Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP_SLO Medium Giant1 City of San Luis Obispo 03/04/2024 Proposal for Destination Marketing Services. March 4, 2024 San Luis Obispo City Hall 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 2 Jacqui Clark-Charlesworth, On behalf of our entire staff at Medium Giant and our local partner Matchfire, we are pleased to submit our proposal for the Destination Marketing Services Agency of Record for the City of San Luis Obispo. As you’ll see articulated in our integrated response, marketing may be our job, but storytelling is our true calling. And boy does SLO have an incredible story to tell. Throughout this proposal, you will gain an understanding of how our “whole solution” is greater than the sum of its parts, and how we are uniquely qualified to craft and deliver storied connections in ways you have yet to imagine. We have a history of success in destination marketing. Medium Giant has developed award-winning, needle-moving branding and marketing programs for destination clients from Lake County CA to Ulster County NY. We know what moves consumers to take action. And we’ll put that knowledge to work for San Luis Obispo. No one knows SLO like we know SLO. Our partner Matchfire, was born right here in San Luis Obispo in 2001. For over two decades, we’ve partnered with local institutions and businesses such as SLO Chamber of Commerce, Cal Poly, French Hospital and, of course, SLO TBID. Our roots here run deep. We are galvanizing storytellers. Storytelling is in our DNA. We’re tied to an organization with a 180-year history of telling stories that help people make sense of their world. We know how to lure people into the narrative and and make those stories stick in the hearts and minds of the leisure traveler. We are grateful for the chance to share our story and vision for SLO, and we very much look forward to the opportunity to speak live and in person soon. Regards, Billy Kulkin Chief Client & Growth Officer Medium Giant Client Locations Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Iowa Kansas Mississippi Missouri New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Maryland Massachusetts Montana South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Wisconsin We believe great stories can galvanize, motivate and move people like nothing else. We come from a company steeped in storytelling. We design, craft and bring stories to life that help our clients move their customers towards action. 3 Medium Giant C-Corp, Texas 1954 Commerce St. Dallas, TX 75201 113 Dallas, TX Tulsa, OK John Kiker, President Billy Kulkin, Chief Client + Growth Officer Cody Bailey, Chief Strategy Officer Shawn Kruggel, VP Executive Creative Director Paula Serafino, VP, Integrated Media Jennifer Chininis, VP, Strategy Rachel Mosley, Group Account Director Lizzy Bakhaus, Senior Director, Brand Strategy DallasNews Corp. / Grant Moise, CEO Official Name: Firm Structure: Address: Number of FTEs: Locations: Key Officers: Parent Company: Profile of the Firm Qualifications & Description: e. Services & Activities Brand Strategy + Positioning Research + Analytics Customer Insights Creative + Content Strategy Cross-Channel Media Strategy Brand Identity + Design Cross-Channel Campaign Creative UX + UI Design Website Development Content + SEO Media Buying + Management Media Mix Modeling + ROI analysis Marketing Automation Conversion Optimization Promotional Products Acquisition in the last 5 years: Cubic Creative: April 2019 Internal Capabilities Destination Branding & Marketing Experience 4 We help DMO’s across the nation. Qualifications & Description: e. Services & Activities We affirm there are no conflicts of interest related to this opportunity. Qualifications & Description: f. Conflicts of Interest 5 Client Leadership Brittany Garcia BRAND EXPERIENCE City of San Luis Obispo TBID Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Dignity Health French Hospital San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce SLO County Sheriff’s Office eBay for Charity American Cinematheque Account Director, Matchfire Joey Leslie BRAND EXPERIENCE Dignity Health French Hospital Cal Poly San Luis Obispo eBay for Charity MARS United Nations President, Matchfire Rachel Mosley BRAND EXPERIENCE Cotton Bowl Frisco ED, TX Hampton Tourism, VA Martin County, FL Montana Tourism Sauk County, WI Ulster County Tourism, NY Visit Bellevue, WA Group Account Director Billy Kulkin BRAND EXPERIENCE Beverly Hills, CA Frisco ED, TX Hampton Tourism, VA Lake County Tourism, CA Martin County, FL Roswell, NM Ulster County Tourism, NY Vail Valley , CO Visit Bellevue, WA Chief Client & Growth Officer John Kiker BRAND EXPERIENCE Tabasco ExxonMobil AT&T World Series of Poker Starbucks Lagunitas Brewing President Lizzy Bakhaus BRAND EXPERIENCE Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Downtown Denver Partnership Rino Art District, Denver Whistler Blackcomb PepsiCo & Keurig Dr Pepper Pfizer & Lily Senior Director, Brand StrategyStrategy Brian Powell BRAND EXPERIENCE Pizza Hut Caesars Entertainment American Airlines Michelin Keurig Dr Pepper Salesforce Managing Partner, Matchfire Jennifer Chinnis BRAND EXPERIENCE Frisco ED, TX Newnan-Coweta, GA Sauk County, WI Ulster County, NY Arcis VP, Strategy CreativeTodd CrismanShawn Kruggel VP, Executive Creative Director Creative Director BRAND EXPERIENCE Frisco ED, TX Hampton Tourism, VA Mansfield, OH Sauk County, WI Ulster County Tourism, NY Visit Bellevue, WA WesternMass, MA BRAND EXPERIENCE Frisco ED, TX Hampton Tourism, VA Sauk County, WI Ulster County Tourism, NY Visit Bellevue, WA Senior Art Director Sam Kennedy Hampton