Advertising Campaign RFP

Questions about the advertising campaign process can be submitted to Ashlea Coulter at acoulter@choosenj.com.

Submission & Evaluation:

Are you looking for vendors to submit proposed approaches to this work and/or work plans? Or just a proposed timeline?
Yes, we are looking for vendors to submit a proposed approach to work along with a work plan and timeline.

We’re a digital-only agency and can manage advertising, influencers, emails, and creative but not OOH – would you still consider a digital-only agency for the digital-only elements?
Yes, you can submit a proposal for digital or creative-only focus.

Are you looking for one partner agency to handle the entire scope laid out in the RFP, including media buying, or do you envision dividing the creative strategy and execution work into smaller projects based on the creative needs of the Choose New Jersey Team?
This scope is focused on creative, strategy, and digital work. We are open to splitting some needs amongst agencies.

Regarding the evaluation criteria, can you share the total points and how they are allocated among the five criteria? 
During the evaluation phase, a higher weight will be placed on current creative/digital work quality, case studies, and examples of successful projects. Emphasis will also be placed on relevant business attraction experience and knowledge of creative and marketing automation best practices. We are looking for agencies who can provide clear direction and recommendations based on their expertise and experience.  

In addition to the information requested and included on the signed PDF proposal, are there other requirements in the approval process?
Agencies will be required to submit the RFP according to the requirements. The next steps will be a first-round Zoom interview for invited agencies, including submission of sample ads for review. Invited agencies will then participate in a final in-person interview (Zoom if needed) with our selection team and CEO.  

We work with many U.S. clients- Is there any opposition to working with an international agency?
We are open to working with any talented agency, regardless of their location.

In total, how many applications do you expect will be considered?
15-20

Are there details you can share on who makes up the evaluation team?
Our evaluation team comprises members from our marketing and leadership teams. Their positions range from creative, digital, and communications roles.

Is there a page limit for responses?     
No.

Is there a specific time on September 7 that the proposal is due?
Proposals are due before 11:59 p.m. EST

Should our budget include the cost of the ad buys? Or should the budget focus solely on labor costs?
We prefer the initial response to focus solely on labor costs. There may be an additional scope where we will ask for more information on media expenses.

How would you like us to demonstrate the quality of our creative/content? Is it through prior work, or does Choose New Jersey want to see ideas for their campaign?
A combination of both. We will be evaluating current creative and content, and we will also request that agencies who are invited to an interview submit sample creative for evaluation. 

Should our proposal include any engagement timelines? Is this proposal for an AOR relationship that’s expected to last for x years?
We seek an agency partner to support the organization and our advertising initiatives for several years. We must complete an RFP process due to organizational procedures and grant funding.

In the list of requested services, the RFP included the following language: “Create and execute the placement of all advertising assets.” In this context, what does placement refer to? Is media placement part of the services you’re looking for? Or is this more about the creative and production process?
For the scope of this RFP, the creative and production process is in collaboration with the media buying team.

When identifying sub-contractors in our response, does that include individual freelancers or agency partners? 
Please include both. 

Is your team only based in the U.S., or are there international representatives in the markets outlined that our team would engage? 
If you have international representation – Would we be liaising with partners through your team in the U.S. – or will we just submit assets through your team, and someone else will activate?

• If not – do you need us to submit with partners in all target areas?
  We have international offices, but our New Jersey office runs and activates this campaign. You can collaborate with our international partners in combination with the New Jersey team. 

Current campaign:

Can you share learnings or metrics from previous/current campaigns?
2022 Marketing the State of Innovation campaign key metrics: 

• 1.46 billion total ad impressions reaching C-suite executives, decision-makers, and site selectors in key business sectors
• 8.9 million click responses
• Campaign utilized paid media (digital display ad, e-newsletter ads, social media ads, print, out-of-home), email marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), social campaigns, custom content and B2B publications targeted at C-Suite and VP level executives across multiple sectors
• 101,609 international users driven to choosenj.com and NJinnovation.com from SEM & social campaign resulting in over 1,600 new subscribers

What is an example of successful media placement in the past year? What made it successful?
Our “This is New Jersey” assets performed higher than previous campaigns. This campaign aimed to be more specific in our targeting efforts, an example being film and media ads targeted to industry hotspots in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. These ads performed above the benchmark and delivered a strong .49 CTR in May. 

How do you measure/define conversions? What other KPIs will be used to determine success? 
Impressions and engagement measure success; ultimately, our goal is to convert to leads for business attraction. Our KPIs include click-through rates, impressions, visitors to our website, form completions, email engagement, and goal conversion on Google Analytics. 

We track a company’s progress through our customer funnel, which includes subscribers, prospects, MQLs, leads, opportunities, and wins. 

Do you currently have other agencies that the bid-winning agency will work with, or are there expectations that the new agency will lead execution across the full range of channels for the campaign (e.g., media buying, CRM management, social media execution, public relations, etc.)?
Yes, the chosen agency will likely collaborate with existing and new agencies.

The “NBC Brand Spot” video link as part of the “Advertising Assets” page is not working. Can you provide an updated link?
Updated link: https://app.frame.io/presentations/b62a2c7e-dc88-4a7b-b330-51bdb66fe9b1

Are there campaigns from other states with similar objectives that you think of as the “gold standard”/that you’d like to emulate? (e.g., “Jobs Ohio”)
A few of our competitors have strong economic development campaigns, such as JobsOhio, Mastered in Tennessee, All Inclusive Boston, and Virginia. While those campaigns are impressive, we want to have more fun and balance between business attraction and quality of life in our campaign. 

