Marketing and Communications Plan

December 16, 2021

REQUEST FOR QUOTES: Marketing and Communications Plan

Watch Muskegon
933 Terrace St
Muskegon, MI 49440

BACKGROUND

Watch Muskegon launched in 2014 as a county-wide, substantially privately funded campaign, supported by a number of local businesses, individuals and passionate Muskegon residents. This inclusive initiative focused on three pillars: Beautification, Education and Marketing. The goal of Watch Muskegon was to improve the overall image of the Muskegon Area to attract new residents, visitors, business and capital investment to Muskegon County. The campaign successfully helped change the perception of the Muskegon Area through several marketing campaigns, beautification projects and new educational trainings. In 2020, the six-year campaign ended. Watch Muskegon has decided to keep the brand alive through a new campaign focused on improving Muskegon’s image to external audiences and encourage remote workers to consider relocating to Muskegon.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Watch Muskegon is seeking a quote to develop and execute a marketing and communications plan for a new image campaign for the Muskegon area. As the community evolves into a well-known and sought out destination, it is clear that an updated community image is needed. Muskegon’s unique combination of art and outdoor assets and variety of housing options provides a competitive marketing advantage over other communities. It provides opportunities to attract visitors, businesses, residents and workforce talent by promoting these unique assets in one combined message.

OBJECTIVE

Now is the time to capture a new audience of potential residents by using inclusive messaging and retargeting efforts. The Watch Muskegon committee has developed new content to attract potential residents and seeks an agency to create and implement a successful marketing and communications plan to share in selected markets of Grand Rapids, Lansing and Chicago.

SCOPE OF WORK

The chosen agency will develop and implement a marketing and communications plan to attract new residents to the Muskegon area using a unified message of highlighting Muskegon’s arts and cultural, outdoor assets and variety of housing. The agency will be required to use the following strategies and tools:

  • Social media marketing
  • Mobile marketing
  • Geofence marketing
  • Retargeting visitors after they visit Muskegon
  • Search engine optimization
  • Print and digital ad design
  • Billboard placement

 RFQ SCHEDULE

Issue Request for Quotes: December 17, 2021

RFQ submittals: January 6, 2022 at 2 pm

 CONTENTS OF QUOTE

In order to assist Watch Muskegon in its evaluations of submissions, the following should be used by agencies when preparing their RFQ’s. This is intended as a guideline only and should not be considered restrictive. Additional material which is felt to be relevant to the submission should also be included.

  1. Corporate Information
    • Years in operation.
    • Number of staff.
    • Summary of your organization and structure.
    • Experience delivering similar campaigns.
    • Outline of other services your company provides.
    • Equivalent information for any additional partners in the bid.
  2. References/Commitment of Key Staff
    • Supply three references from the last 5 years of comparable campaigns performed by your company; include contacts, telephone numbers that you agree the Watch Muskegon committee can contact.
    • Include brief resumes of proposed staff assigned to this project indicating education, professional accomplishments, relevant experience and their specific role or responsibility assigned to this project.
  3. Qualifications
    • Demonstrate experience delivering similar and comparable marketing, public relations and advertising to similar campaigns.
    • Demonstrate strategies you will use to reach desired target markets.
    • Demonstrate your ability to coordinate processes to ensure deadlines are realized.
    • Demonstrate your ability to manage project timelines while maximizing budgets.
    • Demonstrate the ability to execute tactics that support an overall strategic plan.
  4. Approach
    • Provide a preliminary overview of your approach of working with the Watch Muskegon committee.
    • Creativity: describe how you would intend to approach and deliver integrated campaigns that include all mediums utilizing marketing, advertising, digital tools and public relations tools.
    • Innovation: describe how your strategy will position the Muskegon area as the best place to live, work and play.
  5. Proposed pricing
    • Provide a detailed pricing schedule.

 AGENCY SELECTION CRITERIA

Agency selection will be the sole responsibility of the Watch Muskegon committee and will be undertaken at the sole discretion of the Watch Muskegon committee in accordance with the selection criteria below. Quotes will be evaluated by but not limited to the following criteria:

  • Agency approach and client services.
  • Relevant experience in image campaigns.
  • Demonstration of executing campaigns with measurable evidence of success. Experience using research to develop compelling creative and messaging.
  • Ability to encompass a marketing, advertising and public relations campaign into a broader strategic plan.
  • Proposed pricing.

Based on RFQ responses, interviews of finalists may be conducted.

QUESTIONS AND SUBMISSION:

Questions and final proposals must be submitted to the attention of:

Ann Meisch, City Clerk

City of Muskegon

[email protected]

231-724-6705

933 Terrace Street Muskegon, MI 49440

ONLY SEALED BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED – NO EMAIL

Issue Request for Quotes: December 17, 2021

RFQ submittals: January 6, 2022 @ 2 pm

Marketing and Communications Plan RFQ(PDF)