Tourism, VA Lake County Tourism, CA Mansfield Tourism, IA City of Southlake, TX Roswell, NM Vail Valley , CO BOK Center Moody Center Trophy Cupcakes BRAND EXPERIENCE Hampton Tourism, VA Lake County Tourism, CA Mansfield Tourism, IA City of Southlake, TX Roswell, NM Vail Valley , CO Contract Manager Account Lead Account Lead 1 Yr 20 Yr 10 Yr 20 Yr 9 Yr 1 Yr 14 Yr 5 Yr 9 Yr 2 Yr 10 Yr 6 MediaDigitalPaula Serafino VP, Integrated Media BRAND EXPERIENCE New Hampshire Tourism Frisco ED, TX Lake County Tourism, CA Martin County, FL Ulster County Tourism, NY Montana Tourisnm Krista Roberts BRAND EXPERIENCE Visit Bellevue, WA Lake County Tourism, CA Sauk County, WI Schaumburg, IL Tarrant County, TX Ulster County Tourism , NY Executive Director,Paid Media Digital Analytics Manager Ian Stewart BRAND EXPERIENCE Newnan-Coweta, GA Ulster County, NY Frisco ED, TX Taco Bueno Carter’s Taylor Dewitt Media Reporting Analyst BRAND EXPERIENCE Dallas Morning News Bravado Wireless Lake County Ulster County International Leadership of Texas Brian Nance Chris Zacker Cameron Carranza Chief Technology Officer, Matchfire Senior UX Developer, Matchfire Developer, Matchfire BRAND EXPERIENCE eBay LG City of San Luis Obispo Alliance To End Plastic Waste San Luis Coastal Education Fund BRAND EXPERIENCE Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Adobe Meathead Movers French Hospital San Luis Obispo Meathead Movers BRAND EXPERIENCE Salesforce American Cinematheque San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce National Geographic SEO & ContentDirector, Inbound Marketing Andrew Dutcher BRAND EXPERIENCE Frisco ED, TX Ulster County, NY Athleta Banana Republic Carters 3 Yr 6 Yr 4 Yr7 Yr 20 Yr 8 Yr 8 Yr 6 Yr Senior Content Strategist Katherine Yarbrough BRAND EXPERIENCE Arcis City of Frisco IL Texas Newnan Coweta Sauk County 18 Yr Lea Brandy Creative Director .BRAND EXPERIENCE MARS Meathead Movers eBay for Charity Cal Poly San Luis Obispo French Hospital San Luis Obispo Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo 10 Yr Creative 7 Subcontractors Qualifications & Description: h/i. Subcontractors We are pleased to extend this commitment letter on behalf of Medium Giant and our partner agency Matchfire. Building on our 20-year relationship, we're passionate about our best-in-class team and we are committed to work together. This serves as an expression of our commitment to work together effectively and diligently to achieve the objectives outlined. Medium Giant is enthusiastic about the opportunity to combine our tourism expertise and resources with Matchfire to create impactful and integrated solutions for SLO. Our shared vision for excellence and dedication to delivering high-quality outcomes make us confident that this partnership will result in successful execution and meaningful results. In the spirit of collaboration, we commit to the following: -Open Communication -Resource Allocation -Shared Goals and Objectives -Timely Delivery -Continuous Improvement -Mutual Respect and Professionalism We believe that by upholding these commitments, Medium Giant and Matchfire will form a strong and dynamic partnership, poised for success in achieving our shared objectives. We look forward to embarking on this collaborative journey together and are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for SLO. Lead Agency:Medium Giant Brand Strategy & Management Account Strategy & Management Creative Services Paid Media & Search Strategy Reporting Support Agency:Matchfire Local Research Strategy Local Account Management Local Brand Activation (as needed) Website Maintenance & Services Local Content Development Event Activation & Support Accountability:Medium Giant Billy Kulkin Chief Growth & Client Officer MatchFire Joey Leslie President *There have been no instances where a subcontractor has been removed from a project. Billy Kulkin Chief Client & Growth Officer Medium Giant Joey Leslie President Matchfire 8 Presentation Title Goes Here 11/19/2021 Onboarding Scope of Work: j. Onboarding Every relationship is different and requires nuance and thoughtful planning to begin as successfully as possible. More often than not, our clients need us to learn and do simultaneously, and we are typically called upon to transition ownership of media and analytics programs mid-flight while we build a strategic road map to purposefully drive action and measure success. Our first step is to schedule a meeting with your key stakeholders, where we run through a list of discovery questions and necessary files, permissions, and access points to seamlessly assume ownership of the day-to-day. From there, we leverage what already exists from your team to activate a number of workstreams against the needs of the relationship: ●We document your business goals and marketing objectives, identifying and laddering strategic plans to long-term growth success measures. ●We immerse ourselves in your brand, crafting a connection map that articulates and inspires the kinds of experiences the brand must create to change consumer behavior. ●We leverage your existing customer data to inform and develop customer profiles and prospecting models of your ideal target audience. ●We map the intended customer experience, prioritizing the connection points where you can provide the most value and crafting an actionable, insight-rich messaging strategy. Take comfort that we will work closely with you to ensure a smooth transition. We focus on success from the start of our relationship. 