Tender for: The Valleys Marketing Campaign 2012-2014: Tourism Public Relations and Social Media

Descriptions

The Valleys Marketing Campaign 2012-2014: Tourism Public Relations and Social Media BriefThis specification outlines the Tourism Public Relations requirements for phase 2 of the Valleys tourism marketing campaign www.thevalleys.co.uk. It highlights the need for both online and offline PR including the regular and frequent generation, coordination and distribution of tourism related content from the destination and its various constituent parts. The budget for this work is £60,000 and the contract will run from 1st September 2012 until 31st March 2014.1.Background1.1This tender brief has been issued by Capital Region Tourism on behalf of the Valleys Regional Park (VRP) Partnership to develop the second phase of a campaign to help achieve the tourism marketing objectives related to the wider programme of activities. The campaign will adopt “The Valleys” brand, previously adopted as the public facing positioning for the Valleys as a destination. The partnership has received funding for the campaign from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Please refer to www.thevalleys.org.uk for further background information.1.2The Valleys as a destination includes some or all of the local authority areas of Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. These local authorities also form the main partners in the marketing element of VRP. Within the Valleys destination, there are also parts of Swansea and Powys included too. The existing consumer facing website for The Valleys can be found at www.thevalleys.co.uk1.3The VRP partnership has successfully secured European Convergence Funding under the Environment for Growth priority, specifically focusing on tourism as a theme. The project is one of a series of Convergence Funding bids aimed at developing the tourism product within Wales and in particular within the South Wales valleys area.1.4The vision of this programme, developed in full partnership with its local authorities and other stakeholders, is that by 2020 the area will be:a culturally rich, dynamic network of vibrant and safe communities,a place where people want to live, work and play with a sustainable, high quality of life and a thriving population, helping to drive the success of south east Wales as an internationally recognised Capital Region.1.5Phase 1 of the Valleys marketing campaign commenced in December 2009 with the overall aim to position the region as a credible and desirable short break destination. This was to be achieved by challenging perceptions and helping visitors and citizens to think differently about the area. The campaign aimed to expand the reach and impact of previous marketing activity by targeting new audiences within a one hour drive of the destination to help increase visitor numbers and spend in the local economy. A comprehensive tourism website www.thevalleys.co.uk was created to showcase The Valleys, and over 100,000 holiday guides over two years were produced and distributed. 1.6Evaluation research from Phase 1 of the campaign concluded that 70% of people from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport believe The Valleys is a great place for a day out. The campaign website, www.thevalleys.co.uk attracted approximately 11,000 visitors each month and has received more than 175,000 unique visitors to the site since launch in January 2010.1.7Over £1m worth of media coverage was achieved through Public Relations activity, and social media activity generated more than 2158 followers on Twitter and 4259 fans on Facebook. A customer database of more than 31,000 people has also been created. For further information please see http://www.thevalleys.co.uk and http://www.thevalleys.org.uk 1.8Following a review of the Valleys marketing campaign 2009-2012, the partners have agreed that a new approach is required for Phase 2 of the campaign commencing September 2012. The change in approach involves a switch in focus away from the internal target market in Wales towards the staying visitor.1.1The Valleys Marketing sub group has agreed that the primary target market areas for Phase 2 of the campaign should include (but not exclusively) the M4 corridor, the Midlands and SW England. Within these target areas, we are seeking potential visitors with a leaning towards softer activities for the generalist rather than the specialist. Furthermore, in line with both Visit Wales and the Valleys branding, there is a need for the Valleys to be different and to provide a real alternative to the obvious short break choices. In addition, other campaigns which the Valleys will link to, such as Cognation (mountain biking), are tackling the more specialist markets.1.2In line with Visit Wales’ target market, the Valleys will primarily focus on attracting overnight stays from the independent explorer market which is defined by Visit Wales as follows….