Destination Branding Agency RFP
Questions and Answers | July 29, 2024
- In the past 3-5 years, have you done any primary research on your target audience(s) and/or brand health? If so, can you please share with us?
- SMARI Insights conducted in June 2023
- Dean Runyan Economic Impact of Travel conducted in March 2022
- What market data and analytics tools does your organization utilize? (Symphony, STR, Kalibri, etc)
- Datafy
- Destimetrics
- AirDNA
- VisaVue
- Symphony coming on board August 2024
- Key Data coming on board August 2024
- Datafy spending analysis coming on board August 2024
- Who will be evaluating proposals and making the decision on agency selection?
- We are creating a committee that will likely consist of three representatives from North Tahoe Community Alliance and three representatives from Travel North Tahoe Nevada.
- What do you see as your primary challenges or barriers to success, both internally among stakeholders and with the traveler audiences you aim to attract?
- Differentiating our destination from other Tahoe affiliated destinations (South Lake Tahoe, Reno-Tahoe, etc.)
- Under Agency Expectations, the scope includes “name, logo and tagline”, “visual and verbal brand identity” and “creative ways to enhance and communicate the brand to visitors,”. However, the RFP also says NLMTC will use the results of the branding process to develop appropriate image, slogan and messaging? So is a new campaign for the brand launch part of the scope?
- At this time, the RFP is for branding only. Campaign development will be considered separately.
- Based on your response to question #1, perhaps the better question; is the scope of the RFP project based on Branding AOR? If project based, what is the NLMTC plan for implementing the new brand?
- We will be considering Branding AOR separately. We recognize that is part of the overall process, but at this time, this RFP is to choose a new agency for the brand project.
- It would appear via the RFP that the NLMTC wants to refine its visitor target. Can you provide any insights to those targeting priorities? What a brand stands for and means to one audience may be compelling and to another audience, not in line with their own preferences. We’re certain the process would uncover these answers in more detail, but curious if you have any preliminary thoughts around target refinement for the future.
- How do we make the biggest impact with our budget? Who should we be targeting and how do we balance the economic realities of the cost of North Lake Tahoe with our ideal visitor, stewarding the destination, and creating a visitor mix that takes us forward as generations continue to influence travel differently?
- It appears your current media agency is EXL Media. Do you envision a collaborative partnership with them during this process? Will they have input to the work covered by this scope?
- EXL Media is not our current media agency. Our current agency will not have input during the selection process.
- What metrics is the NLMTC currently using to measure the existing success of the brand? Are there metrics beyond the typical Tourism KPI’s of Visitation, Occupancy, ADR, Economic impact etc? Meaning, do you currently look at brand measurement like perception, visitor and resident sentiment, acceptance, believability, cross partner usage and brand evangelism/ambassadorship, etc?
- We have begun to evolve our brand measurement beyond the typical KPIs, but we believe this work will be inextricably linked to the launch of the new brand and where we go from there.
- Do you have a current set of research tools in place for post rebranding/launch measurement? If not, should these be included in our recommendations and total scope covered by the budget? Or would this be considered incremental and part of post-launch measurement?
- These can be considered incremental and part of post-launch.
- Is the intended scope/contract duration Dec’24-March’25? Or do we factor in April/May/June for the rebrand launch? (Or will those activities be led by someone else?) Is a launch plan desired or will that rest with your existing agency partners?
- The contact duration is through June 30, 2025. Launch is planned for July 1, 2025 with the start of our new fiscal year. A launch plan would be ideal. We have not yet determined whether our existing agency will launch the new brand. We see this process as informing that decision.
It sounds like beyond the destination brand identity, within this scope, you are also looking for activation and execution ideas, strategy, and/or examples. You speak to “creative ways to enhance and communicate our brand to visitors.” Are there key tools, examples, assets, etc. that you would like to see at the completion of this process? For example, paid media/social creative, website direction, content marketing, and other examples of campaign execution?
- We have left time within the official timeline to create the launch materials for the brand launch on July 1, 2025. April 1 – June 30 is time set aside for asset creation. We have not yet lined out exactly what those assets should be.
- What are the most potent marketing channels for North Lake Tahoe today? Are there channels you feel are currently underperforming?
- We can discuss this during the discovery phase, but we don’t believe there are any zingers here.
- Are there any components of the existing brand, tagline, seasonal brand positioning statements, or previous creative campaigns that the team would like to retain through this process? Or, components your team feels are resonating most with your audiences today?
- Everything is on the table.
- How does your team currently balance the increase in travel to Lake Tahoe with the values of destination stewardship, and responsible/regenerative travel? What have been the biggest challenges in doing so?
- The focus of our DMO has shifted to Destination Stewardship. Challenges are familiar – aging infrastructure, increasing reliance on the personal vehicle by travelers, balancing education, enforcement, and engineering to find solutions.
- How does the general public differentiate between North and South Lake Tahoe? In what way(s) does this typically manifest in their decision-making process?
- They don’t. Many people don’t actually know where they are when they are here.
- Has your team previously collaborated with the South Lake Tahoe DMO (or another entity claiming Lake Tahoe in their name)? Can you speak to any past benefits or challenges you’ve experienced in doing so?
- There was a brief collaboration many many moons ago. We are looking to differentiate ourselves.
Additional information and reference materials can be requested by contacting Kirstin Guinn:
Kirstin@NorthTahoeCommunityAlliance.com
Questions can be directed to Kirstin Guinn, NTCA Marketing Director, at (530) 416-1736 or: Kirstin@NorthTahoeCommunityAlliance.com
Proposals must be submitted to Kirstin Guinn, NTCA Marketing Director:
Kirstin@NorthTahoeCommunityAlliance.com