99 We advance San Luis Obispo’s story by connecting message to medium. Our media approach is not just about driving impressions, eyeballs, spots, and dots. It’s about driving heartbeats, being inspirational, and sharing experiences through storytelling. We want people to fall in love with San Luis Obispo. We accomplish this by uniting your brand narrative with the right medium to ensure maximum reach and impact. We understand that the channel itself sends a powerful message to visitors, and we choose our channels wisely. What makes us the right choice for San Luis Obispo? Consider: ●Before we craft your plan, we’ll take a deep dive into your city. Studying the data. Learning about your people. Understanding your tourism and economic development goals. ●We’ll study your visitors’ journey — the mental as well as the physical. We’ll meet them where they are and anticipate where they will be next. ●We’ll use our data-driven methodology to identify untapped audiences for messaging. ●We’ll leverage the investment placed in local and regional media to secure added value and discounts. Our integrated media team will be the engine that delivers San Luis Obispo’s story to its audiences, both core and niche. And by doing so, we’ll drive the behavior change San Luis Obispo is after. “Medium Giant understands economic development and brought a swagger to our team.” Kian Kama, Executive Director, City of Tulsa Explores shared values between the brand and target audience. Synthesizes insights into an “organizing idea” that inspires shared experiences that forge relationships. CONNECTION MAP Partnering with SLO, we identify and prioritize spaces — paid, owned, earned — where your brand can create experiences that bring our storied connections to life. EXPERIENCE MAP 10 Brand Management Scope of Work: k Brand Management How we will serve as stewards of the SLO brand: ●Deep Audience Understanding ○Boots-on-the-ground research ○Leverage Mintel partnership for travel and lifestyle trends ○Qualitative interviews and quantitative research studies ○Optimizing based on attribute performance ●Competitive Edge, Always ○Ongoing competitive intelligence and social listening ○Market Opportunity Mapping ●Personalized Messaging Strategies ○Across segments throughout travel planning journey ○Sub-brand specific strategies ○Considering the organization and destination as distinct ●Integrated Marketing Mindset ○Partner with Paid Media to identify opportunities for campaign optimization ○Partner with SEO / Content to define greatest connection point opportunities with target Stakeholder Interviews (internal) Deep Dive Interviews (locals + prospects) Strategic Segment Surveys (target markets) Competitive Mapping (direct tourism competitors) Frame of Reference Mapping (secondary out-of-category) Trendscaping (in- and out-of-category) Claims/RTBs Testing (target markets) Channel Resonance (target markets) Social Listening (target markets) Ethnographies (target markets) Positioning Workshop (internal) Concept Distillation (internal) Positioning Card Research (locals + prospects) Partner Resonance (SLO partners) Message Translation Testing (international) Insights Report Strategy Map Positioning Platforms Voice of the Customer Customer Profiles Connection Map Experience Map Brand Guidelines BRAND DISCOVERY PROCESS OUTPUTS 11 Marketing Strategy Scope of Work: l. Marketing Strategy Establishing Testing + Measurement Framework BUILDING ON PAST SUCCESS + LEARNINGSESTABLISHED KPIs TO OPTIMIZE AGAINSTOverall Progress on Supporting Goals Campaign PerformanceChannel Health Creative Assessment OBJECTIVES Awareness Consideration Lead Gen Acquisition CHANNELS + PARTNERS CREATIVE CTV/Video Display Audio Native Paid Social ALIGN KPIs AGAINST GOALS AND CREATIVE MEASUREMENT Awareness Consideration Engagement Lead/Conversion DEVELOP CREATIVE VARIABLES (A/B) Until further defined with your team, our objectives for SLO are as follows: ●Give tourists a compelling reason(s) to visit ●Convince tourists they can’t see it all in one trip and should return to SLO ●Create experiential desire among visitors for increased spend per visit Not only are we constantly optimizing the campaign based on performance results, but we are always monitoring external factors and competitive behavior. The full-funnel Marketing Strategy developed will be complementary to the following strategic documents: ●2024 Business & Marketing Plan ●2026 Strategic Direction ●2019-24 TBID Strategic Plan ●2022-23 SLO TBID Annual Report VISIONA vibrant and sustainable SLO CAL, fueled by a collaborative and flourishing tourism industry 12 Content Development Scope of Work: m. Content Development Build tailored itineraries Understand their lifestyle and needs and do the work for them. Make it easy for them to imagine themselves in the experience. Even consuming the content should have the desired emotional effect. Don’t just tell them where to go and what to do but give them a sense of how they’ll feel when they get there. Message them at key decision points When they’re burned out at work When they’re celebrating a major life event When they long for fresh air and open spaces When they’re reflecting on a life challenge When they’re seeking excitement When they want control When they want to let go Adventurers LGBTQ+ Alumni Foodies Beer/wine enthusiasts Nature lovers Art lovers Road trippers Hikers Solos & Couples Pet Lovers Focus on core audiences Develop taxonomy for audience and need state Some people like to build their own experience. To make it feel more personalized, allow them to explore by persona and desired emotional outcome, in addition to the prerequisite category, geography, and price point. Ensure the information in the database also sparks emotion. How would you use content to help communicate the experiences and offerings in San Luis Obispo? A strategy that addresses your customers’ needs, your brand’s SEO opportunities, your business objectives, and key success metrics helps to maximize the return on your content investment. We’ll take a holistic approach to defining the best content opportunity. What role do you see content on owned channels like the website and email in the marketing program for Visit SLO? Content should be defined based on audience interest and opportunity, but SEO should play a heavy role here. Technical, on-page, and off-page improvements can increase search engine rankings, raise search visibility, and attract more qualified traffic to your website. 