“They (Independent explorers) are free minded and don't follow the herd. They enjoy planning their own trips so they can discover new places and have authentic personal experiences. They like to learn about the local culture and the way of life of the places they visit and immerse themselves in it. Traditional package holidays and well trodden tourist trails are not for them. They like to explore places that are still undiscovered. They're looking for the Real Alternative destination. And it’s in Wales that they’ll find it.”1.3‘Heart and Soul’ BrandingAnother element of the VRP project is the development and evolution of a brand for the Valleys to represent the core values of the destination. Alignment with the ‘Heart and Soul’ brand is obviously a key factor to consider in all tourism communications.There are 3 core values of the brand:‘Real’ – the spirit of the people:•Honest, down-to-earth and unpretentious•A straight talking people that wear their hearts on their sleeves•Proud of The Valleys’ history and culture•A sense of belonging‘Human’ – the spirit of the place:•A human scale to it – a place that’s famous for the warmth of its welcome•A great sense of community and family•A beautiful place that’s not a remote wilderness•A place that has been shaped by people and human activity‘Energetic’ – the Valleys attitude and culture. An injection of energy into the brand and its communications, reflecting:•the increasingly vibrant culture identified in The Bevan Foundation Report•the wide range of outdoor activities in an environment that’s green again enthusiastic and committed work force for inward investing businesses represents an element of challenge to The Valleys to adopt a positive energetic attitude to continue the area’s regeneration.The ‘Heart and Soul’ proposition in summary:•The Valleys aren’t just about stunning landscape and industrial heritage, they’re also about the people who call it home.•A passionate people, who are proud of their past and positive about their future.•You’ll find the quickest wits, the biggest characters and the warmest of welcomes in The Valleys.•Valleys people are real, hard-working and filled with the simple, honest values of family and community.•The Valleys are the very essence and ‘Heart and Soul of Wales’ – a great place to live, work or visit.Please see http://www.thevalleys.co.uk/heartandsoul/downloads for more information.1.4Please note that the PR element of The Valleys marketing campaign is part of a multi channel integrated campaign including, social media, direct response, digital media, online and offline advertising.2.Aims & ObjectivesAimsThere are a number of overall aims that we are striving to achieve through the delivery of the tourism marketing campaign:1.To contribute to the Sustainable Futures strategic outcome “Communities are regenerated across Wales”, and to pro-actively promote the comprehensive range of visitor facilities and cultural activities resulting from the Valleys Regional Park ERDF Project. 2.To ensure that the tourism marketing campaign contributes to the overall regeneration of the Valleys area whilst improving its image for local residents, visitors and potential inward investors, increasing awareness of the Valleys as a credible tourism destination.3.To deliver an effective tourism marketing campaign that reaches and converts its desired audience resulting in an inflow of visitors to the Valleys area.4.To deliver creative and innovative tourism marketing activity, where possible, to help project a more positive contemporary image for the Valleys as a destination.5.To ensure that all partners are fully engaged in marketing activity and given full opportunity to influence and shape campaign direction and activity.6.To develop a thorough understanding of the realistic visitor market potential for the Valleys and an appreciation of the barriers, perceptions and challenges facing the destination in a highly competitive tourism marketplace.7.To achieve increased pride in The Valleys through activities, engagement and publicity focussing on the promotion of tourism assets.8.To deliver consumer communications through the appropriate marketing channels by procuring experienced third parties to assist in delivery as and when required.9.To manage and generate tourism destination content for distribution through the marketing channels, enhancing and adding value to agreed activity.10.To ensure that achievable and meaningful targets are devised for each marketing channel and to evaluate the success of all activity11.To facilitate a process whereby Valleys marketing initiatives are sustained in the period following the end of the Phase 2 campaign.Specific outcomes:At the end of the campaign there will be 1.Increased awareness of The Valleys as a credible tourism destination2.Increased pride in The Valleys through activities, engagement and publicity ofhe many things to do, see and get involved in3.Visitors who think differently about The Valleys, 4.Increased footfall at attractions and increased visitor spend, 5.Increased community engagement and involvement in the campaign and the projects it runs.Objectives (tentative):By the end of Phase 2 of the campaign, we will achieve the following objectives:1.An overall return on investment of 15:12.65% of our target audience rating our marketing communications (in each channel) as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.3.100% of our stakeholders rating our campaign as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.4.65% of local residents stating that our communications are positively changing the image of the area5.100% of our partners rating our campaign account management as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.6.60% of our staying