Digital Advertising and Media Buying Services

The Vendor is required to provide for digital advertising and media buying services.
- Assist the agency central Brand Management team, as well as marketing and communication teams across the university system to improve brand perception, drive enrollment and engagement, and influence action with high-quality advertising placement.
- Both services: (1) Digital advertising and (2) Media buying and consulting.
- Digital Advertising:
o    Campaign scale and objectives will vary by project and may support undergraduate and graduate recruitment, event promotion, and/or institutional brand awareness across local, regional or national audiences.
o    The vendor(s) should have a proven track record of making data-informed decisions and the ability to manage university digital ad campaigns of varying scales and timelines.
o    Must place all digital advertising directly with media platforms and publishers.
- Content development and creative feedback — Ability to create digital advertising content, landing pages and creative elements is a plus. Provide counsel on internally developed materials to support campaigns based on industry experience and analytics.
- Analytics tracking and campaign optimization — Track and share analytics and conversions. Optimize and target campaigns appropriately based on objectives. Ensure proper audience targeting and provide timely feedback when campaigns need adjustment. Ability to integrate with Technolutions Slate is preferred.
- Reporting — Provide regular campaign performance reports with key metrics and actionable insights.
- Services may include, but not limited to:
•    Social media advertising (Meta, X, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify)
•    Google Ads
•    Search and PPC ads
•    Display advertising
•    Retargeting
•    Mobile targeting and geofencing
•    Geotargeting
•    IP targeting
•    Paid search optimization
•    Audience matching
•    Programmatic advertising
•    Connected TV/OTT
•    Additional digital technologies
- Media buying and consulting
•    develop and execute media buying strategies, target audience development, contract negotiation, oversight of deadlines and agreements, and comprehensive campaign reporting to support key university objectives on a project-by-project basis.
•    Projects will be assigned individually throughout the contract period based on specific campaign needs, vendor availability and expertise and competitive project proposals. 
•    Campaign scope may range from local state market buys to regional or national placements.
- Support should include:
•    Strategy development — Provide strategic insight and data analysis on reaching target audiences for university advertising campaigns.
•    Contract negotiation — Negotiate advertising contracts on behalf of the university and secure key placements in partnership with university.
•    Project management — Ongoing oversight of active campaigns, ensuring deadlines and overall objectives are met.
•    Content development and creative feedback — Provide counsel on internally developed materials to support campaigns based on industry experience and analytics. 
•    Campaign optimization — Track, optimize, and target campaigns appropriately based on objectives. Ensure proper audience targeting and provide timely recommendations when campaigns need adjustment.
•    Comprehensive reporting and tear sheets — Provide robust reporting on a regular basis (at least monthly) that tracks impressions, ROI, and other key metrics. Reporting should include spot invoice audits matching spot time, dates, costs, and commercial numbers with original buy schedule; post-buy analysis; and reach/frequency estimates. Tear sheets will be required for print advertising before payment is processed.
•    Professional development — Ability to train university personnel on media buying best practices.