13 Creative Services Scope of Work: n. Creative Services We start with leather pants. Sound odd? Read on. When Bono, leader singer of U2, was asked by an interviewer how he psyched himself up before each concert he replied, “I don’t. You put on the leather pants, and the pants start telling you what to do.” Every great destination needs a compelling story and that story needs a hook, a center of inspiration. Something that sets the main plot of a story in motion. An inciting incident. A truly powerful and meaningful force that conjures up ideas, inspiration and belief, like a pair of leather pants. Every brand needs to share their story. It’s our job to make sure your story is supercharged with pure San Luis Obispo energy. And just the right amount of swagger. Forget selling. If we’re selling we’re not inspiring. Our job is to find your leather pants. Because it’s the leather pants, the powerful center of inspiration, that will lead us to a place where we defeat indifference. Find hidden truths. Take pleasure in “what if?” The biggest risk to brands is that they become forgettable. Unmemorable. Wallpaper. Let’s not do that. Let’s tell a remarkable story. Together. “Medium Giant’s creative process revealed an underlying theme about our core nature that we had not previously considered relevant to our brand. They wove that into a brand essence and identity that now serves as the filter for all the work we do from ad creation to long-term planning.” Neal McCoy Executive Director Tupelo 14 Creative ServicesScope of Work: n. Creative Services A short story about our process. 1.We understand what we’re up against – the attention economy. With every destination fighting for eyeballs and heartbeats only truly great stories will break through. The San Luis Obispo story must put our audience at the center. 2.We will establish the critical context. Yes, we believe the 4 C’s are paramount to developing and understanding the landscape in which we exist. ●Company – what’s at the heart of San Luis Obispo - people, values, assets, climate, hidden gems, archetypes, attributes and even our faults. ●Category – what tourism trends can we learn from, leverage or own? ●Competition – who’s eating our lunch and how? If our audience is choosing others like us, let’s understand why and find our own zag. ●Culture – what unique aspects of culture are driven by San Luis Obispo? Culture is what drives engagement and meaning, it’s the ultimate cookie. Let’s take a big bite and leverage pop-culture in real time. 3.We will uncover creative tension – an inciting incident – that drives emotion. San Luis Obispo delivers emotion in spades. Who loves you? Hikers, eco-tourists, scenic view chasers, untouched nature lovers , foodies and more. It doesn’t get more emotional than love – and emotion is the cure for the attention economy. 4. We will plant a flag, a story-driven connection point. A critical creative insight that compels our audiences to action and makes SLO mean more to more people. 5. We will deliver a fully immersive, multi-disciplinary, multi-channel campaign that drives connections where our audiences live most, IRL and online and even where they least expect it. Our Media Process — Driving Precision, Engagement, Performance 1 DATA & RESEARCH 4 CREATIVE RELEVANCY 5 KPI MEASUREMENT/TEST DESIGN Drill down into target audience segment/personas. Treat each differently. Be more intentional with seasonality, flighting, spending across local, regional drive and fly markets using proprietary mobility data. Travelers spend an average of 303 minutes, or more than 5 hours per day on travel content during the 45 days before booking. Media channels, targeting tactics, ad placements, and influencer engagements need to consider this highly nuanced traveler planning journey. Ads should be focused on the traveler’s planning journey, unique to what their interests are. The creative should inspire, give reason to extend the stay, revisit again and again. It should convert when necessary with strong CTAs and lower barrier to conversion. Design a testing architecture that will provide methodologies and anticipated outcomes based on priority KPIs. Drive campaign ads to pointed areas on the website to shorten the point of conversion. Consider custom landing pages to cut through the clutter for paid media intentionality if there’s an opportunity to do so. 3 FULL FUNNEL PLANNING Review website content, audience intelligence, vendor research and past media plan performance to identify emerging markets and projected travel patterns for laser focused investments. 2 AUDIENCE REFINEMENT/GEO ANALYSIS 15 Scope of Work: o. Paid Media PlanningPaid Media 16 16 Our rigorous research & planning framework coupled with the art of storytelling, sets the right foundation. Paid Media 16 FIRST-PARTY DATA ANALYSIS 2ND + 3RD PARTY DATA SETS MG’S PROPRIETARY MOBILITY DATA TARGET SEGMENTS Enjoying The Finer Things in Life Outdoor Escapists On a Whim Roadtrippers Progressive Passionists Solo & Couple Adventurers Our initial audiences and geotargeting research findings have our wheels turning already. Early insights may pave the way for untapped media channel, tactic, audience and messaging decisions. 