REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL:
MARKETING SERVICES

RFP: Marketing Services

• Release date: Tuesday, December 11, 2018
• Proposals must be received by: Monday, January 14, 2019 by 5:00 pm
• Interviews will be conducted: Week of January 22, 2019
• Agency selected January 2019
  
• Questions must be sent to RFPquestions@licpartnership.org
  by December 20th, until 5 pm.
• Questions will be answered by Thursday, December 27^th at 3 pm.
• Questions submitted after deadline date are up to the discretion of LICP to answer

RFP Question & Answer

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Long Island City Partnership’s (LICP) mission is to advocate for economic development that benefits Long Island City’s industrial, commercial, cultural, and residential sectors. The goal is to attract new businesses to LIC, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. The LIC Partnership is a 501(c)(3) that operates the Long Island City Business Improvement District (LICBID) and the LIC Industrial Business Zone, among other programs.

Long Island City, located directly across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, is a vibrant mixed-use community. Home to Fortune 500 companies, world-renowned arts and cultural institutions, prominent film and television studios, a large industrial base, and over 70,000 residents, Long Island City is a diverse and authentic NYC neighborhood in the borough of Queens—America’s most diverse county.

LIC is a neighborhood unlike any other, with an unparalleled and intertwining mix of sectors, at once enjoying deep roots and achieving new heights. Since 1979, the LICP has been serving this large and important area, helping to facilitate both neighborhood-wide improvements and individual company growth. LICP is celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2019. Over the last 40 years the neighborhood has gone under an enormous transformation. With its 40^th year, LICP wants to take this opportunity to shine and showcase all this great neighborhood has and what is on the horizon for the future, while honoring its history.

Currently, research has shown from the Comprehensive Plan and most recently the Life Sciences Feasibility Study that LIC has a perception challenge. People do not realize how accessible LIC really is or even where it is located nor that it is a thriving neighborhood with dining, drinking, attractive views, activities and a healthy business community. This planning effort will also involve significant community engagement, requiring an effective marketing communications strategy.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

The LICP seeks a marketing services campaign to create awareness of Long Island City assets and change the perception so people understand that this IS a vibrant live, work, play neighborhood full of vitality and opportunity. LICP’s 40^th anniversary is the impetus for the new campaign, but the program must be more evergreen in concept.

The selected agency will work with the President and Director of Marketing & Communications to develop and implement an overall marketing and communications strategy for the Partnership based on the aforementioned key coverage points.

Primary objectives to fulfill mission goals:

1) Determine LIC’s message/tag line, through research conducted with community stakeholders – residents, businesses and those who work here.

2) Develop and provide a blueprint how to best market the industrial, commercial, residential, dining, entertainment, cultural art institutions, entrepreneurial, technology, burgeoning Life Science sector and retail businesses using the LIC message/tag line as the guiding principal.

• Market that LIC is a great place to locate your business
• Market that LIC is a great place to live and raise your family and for empty nesters as well
• Market that LIC is a Life Sciences, Tech and Entrepreneurial hub
• Market that LIC is a destination – for waterfront views, dining, drinking and cultural attractions
• How to best market the retail businesses to the residents and those who work here

3) Develop a digital marketing plan using all digital mediums, paid and earned – website, SEO, social media (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube), video, email marketing program (events), redesigned e-newsletter, and any other items you think suitable.

4) Assess the current website and its ability to connect to the neighborhood and provide the data needed for residents, planning and development professionals and business assistance inquiries. Make any recommended enhancements and rearrangement of content for functionality and usage.

5) Recommend how to use the existing LICQNS secondary branding (see website) to best integrate into a refreshed look and feel across all marketing assets – marketing collateral, web, digital and print. Alternatively, make a case for a new design direction.

6) Create a new design for the annual neighborhood lamp post banner program incorporating the new message/tagline.

7) Make recommendations on a targeted communications strategy to best achieve our goals including story angles, overall direction and particular media segments.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Firms interested in submitting proposals to provide such services should follow the instructions in this Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposals should be prepared by providing a straightforward and concise description of the capabilities of the responding firms to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. 

Interested firms are asked to submit proposals that contain the following information:

• A proposal on how we can achieve our goals listed in our Scope of Services along with cost of services.
• A description of your organizational structure, including resumes of the principals, project managers and professional staff who would work directly with the Long Island City Partnership.
• Description of how you will structure your team to interact in a timely manner with LICP.
• Examples of relevant past work working with neighborhoods, economic development entities and/or destinations.
• Three relevant references.
• Any other information that you believe would make your work for the Long Island City Partnership superior to that of other firms.

SELECTION CRITERIA

In evaluating proposals submitted pursuant to this request, the LICP places high value on the following factors, not necessarily listed in order of importance:

1. Quality of work.
2. Knowledge of: the LIC area; Local Development Corporations, Business Improvement Districts and community/neighborhood organizations.
3. Innovative or outstanding work that demonstrates unique qualifications.
4. Level of experience and training of personnel assigned to this contract, staff ability and availability of principals for working with the Long Island City Partnership.
5. Cost of services with consideration of fees for additional third party agencies/consultants to fully execute our goal.
   1. Responding companies may submit a joint proposal with third parties if desired.

The Long Island City Partnership assumes no responsibility and no liability for costs incurred by the responding firm(s) prior to the issuance of a contract. The Long Island City Partnership reserves the right to negotiate with proposers or to reject any or all proposals.