University of Maine Issues Branding and Marketing RFP
The Maine Center For Graduate Professional Studies is seeking proposals to implement a regionally-targeted, image-building campaign as defined in this document. Maine Center wants to partner with a well-established media firm. An ideal partner would have successful experience working within higher education, would have produced high-quality media at the national and regional level and would be familiar with the New England media market.
Background:
Located in Portland, but connected throughout Maine, the Maine Center is a priority initiative of the University of Maine System that provides access to cross-disciplinary programs in law, business, public policy, and health. The mission of the Maine Center is to increase graduate and professional opportunities for its students and advance economic and workforce development in Maine. The Maine Center will comprise a consortium of graduate and professional programs working collaboratively and interactively with one another and with the private and public sectors to serve students, businesses and public organizations statewide.
The academic consortium includes:
- University of Maine School of Law;
- University of Maine Graduate School of Business;
- Muskie School of Public Service; and
- Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy.
The Maine Center Coordinating Council is tasked with developing programming and includes representatives from the academic consortium:
- Dean of the Law School, Deans of the University of Maine Business School and the University of Southern Maine College of Management and Human Service; and the Director of the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy.
Scope of Work:
Proposals are sought from qualified marketing or branding agencies or consulting firms to develop a brand identity program for the University of Maine System’s new Maine Center for Graduate and Professional Studies. The work will guide the final execution and implementation of this program, to be completed in a second phase.
Deliverables are intended to build a strong and compelling brand identity for the Maine Center for Graduate and Professional Studies among key internal and external audiences, such as potential applicants, faculty, employers and key stakeholders within Maine’s business and community landscape. Areas to be highlighted are:
- The academic excellence of Maine Center consortium members: Maine Law, UMaine Graduate School of Business, the Muskie School of Public Service, and the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy
- The competitive advantage inherent in the Maine Center’s ability to be innovative, collaborative and responsive to Maine’s workforce needs
- For students, the opportunity to access cross-disciplinary programs in law, business and policy, tailored to workforce needs
- For employers, the opportunity to collaborate, shape, and influence higher education that will meet their workforce needs
- For the people of Maine, the availability of graduate and executive education offerings that will help to build a stronger economic future
This work would build on the research completed to date, including prior marketing feasibility studies, stakeholder roundtables, and research completed in Phase I of the branding effort.
Deliverables within the first phase of this scope of work include:
- Determining the name and brand identity for the Maine Center (logo and/or wordmark, theme or tagline)
- Articulation of mission/vision statement
- A comprehensive message platform for key audience segments
- Preliminary concepts, copy and design approaches for print and online advertising and marketing
- Preliminary website design
- Recommended social media platforms and templates, preliminary messaging strategies and sample posts
- A recommended strategy for program roll-out (media event, public relations messaging)
- A recommended media plan
- Metrics for program evaluation, including an outline of recommended ongoing data-driven approaches to campaign analytics and continuous improvement of engagement and achievement of communication/marketing objectives
This scope of work will include presentations to Maine Center stakeholders for preliminary and final approval, as required, and final delivery of recommendations in PDF and PowerPoint format.
Deliverables for the second phase of this scope of work include:
- Execution of brand identity program elements
- Implementation of the media plan
- Planning and execution of roll-out, including the launch event
- Ongoing program evaluation and reporting
Due Date:
November 12th
Address:
Zeno Group and APCO Worldwide are good candidates for this assignment.