16 Scope of Work: o. Paid Media Planning 17 17 STRATEGY + MEDIA PLANNING CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT INTEGRATED MEDIA PLANNING/BUYING Best-in-class tools for strategy, planning and campaign management leveraged for paid media give us — and San Luis Obispo — an edge. Paid Media Scope of Work: o. Paid Media Planning The optimization path to activating high-quality traffic starts with the right building blocks in the right order with the proper analysis, testing and learning at the right time. Map customers (audience research) Define objectives Go Live! {Initial learning phase in motion and housekeeping) Optimize based on initial data, Analyze initial test outcomes for enhancements Scale best performing segments and optimize/test further Revisit media mix and Re-energize (i.e. refresh creative or LP) Test new/emerging products & tech where the media isn’t working and identify the sweet spot Set your north star Identify + understand the impact of your investment Get more out of your investment Capture more demand Scale to full potential Start Here 12 pt Audit + restructure ad accounts Phase I Phas e II Phase I I I Phase IV 14325Research, Planning, Foundation + Testing Set Up Positive Signals + Leading Indicators Repeatability to Business Outcomes Operationalized to Scale Fully Integrated + Established Program18 Scope of Work: o. Paid Media Planning Paid Media Preliminary Insights Focus spending on priority drive markets leveraging our proprietary audience mobility data paired with a focus on identifying likelihood of mid-week stays. Invest in fly geos based on level awareness and propensity to visit San Luis Obispo and talk to them differently depending on their reasons to visit. Denver and Seattle booking data suggests potential fly market prioritization shifts for Seattle and Denver. Couple & solo travelers (particularly couples) could be doubled down on for possible increased lodging and revenue gains. Possibly target attracting when it’s warmer in SoCal during Seattle/Denver winters. Consider non-GDN and explore programmatic display DSP buying opportunities 1919 Paid Media Refined Outdoor Adventurers Enjoys visiting places that feel a little like home with a twist of a smaller, progressive town with a local community vibe. Craves adventure in the form of immersing in nature and exploration. Respects mother nature and prioritizes places that invest in it. Enjoys both relaxation and active adventure in the form of a getaway trip. Aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, but also enjoys the finer things in life. Who are they? Demographics Adults 25-44, Male or Female Couples, Solos HHI $75K+ What are their interests, passions? Travel, hiking, wilderness exploration, outdoor adventures, road tripping, photography, foodies, beer & wine enthusiasts, art lovers, sustainability, events & festivals Media and brands they consume Example of a multidimensional persona, identifying unique media consumption and buying habits: 20 Fix technical issues so search engines can find, crawl, and index your web pages and they can show up in search results. Optimize on-page elements, such as content and source code, to improve existing pages for users and search engines alike. Develop new content — including articles, images, and video — to add relevant new pages that help attract new web visitors. With constant changes in rules and tools, SEO can feel like a black box. We decode it to create simple, actionable plans focused on performance and return on investment. We aim to improve both search results and the site experience so people not only find your website, but also convert when they get there. We break down SEO into 3 actionable areas. SEO Scope of Work: p. Organic Search 2121 Website Development Scope of Work: q. Website Development We are very familiar with your current site - our team (Matchfire) built the infrastructure, UX and UI. And we are excited to take it to the next level. With a solid digital presence, VisitSLO.com website enhancements will be driven by monitoring and mapping the user’s journey through the site. We will focus on optimizing site usability—delivering the user the most relevant information quickly and efficiently. STRATEGY Using data and insights, we create custom experiences for users based on interest or location, to deliver relevant content that resonates on arrival. Paying specific attention to things to do, we can surface local activities and events with targeted “SLO crafted” content, highlighting what differentiates SLO and encouraging repeat visits. Website updates that require design and development follow our tried and true process: ●Discover ●Information Architecture + Design ●Development + Production ●Test + Deploy TECH We are experts in WordPress and the underlying technologies of PHP, CSS, JavaScript/REACT that VisitSLO.com is built on. Utilizing best practices of modern web/software development we have built the site to be modular based to create unique pages directly in the CMS while keeping design, usability, and accessibility intact. TRENDS With an ever-evolving digital landscape it is crucial for our team to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in order to maximize our client's digital presence and authority. We stay mindful of trends in design, user experience, digital content, and SEO, among others. MEASURES OF SUCCESS We use tools such as