WalkDenver Issues Marketing RFP

WalkDenver seeks a marketing agency to assist with Marketing, Videography, and Storytelling for a “Citizen Academy” focused on promoting a car-lite lifestyle. The chosen vendor will work with WalkDenver staff on developing tools and strategies to share the stories of academy participants and document personal and community transformations.

WalkDenver is a grassroots advocacy organization working towards making Denver the most walkable city in the US (www.walkdenver.org). WalkDenver was awarded grants from DRCOG and the Colorado Health Foundation for a “Citizen Academy” that will engage Denver residents who want to be advocates for a cultural shift toward healthy, active, “car-lite” lifestyles and a new way of thinking about transportation and mobility.

WalkDenver will recruit 25 participants (two “cohorts” of 12-15) to attend two 7-month academy sessions in 2017. Throughout the Academy, participants will be encouraged to record and share their stories of individual and neighborhood change through photos, videos, blog posts, social media, and similar tools. These real-world stories will form the basis of a broader media campaign touting the benefits of healthy, active, car-lite lifestyles.

Through recruitment of Academy participants, the efforts of participants to engage others in neighborhood projects, and broad dissemination of the stories of individual and neighborhood change that result from the Academy, WalkDenver targets reaching more than 7,000 people.

Scope includes:
1.         Academy Branding: Create recognizable and unique brand and name for the academy. This will include marketing strategy for recruitment of participants and engaging community members in conversations about car-lite lifestyles, neighborhood improvements, and policy changes.

2. Personal Storytelling: Provide technical assistance to the academy participants to create blog posts, videos, social media interaction to facilitate a “public engagement campaign” where members of the public follow personal transformation of the participants. The stories may follow a “reality TV” format where participants engage in change of personal habits, struggle with challenges, but in the end embrace the change. Consultant will advise on cost effective strategies to engage the public in following the personal stories. Examples may include short (less than a minute) videos recorded on personal phones and posted on social media blogs or similar.
3. Illustrating community transformation: Academy participants will engage in community transformation projects such as organizing a “walking school bus”, “snow buddy” program, public art, tactical urbanism demonstrations or similar. The consultant will provide technical assistance to document the projects and disseminate the community stories.
4. Public Outreach: Consultant will develop and implement a strategy for distributing stories to mass and social media outlets.
5. Marketing Materials: Consultant will design printed materials such as stickers, flyers, brochures, t-shirts or similar to promote the Academy and disseminate the message.

Proposal due by August 12^th, 2016.

Weber Shandwick & Ogilvy PR maintain offices in Denver.