Within the Key Industries section – Are they listed in priority order? If not, can you please do so?
Here is the priority order for our Key Industries:

• Life Sciences
• Technology
• Manufacturing
• Food & Beverage
• Clean Energy – focus on offshore wind (looking to grow the reach in 2024)
• Film & Media (looking to grow the reach in 2024)
• Logistics
• Financial Services

Is there any research you can share with us?
You can review the research insights from Q1 2023 here. 

Based on the previous phase – is there prioritization of your media channels?
OOH, Digital, TV/streaming, and social are top priorities.

Is HubSpot currently being utilized in connection with this campaign? Who manages it?
HubSpot captures our lead generation forms, newsletter signups, and nurture newsletters. An agency that currently supports our digital strategy manages HubSpot, along with key members of our team. 

Will the awarded agency manage HubSpot as part of this RFP?
The selected agency will manage campaign aspects in HubSpot and be granted privileges if awarded.

Upcoming campaign:

What is the timeframe for the campaign period? 
The campaign will be ongoing in 2024.

We noticed the campaign media is scheduled to begin running in September. Is this the timing on which we should base our timeline, or will the campaign start date be moved out?
The campaign will be live during the RFP process. 

Are you seeking an evolution of the “This is New Jersey” campaigns, or are you looking for new angles demonstrating the state’s quality of life?
We want to expand on the “This is New Jersey” theme with evolved messaging and creative variations. 

Would the current “This Is New Jersey” website be re-skinned if the awarded agency develops a new look for the campaign? Would the agency have access to WordPress login to perform this?  
Redesigning the “This is New Jersey” landing page will not be a priority, but we are open to evolving our digital presence. The chosen agency would have privileges for our website. Please note that choosenj.com will relaunched in Q4, and our SEO and SEM strategy content is directly tied to our main site.

What challenges have you had with the existing campaign that you hope to solve with a new campaign?
This is not a new campaign but will be a continuation of the “This is New Jersey” campaign. We want to continue to develop our asset library, including new video and social assets, and case studies/testimonials. Increase the marketing automation capabilities to convert more contacts for our business attraction goals. 

Are there any brand guidelines we should adhere to (color palette, fonts, logo files, tone of voice, etc.), or is this something you are seeking the selected agency to develop?
An informal style guide can be found here. A formal, more detailed style guide is in development and will be shared with the selected agency.

Are you anticipating using some of the existing creative, or are you seeking all new work?
We anticipate using some existing creative as the messaging has not been exhausted yet. We plan to use existing creative for the September start of the campaign while new creative is in development. 

Media Buy:

Is there another agency handling the purchasing of TV, Radio, Podcast, Print, and Digital that is listed as currently in development? Will they bid on the services in this RFP, or do you intend to award them to another agency? 
We currently work with a media agency. This RFP is specific to the strategic, digital, and creative needs of the campaign. Existing and prior vendors have also received and submitted questions for this RFP. Additional bidding on media may be considered if you would like to provide information on those services.

Is there a desired paid media split between national and international markets?  
Approximately 60% U.S. and 40% international. This is subject to change.

Is the estimated 3.23M media buy for domestic and international markets?
Yes.

The RFP states that $3.23 million in media is currently in development. Has this already been purchased? Will the awarded agency take over this buy OR supply creative support to support the buy?
There is an existing media agency overseeing the media buy. The selected agency will lead the advertising initiative and the creative and strategic planning by working with existing partners. Additional bidding on media may be considered at a later date if you would like to provide information on those services.

Is the $1.8 million in digital media additional to the $3.23 million original budget, or does the $3.23M have $1.8M allocated to digital media already? Will the incoming agency oversee this allocation? 
The $1.8M digital allocation is a part of the $3.23M. There is a media agency in place that oversees this allocation currently, but the selected strategic partner will support this initiative as well.

Are you open to testing new media platforms other than those listed in the RFP? Relatedly, are there any media platforms you feel most strongly about maintaining? 
Yes, we are open and encourage recommendations. We feel strongly about maintaining digital ads, OOH (including billboards and transit signs), and social media (top priority being LinkedIn). We are open to exploring various platform options, including expanding podcasts and streaming services. 

Is the team open to expanding the social media buy to Instagram in addition to the LinkedIn platform? 
Yes. Our previous campaign had a presence on four platforms, and our leads were the strongest on LinkedIn, but we are open to expanding on Meta and other platforms.

Budget:

Apart from the detailed media spend, what is the budget range and cap for commission?
Any additional fees outside of the media buy would be separate.

Is there a specific percentage of the $10MM earmarked for this campaign?
~$5 million

Should our budget include the cost of the ad buys? Or should the budget focus solely on labor costs?
We prefer the initial response to focus solely on labor costs. There may be a second round where we ask to focus on media.

Can we assume that the budget for services like marketing automation, CRM, SEO, and photography/video production will lie outside of basic campaign costs (i.e., development and execution of advertising assets)?
We recommend that agencies provide an estimated budget for the services they recommend in their proposal. We are looking for a full-service agency to manage all the abovementioned aspects.

Is there a budget that is targeted for this engagement outside of the media buy? 
Yes, we ask agencies to provide an estimated cost for the services they recommend in their proposal. We are looking for a full-service agency to manage all of these aspects listed in the RPF.

Have you allocated an all-in budget for this project (understanding the media portion is $1.8M) for agency hours, production costs, etc.?
Yes. The budget is allocated for production, consulting, and additional campaign needs.