Google Analytics, HotJar, and SEM Rush to evaluate website performance on a micro-level, with optimizations made in real time. 22 Research & Analytics Scope of Work: r. Research & Analytics Marketing Acumen + Industry/Brand Data + Campaign Performance = Brand Insights Sound analytics is objective-oriented and starts with clearly defined and addressable business challenges. From there we identify data sources that are either readily available or will be needed to provide perspective and dimensions that inform our understanding. We also work from a fundamental premise that data sources are inherently flawed or incomplete, so we have to do a qualitative assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the inputs used in the quantitative analysis. Our AI-fueled management hub provides performance visibility and transparency across all campaigns. Campaign data is ingested into our centralized, but segmented, data warehouse for flexibility and automation. Measurement plans and reporting options can be customized based on our client needs. 23 The key to a long-term partnership is maintaining a fluid working relationship with you and your stakeholders. We accomplish that through a rigorous commitment to account and project management -and having a boots-on-the-ground local presence with Matchfire. Based in San Luis Obispo, Matchfire offices are only 5 minutes away from downtown and SLO City Hall, permitting far more efficient in-person meetings. Our team is available for monthly TBID Board meetings, monthly marketing committee meetings, and internal weekly team meetings. Time to attend these meetings will be accounted for in the administrative costs noted in the budget outline. Our client leadership organization is designed to provide the right level of support and experience to serve our clients with excellence — from small-footprint media activations for local businesses to multimillion-dollar AOR relationships. Our project managers and account managers are thick as thieves throughout every engagement, keeping close tabs on the project plan and communicating with you frequently about our progress. Our agency operations team ensures our internal systems and processes run smoothly and efficiently, so no internal roadblocks get in the way of great client work. Travel & Administrative We are set up to serve — and committed to staying on task and on time. Efficiency and effectiveness only happen with a tight scope and project plan. We believe in the RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed) matrix so all participants understand their role from jump. At the beginning of the project, we jointly decide the frequency of status calls, which is when we share crucial updates that you can pass along to stakeholders. Those status meetings also include pulse checks on budget tracking and risk assessment. We identify potential risks by keeping close tabs on project velocity, resource planning, and dependencies between activities. Just as important, we are clear in our expectations of you so that we can hold each other accountable for the success of the project. You should expect Medium Giant to be in market when needed. Every in person meeting will be purpose-driven and planned out. We’ll take advantage of partner hotels that are willing to give discounts if there are opportunities keep travel costs down. Scope of Work: s. Travel & Administration Scope of Work INTELLIGENCE + STRATEGY Research + Analytics Creative + Content Strategy Omnichannel Social Media Strategy CREATIVE + CONTENT Brand Identity + Design Omnichannel Campaign Creative Content + SEO Organic Social Promotional Item Design and Fulfillment MEDIA + TECHNOLOGY Paid Social + Display Conversion Optimization GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSICA bowl game #LikeNoOther The Question The Cotton Bowl is one of the most prestigious bowl games in all of college football. With the first game dating back to 1937, the Cotton Bowl is rich in history and deserved social branding and a campaign that highlighted the nostalgia and legacy of the game. How could we help the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic game maintain and elevate its status as one of the most highly anticipated college football games of the year? The Answer To evolve the branding for this special event, we focused our efforts on respecting and elevating the only “Classic” bowl on and off the field. From yard lines to bloodlines and timelines, the Cotton Bowl celebrates, honors, and reminds us of the value of experiencing the game of football together. Football is a sport that unites us in the love of competition and acts as a cultural thread that ties us together. The social strategy we built establishes modern connections and prompts viewers to make their own mark on this ever-expanding, traditional event, focusing on creating buzz around the game and engaging fans through interactive polls and games. 