedback throughout the process (ex. how would the agency approach community engagement?). • Describe past instances of inclusion of internal communities and stakeholders in brand strategy research (anonymized if needed). ▪ Organizational Structure • Describe overall agency size and structure. • Explain the length oftime the firm has been operational.
BRAND STRATEGY EXPERTISE ▪ Please provide the following sections of information: • Approach to the Work – process for approaching the work described in this RFP: o Provide a step-by-step approach for how your firm will accomplish the specific work described in the Scope of Work section below. • Proven Expertise in Brand Strategy Development – successful experience with brand strategy development and implementation: o Demonstrate at least three (3) brandstrategy case studies for projects in the past five (5) years, describing goals, process, and outcomes. ▪ At least one of the above case studies should involve a large R1 university client. ▪ At least one of the above case studies should involve a non-higher education client. o In your case studies, please outline the actions and tactics you recommended resulting from the research findings, and the outcomes resulting from those actions
Experience of Assigned Team – composition and bios of client team: o Describe the specific composition of the team assigned to the University of Arizona account (Note: some members ofthe team to be assigned to account must attend Round 2 presentations). o Provide biographies of team members assigned to the account outlining their years of experience, and specific experience with a variety of clients. • Research-Informed Brand Campaigns – how research has informed brand campaigns that achieved client goals: o Demonstrate at least one (1) case study of a successful brand campaign executed against one of the above brand strategy case studies. o Note: the execution requested above does not need to have been handled by the proposing agency, as long as it was based on brand strategy work developed by the proposing agency. The execution could have been handled by the client themselves or a different agency. • [Optional] Additional Value Services o Describe work with brands that have global presence, specifically experience translating brands into international market presence and including international students in brand research (esp. India, China, Mexico). o Describe work with brands working with Hispanic/LatinX audiences or markets, particularly transcreation in Spanishspeaking markets. o Share any additional services that may be valuable during or following a brandstrategy research project. o Describe work with online education initiatives.
Due Date: January 28, 2025 no later than 2:00 PM, MST
Contact: Celeste Kanzig 520-621-1747
