WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL & HEALTH SERVICES SNAP-Ed Social Marketing Campaign
DSHS RFP #2234-818
Due Date: All Proposals must be received in their entirety by 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time on January 3, 2023
Background
The Department of Social & Health Services, Washington’s largest state agency, provides some type of shelter, care, protection and/or support to 2.4 million of our state’s 7.2 million citizens. A single mission ties DSHS’ Administrations together: To Transform Lives. DSHS is comprised of three support Administrations and seven direct service Administrations. Each service Administration provides specialized services to Washington state citizens in need. Please review the DSHS Our Future Transformed booklet to learn more.
The Economic Services Administration (ESA) works to build a Washington without poverty and injustice by helping children, adults, and families weather the storms of life so they can reach their full potential through various programs. A national leader in providing poverty reduction services to nearly 1.8 million people in our state. ESA provides tools and resources to build well-being including cash grants, food and medical assistance, employment-focused services, refugee assistance, disability determinations
and child support collection. ESA’s values include diversity, inclusion, honesty, integrity pursuit of excellence, open communication, and a commitment to service. Additional information on ESA’s strategic plans, priorities and programs are found through this link.
ESA’s Community Services Division (CSD) manages various state and federal programs that provide food, cash, medical and other services designed to help Washington state residents build strong foundations that enable them to live their best lives.
SD’s SNAP-Ed program aims to increase the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP eat a healthy diet and are physically active. The goals of Washington’s program are to:
• Increase consumption of healthy food and beverages and decrease
consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages.
• Improve food resource management among SNAP-Ed participants.
• Increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior.
• Improve policy, systems, and environments to support healthy eating and active living.
SNAP-Ed uses three approaches to address behavior change:
- Nutrition education — Class series that build on each other to increase individual knowledge about healthy eating and active living and promote healthy behavior change;
- Policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes — Initiatives that improve a community’s health by making healthy food and physical activity choices more accessible, easier, and the default options.
- Social marketing — Campaigns using commercial marketing approaches to encourage behavior changes.
SNAP-Ed uses CDC’s definition of social marketing as, “the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of society.”
DSHS contracts with Implementing Agencies to conduct the activities using the approaches above. While some local and regional social marketing campaigns have been included in Implementing Agency plans, most existing plans do not include comprehensive social marketing strategies. DSHS recognized that a comprehensive statewide social marketing campaign focused on healthy behavior changes would reinforce nutrition education and policy, systems, and environmental changes and extend the reach of SNAP-Ed.
Project Scope
DSHS is seeking a contractor who will collaborate with the SNAP-Ed Program to develop a brand, conduct market research, and write key messages and content
consistent with federal SNAP-Ed Program Guidance and corresponding regulations. The contractor be responsible for generating and sharing content across key media platforms
(to be determined based on market research) using audience segmentation. The contractor will also provide professional consultation and technical support to DSHS and its other SNAP-Ed stakeholders. The contractor will be expected to conduct purposeful interviews and surveys with SNAP eligible individuals to inform the development and implementation of the social marketing campaign throughout its entirety.
The campaign should reach SNAP-eligible audiences using a comprehensive approach that will include multiple media channels such as:
• Mass media (e.g., television, radio, newspapers, billboards, and other outdoor advertising)
• Social media (e.g., social networks, blogs, and user-generated content)
• Earned media (e.g., public service announcements, letters to the editor, opinion editorials, and press conferences)
• Peer-to-peer popular opinion leaders (e.g., youth or parent ambassadors), local champions, celebrity spokespersons, and faith leaders)
• Promotional media (e.g., point-of-purchase prompts, videos, Web sites, newsletters, posters, kiosks, brochures, and educational incentive items)