145%INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENT ACROSS ALL CHANNELS YoY TOTAL IMPRESSIONS YoY115% The Outcome The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic game successfully maintained its status as one of the most highly anticipated college football games of the year, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the ever-changing college football landscape. Scan and see more of this story. INCREASE IN TOTAL VIDEO VIEWS YoY304% Innovation Case Study Innovation Case Study 25 CASE STUDY COTTON BOWL CASE STUDY COTTON BOWL 88 BRIDGE FROM THE PAST, ROAD TO THE FUTURE During our second year of partnership, the landscape of college football saw many changes, from playoff expansion to player NFTs. More teams and enhanced access mean more excitement for fans, alumni, and student-athletes. The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic has the opportunity to embrace the future while remembering everything that brought them to this moment. It's time for the Cotton Bowl to express itself boldly at this new era's dawn. 26 COTTON BOWL: PROGRAMS & TICKETS 27 COTTON BOWL: TEAM BUSES & STADIUM GRAPHICS 28 COTTON BOWL: MASCOT DEVELOPMENT 29 Auditors regularly hold us accountable for time, work delivered, and billing. Budget Our auditors continuously review our time, work delivered, and billings. Each month our hours must match up to the client work delivered. We use Kantata as our time time tracking system. Team members enter their time daily, and supervisors review and approve time each month, ensuring accuracy and accountability. We’re upfront about everything — even trying to answer the question of “what do you charge?” The fact of the matter is both of us are after the same thing: to produce the highest quality product that has the greatest positive impact for the city of San Luis Obispo. We will always be open and fair with our pricing and are willing to work with you and your team in order to meet your budget requirements. We will work hard to put all of your dollars into deliverables. We are most interested in a long-term partnership with you. A program of this potential scale warrants a team dedicated to its collective success. We welcome the opportunity to work with you to develop a comprehensive budget and mutually beneficial compensation structure. BUDGET: $1,150,000 Work Plan Hourly Rates Projected Hours % Budget Total Cost Brand Strategy & Management $200 220 3.8%$44,000 Account Strategy & Project Management $135 367.5 4.3%$49,612.50 Creative Services $155 730 9.8%$113,150 Paid Media, SEO Strategy & Management $150 710 9.2%$106,500 Paid Media Buy 50%$575,000 Website Maintenance & Services $145 250 3.2%$36,250 Content Development $150 300 3.9%$45,000 Reporting $135 100 1.2%$13,500 Other (Misc./Ideation/Photography/Exec.Reporting)9.6%$110,000 Travel 2.2%$25,000 Additional (Event Attraction, Group Sales, Organic Social Media, Proactive Public Relations, & Research)2.8%$31,700 Total $1,149,712.50 30 Preliminary Budget Allocation We are certain there will be minimal additional costs for this engagement but strongly believe a conversation should take place before any costs are tossed out in a response with so much on the line. Budget 31 Work ProgramWork Program Medium Giant MatchfireKEY: APPENDIX 32 Other Information Proposal Submittal Summary Certificate of Insurance References Professional Work Samples 33 Strategic marketing for government agencies comes with great responsibility. Provide any other information that would assist us in making this contract award decision From our tourism experience, we know working with public organizations requires sensitivity and accountability. As you can see from this RFP response, we work with cities, counties, DMOs, CVBs, and tourism departments coast to coast. Our efforts to drive tourism dollars impact economic development and enable our clients to invest in quality-of-life programs for an area’s residents. We don’t take this responsibility lightly. Not only are we accountable to you as the client, but we are ultimately accountable to the businesses and residents of SLO. We implement proven processes that allow us to measure the effectiveness of your programs, provide ongoing reports, and make data-informed recommendations. We’re also committed to fiduciary responsibility. Although we leave room for creativity, we spend every penny wisely — and in service of the strategy. Our contracts with media vendors hold our partners accountable for fulfilling placements with detailed follow-up reports and define clear payment terms with the contract guarantor being Medium Giant. As part of a publicly traded company, we adhere to all laws and regulations. Assumptions ●Medium Giant wil have an opportunity to collaborate with SLO to finalize a scope of work and budget allocations ●MG will have access to the existing photography and video library (new asset development can impact fees) ●MG will have access to all existing research and analytics for the past 3 years ●MG and SLO will work together to determine and agree upon specific metrics for success Work Program: Description of assumptions 34 Proposal Summary Submittal Forms: a. Proposal Summary 35 Statement of past contract disqualifications Submittal Forms: Statement of past contract disqualifications February 27, 2024 12:00pm, Dallas Texas 36 Certificate of Insurance Submittal Forms: b. Certificate of Insurance Bellevue, WA Brad Jones Executive Director 11000 NE Sixth St. Bellevue, WA 98004 bjones@visit bellevuewashington.com 425-450-3710 Contract Date: 2017 - present Program Description: Branding // Creative // Integrated Media Martin County, FL Nerissa Okiye Tourism & Marketing Manager 2401 S.E. Monterey Road Stuart, FL 34996 nokiye@matin.fl.us 772-288-5445 Contract Date: 2015 - present Program Description: Analytics // Branding // Creative // Direct Marketing // Integrated Media // Marketing Strategy // Paid Search // Web Development Lake County, CA Brian Fisher Lake County TID Communications / Marketing Chair P.O. Box 712 Kelseyville, CA 95451 info@discoveryourlake.com 415-730-0274 Contract Date: 2019 - present Program Description: Analytics // Branding // Creative // Inbound Marketing // Integrated Media // Web Development Ulster County, NY Lisa Berger Director 20 Broadway Kingston, NY 12401 lbrg@co.ulster.ny.us 845-340-3568 Contract Date: 2016 - present