MARKETING PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FISCAL 2018-19
INTRODUCTION About Morro Bay This seaside fishing village with bustling waterfront offers a picture perfect getaway for individuals and groups who seek food, wine and outdoor adventures found in a gorgeous natural setting. Located along coastal Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Morro Bay offers year round activities in an unspoiled slice of California. Named as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists, outdoor activities are a way of life. From ocean-side golf, kayaking, sailing, hiking, fishing, surfing, biking, and bird watching, to kite flying, shopping, dining, wine bars, local craft breweries and miles of unspoiled beaches, there is something for everyone. Sitting majestically between the beach and the harbor lays the iconic and historic landmark Morro Rock, welcoming travelers from miles away as they approach Morro Bay. Located just minutes from worldrenowned Hearst Castle, historic missions, breathtaking Montana de Oro State Park, and surrounded by vineyards from Paso Robles to Edna Valley, Morro Bay is a destination designed to fit any style and budget for families, couples or groups. Morro Bay also offers a myriad of year-round events including food, wine and music festivals, art fairs and car shows unique to the town. More destination information can be found at: http://morrobay.org/ https://www.facebook.com/morrobayca City of Morro Bay s Tourism Office & the Morro Bay Tourism Business Improvement District Morro Bay's Tourism Business Improvement district (TBID) is defined by the city limits of Morro Bay. This specific TBID is where the hotel, motel, inns and B&B owners fund sales and marketing activities to: Increase overall occupancy & hotel/motel revenues, especially during mid-week and shoulder season Extend the number of average hotel/motel room nights beyond the current average of 1.5 Bring exposure to Morro Bay as a viable destination for individuals and groups Positively impact transient occupancy tax (TOT) for the City of Morro Bay Create opportunities to positively impact sales tax businesses & drive economic development in the City of Morro Bay Assist with the development and growth of competitions and events that attract overnight guests PURPOSE The purpose of this request is to seek and retain a qualified Marketing and/or Public Relations Agency to continue developing the Morro Bay brand and promote Morro Bay as a premiere destination for individuals and groups on California s beautiful central coast. The results of these efforts will benefit Morro Bay s assessed lodging businesses, the City of Morro Bay, Morro Bay sales tax businesses, plus help cultivate and grow competitions and annual events within our city.
CURRENT STRUCTURE The City of Morro Bay currently has an agreement with (1) agency. The City will consider splitting the award between 2 agencies or award the complete contract to one (1) agency. The Morro Bay Tourism Manager, Jennifer Little, currently serves as the main contact and liaison between the agency to execute successful marketing and public relations outreach and campaigns. PROPOSED MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS BUDGET The following annual budgets are based upon the current 2017-18 fiscal year. These numbers can fluctuate depending on the market and other factors. Marketing/Advertising Budget $330,000, including planning, meetings, execution and reporting (co-op s with VisitCA, SLOCAL and CCTC do not come out of this budget) Please create a complete budget for the comprehensive marketing campaign and a fee schedule Public Relations Budget $80,000, including planning, meetings, execution and reporting (VJ s expenses while in-market are managed direct with the DMO) SUBMISSION CRITERIA Please provide the following information in your proposal. Please do not feel limited with the information below: Short company background Proposal submission for marketing, public relations or both Morro Bay Tourism s main point of contact Other DMO s you currently are under contract with List of current sub-contractors and their main role with the creation and execution of marketing and/or public relations plans as well as their fee schedule Team members connected with our account and their billing rates Rate your company s experience and effectiveness in the following areas (1-5, with 1 being no experience and 5 being expert). You may include a few lines in each for explanation o Creative Partnerships o Destination marketing/public relations o Digital, print and broadcast media (not applicable to public relations) o Industry partners, including but not limited to CalTravel, Visit California, Destination Marketing Association International, Discover America o Online portals, including TripAdvisor, Visit California, Etc o Photography & videography o Trade Media, including group travel, sports and meetings & events o Crisis communications
Outline of your company s planning, execution and reporting processes Present a successful campaign (marketing, public relations or both) you created, executed, the goals/objectives and its results (including how you measured success) If requested, present a conceptual campaign (marketing, public relations or both) you created, executed, the goals/objectives and its results EVALUATION PROCESS & CRITERIA The Morro Bay Tourism Office will review the finalists selected by the subcommittee. CONTRACT TERM The City of Morro Bay has enacted a policy of a request for proposal process to take place every (2) two years for a marketing and/or public relations agency contract. Once the agency or agencies have been selected, they will enter into an agreement for services with the City of Morro Bay s Tourism office. The duration of the initial agreement between the City of Morro Bay and the successful proposer(s) is expected to begin July 1, 2018 with a mid-year annual review and the option to terminate after 30-days. Agencies wishing to continue service with the organization after a 2- year period of time will be required to go through the same request for proposal process as other interested agencies. SAMPLE CAMPAIGN CREATIVE SCENARIO Sample campaign creative will only be required by the finalists for the creative component of this campaign. We are requesting for finalists in the marketing/advertising component of this RFP to create a sample campaign for review. Create a look, feel and brand and show the creative in whatever form you think will best sell this event. Use different marketing vehicles of your choice based on your knowledge of how to capture return visitors and grow new visitors. If you or your creative team would like a tour of the Butterfly Grove please email Shannon McCallister to set up a time smccallister@morrobayca.gov CONCEPT - Bubbles & Butterflies Morro Bay is looking to create a new event that will take place yearly mid-to-late January. The butterfly grove in the Morro Bay State Park is thriving and is a beautiful environment for a sip and taste event. The grove is an intimate setting but large enough to hold an event in. With its rustic charm we are looking to build this as a 25-55 years of age visitor that is looking for the opportunity to sample IPA, wines and sparkling wines of the county along-side food parings from local chefs. The grove sits in the middle of the Morro Bay Golf Course (MBGC) and MBGC is ready and willing to co-host this event. We see this a 2-day event possibly with an educational component during the day and the sip & taste event in the early evening and possible a golf event on day 2.
The working title name Bubbles & Butterflies can change based on your recommendation. Markets: o Overnight drive market Goals & Objectives: o Bring awareness to the markets o Impact overall room nights in Morro Bay Metrics: o What metrics will be used to measure the overall success over a 3-year period of time First Year Budget: $50,000 DEADLINES: WRITTEN PROPOSALS All written proposals must be submitted on or before 12noon, March 9, 2018 (PST) to: City of Morro Bay Tourism Office Attn: Jennifer Little 695 Harbor St. Morro Bay, CA 93442 Or via email at lgilson@morrobayca.gov TBID PRESENTATIONS & CONCEPTUAL PROPOSALS Selection of the top agencies will be selected by the subcommittee by March 31 and agencies selected to present both written proposals and concept campaigns at TBID will be notified on April 3 rd. TBID presentations will be on May 17, 2018 (PST) allowing time for the selected agencies to have time to create the concept campaigns. Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting Morro Bay Vets Hall May 17 th 9am-11:30am Each finalist will have 30 minutes to present plus 10 minutes of questions. QUESTIONS/CLARIFICATION? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Little at 805-225-7411 ext 101 or via email at lgilson@morrobayca.gov