visitors stating that they are highly likely to return to the Valleys in the future 3.Requirements We are seeking to let a contract for a specialist Tourism Public Relations service for the Valleys involving the development and implementation of a creative, pro-active multi-channel and fully integrated public relations campaign. Some elements of the work may need to be sub-contracted where particular tourism expertise and experience will be required. It is essential that specific tourism public relations expertise is provided for this element of the contract to compliment in house resources if required.The successful company will be required to:1.Devise and implement a successful Public Relations campaign with clear targets, themes and scheduling throughout the contract period.2.Set clear specific targets and performance criteria for each element of the public relations campaign for both offline and online activity including all relevant social media channels. 3.Clearly define the media audience and channels to reach the desired audience ranging from traditional media to online blogging communities.4.Generate coverage and distribute relevant content using a variety of offline and online channels. Social media channels to be used during the campaign period will need to be identified with a clear content and engagement strategy.5.Maximise opportunities in travel media through a programme of innovative and creative Public Relations exercise throughout the year to maximise exposure for the Valleys during the campaign period.6.Report monthly on progress, identify content requirements on a monthly basis and collaborate with partners to generate necessary content. Expected to attend one marketing planning meeting per month without charge and to provide day to day, general client liaison (other than that specifically related to a briefed project) free of charge - this will include travel to and attendance at meetings etc. These meetings will explore with other agencies new opportunities and creative ideas for implementation across the entire campaign. There will be a need to work collaboratively with other agencies in the overall delivery and a need to fully brief and consult with partners on planned PR activity each month in advance.7.Recommendations and management of social media to engage target audiences including stakeholders. The successful contractor will provide detailed management plans cover each social media channels with details on how copy would be managed and approved. Only recommendations will be required for this submission.8.Deliver the campaign within the allocated budget of £60,000 which will be inclusive of all ancillary expenses such as travel and subsistence etc. 9.EvaluationIn the bid and throughout the duration of the campaign we will be looking to the contractor to advise on the most appropriate evaluation to show PR and marketing campaign objectives are being met.All activities must be delivered on the basis that evaluation of activity is feasible. The contract will stipulate that the contractor will carry out a full evaluation to assess the performance of activity against agreed performance indicators and outcomes. There needs to be continuity in the evaluation of PR and social media activity measured during Phase 1 of the campaign, and there are core metrics that could be used to evaluate the PR activity: •Pieces of coverage•Reach - % percentage of a target audience exposed to one or more message•Reach: 000’s number of target audience exposed to one or more message•Frequency (OTS – Opportunities to See): average number of times an individual is exposed to the PR•Impacts: number of times the article is seen or heard (reach 000’s x OTS)•Advertising Value Equivalent: this calculation should be based on the standard advertising rate cards updated recently•Favourability of coverage: positive, negative, neutral•Source of coverage•Analysis of what media coverage hasn’t been achieved, reasons why and recommendations for improvements•Evidence of attitudes changing and resulting behaviour change and increased visitor numbers to the Valleys for day visits and overnight staysOnline•Number of interactions on social media channels to include links, posts and comments. An analysis of who they are from and any changes in attitudes/discussions/actions over time•Online audience figures. •Evidence of attitudes changing and resulting behaviour changeWe will be looking to the successful contractor to make recommendations regarding which are most appropriate and cost effective as well as other methods, if any, that may be used4.TimetableQuotations returned by: Midday on Monday 13th August 2012Shortlisting by: Wednesday 15th August 2012Interviews: Friday 17th August 2012Contract awarded by: Wednesday 22nd August 2012Inception meeting: Friday 24th August 20125.Welsh Language Requirements The successful contractor will need to ensure that services provided through this contract are compliant with the Welsh Language Scheme for the Welsh government. A copy of the Scheme can be found at: http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/welshlanguage/publications/06wlangscheme/?lang=en http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/welshlanguage/publications/06wlangscheme/?lang=cy 6.SubmissionPlease send an electronic version of your submission to Andrew Lloyd Hughes