Program Description: Analytics // Branding // Creative // Inbound Marketing // Integrated Media // Marketing Strategy // Paid Search // Web Development References City of Frisco, TX Jason Ford President 6101 Frisco Square Blvd. Frisco, TX 75034 friscoedc.com JFord@FriscoEDC.com 972-292-5158 Contract Date: 2021 - present Program Description: Branding // Creative // Inbound Marketing // Integrated Media // Marketing Strategy 37 Submittal Forms: c. References Scope of Work INTELLIGENCE + STRATEGY Research + Analytics Customer Insights Creative + Content Strategy Omnichannel Media Strategy CREATIVE + CONTENT Brand Identity + Design Omnichannel Campaign Creative UX + UI Design Website Development Content + SEO MEDIA + TECHNOLOGY Media Buying + Management Paid Social + Display Conversion Optimization ULSTER COUNTY, NYSeek for Yourself The Question Known for its rugged beauty and Dirty Dancing-era heyday, Ulster County needed a refresh. Could we help this remote area of upstate New York attract overnight visitors from the surrounding metro areas of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut? KPIs Tourism Tax Revenue Lodging Referrals Media Channels Paid Search // Programmatic Digital + Video + Native // Paid Social // OTT/CTV 62%INCREASE IN TOURISM TAX REVENUE SINCE 2018 YOY INCREASE IN LODGING REFERRALS 2020 - 2021 “This team immersed themselves in our community to build a truly authentic brand to represent us. It has been working incredibly well for us ever since. From successful broad-based advertising campaigns to COVID-focused campaigns, our county has reaped the benefits of their work.” Lisa Berger, Director ULSTER COUNTY TOURISM Scan and see more of this story.220% The Answer Starting with immersive brand research, our team saw that Ulster County was full of people with an entrepreneurial spirit. They attract and cater to those who seek the new, the undiscovered, the authentic experience. That led us to “Seek for Yourself.” We’ve been Ulster County’s AOR since 2017, building and executing a branding strategy and omnichannel marketing and social campaigns that promote Ulster County to overnight visitors in the tri-state area. Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 39 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 40 Advertising Campaign Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 41 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples Scan our QR to view the website 42 Visit vimeo.com/445672293/a2f880739f vimeo.com/445675228/1bf4bddf10 to view our commercials or scan QR codes VIDEO SPOTS Scope of Work INTELLIGENCE + STRATEGY Research + Analytics Customer Insights Creative + Content Strategy Omnichannel Media Strategy CREATIVE + CONTENT Brand Identity + Design Omnichannel Campaign Creative UX + UI Design Website Development Content + SEO MEDIA + TECHNOLOGY Media Buying + Management Paid Social + Display Conversion Optimization SAUK COUNTY, WILand Made. The Question Famous for The Dells, this region in Wisconsin wanted a distinctive identity that defined the county for prospective businesses, residents, and visitors. Could we help Sauk County strengthen economic development, tourism, and relationships with other local agencies? The Answer We set out to unify the county through a single brand identity and design language. Through our immersion process, we discovered that the land drives the community and its way of life — and that same land becomes essential to the experiences of the people looking to escape, leading us to “Land Made.” From there we completed an identity system with a new website and got to work on our first campaign together. 155mm RECORD-BREAKING ECONOMIC IMPACT COUNTY IN WISCONSIN FOR DIRECT TOURISM SPENDING #2 The Outcome Our brand work evolved into an award-winning website and integrated marketing campaign, which has driven record-breaking tourism numbers with over $155mm in economic impact landing Sauk County in the #3 position for total state tourism revenue and #2 position for direct consumer spending. Scan and see more of this story. 44 Sauk County is LAND MADE. Like all landmarks, we’re easily recognizable. In between every serene sunrise and dazzling sunset, Sauk County makes it easy to be won over by our idyllic setting and personal charm. The vast beauty of the natural terrain creates a space where creativity, innovation, and talent can thrive in all its forms. Surprise and delight are as common as the roll of the hills, the rushing melody of the streams and our smiling faces. Our identity, authenticity and interconnectedness with what the land provides are what ensures Sauk County is Land Made. Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 45 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 46 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples We made magic together on the web. 47 Explore Sauk County website launched on March 31st, 2022. In November 2022, the site won a Gold MarCom Award in the Tourism Website category. The MarCom awards are one of the largest, most-respected creative competitions in the world. Each year, over 6,500 entries are submitted from dozens of countries. 46k 76k Users who have engaged with the site since launch. Page views across the site since launch. 7,330 75% Visits via search engines. Primarily from users in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison. Volume of users engaging from mobile devices. Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 48 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 49 Submittal Forms: d. Professional Work Product Samples 50 HOW TO REACH US: mediumgiant.co 918.809.9644 billy.kulkin@mediumgiant.co