andrew.lloyd-hughes@capitalregiontourism.org by midday on the date specified in section 4. Three hard copies of your submission should also be sent immediately following this date to:Capital Region Tourism / Uwch Ranbarth TwristiaethNorth LodgeDyffryn GardensSt NicholasVale of GlamorganCF5 6SUWe ask that all submissions agree to the following format and exclude any company promotional material. Any additional company brochures etc can be included but please note they do not form part of the evaluation.To assist with the evaluation process, your submission should be structured in the following way:1)Completed tender form (See appendix for blank form to be completed)2)Introduction3)Background (about your company)4)Methodology (Please outline the approach you would adopt in delivering each of our requirements below)Devising the Valleys PR campaign. Please include a broad description of your proposed campaign including the approach you would adopt in its delivery, including any themes that you identify as a priority for the Valleys as a destination. TargetsInclude in this section an indication of achievable specific targets and performance criteria that we should consider for each element of the PR campaign (for both online and offline activity). The media audienceClearly define the audience that you intend targeting and the channels to reach the desired audience ranging from traditional releases to online blogging communities.The generation of coverage and content distributionPlease describe how you intend to generate content for distributing through the various online and offline channels available. Please specify what these channels are likely to be. This will need to include any social media channels that you deem relevant and some ideas on how you intend to use them. This should include a clear but brief explanation on how you will maintain user engagement through each channel. Innovation and creativityPlease provide two examples of how you intend to maximise opportunities in the travel media through at least one innovative and creative Public Relations exercise / mini campaign.5)Schedule and costs (specifically what you are going to do at each stage, how long it is going to take you, by who and when. Please include a breakdown of the costs involved and a total cost for the whole work)6)Added value (what we can bring to the contract over and above the client’s requirements outlined in Section 3)7)Previous relevant experience8)Staff resource (please include details of all staff, their daily rates and any CVs etc.)9)ReferencesPlease note that you may be required to attend an interview on the date specified in section 4 above to present your submission. The client reserves the right to award the contract based on submission alone.TERMS AND CONDITIONSYour agreement to operate within the full terms and conditions of this contract must be signed and returned to the client Capital Region Tourism. The agreement documentation should be attached to the correspondence from the client inviting you to tender or provide a quotation for tourism services.OTHER CONDITIONSIntellectual Property and CopyrightAll databases and other materials including data, developed in connection with this contract will be the property of Valleys Regional Park (VRP) and partners. On termination of the contract the contractor will be required to make available to VRP and partners or to a third party nominated in writing by VRP, all database information in an electronic format (disk, digital file, etc) suitable for transfer to an appropriate database. If so requested the contractor shall provide a hard copy of the same database information.All materials, including reports, press releases, address lists, visit sheets, computer programmes and database provided or developed in connection with this contract are the property of VRP and are not to be used in any other connection, without the prior permission of VRP who may recall them at any time.All design and artwork, copy, scans and other materials prepared by or for the contractor for use, or intended use, in relation to the performance of this contract will be assigned to and shall vest in the Crown absolutely, and must not be used in any other connection by the successful bidder without their express written permission. ComplianceContract bidders must provide proof that they are registered under the terms of the Data Protection Act and comply with health and safety regulations, environmental legislation and ethical best practice. Client LiaisonThe client for this commission is Capital Region Tourism, a joint sponsor in the VRP Project, acting on behalf of and in close partnership with the local authority and other relevant partners.Your will be required to work closely with the Contract Manager and wider team in Capital Region Tourism, the website contractor, the Welsh Government Communications team, and the Valleys Regional Park Marketing Sub Group.The Marketing Sub Group will hold monthly meetings and the successful contractor will be expected to attend these meetings to report on progress and to gain approval for their proposals for the campaign.All activities will need the approval of the Contract Manager and Partnership before they can be developed and delivered. All copy will need to be approved by the Contract Manager.Contact information for the team will be provided.