Strategic Communications Support Services

The Vendor is required to provide strategic communications, naming, messaging, visual identity development, stakeholder research, and implementation of communications support related to the launch of the agency.
- The intent of this engagement is to support immediate implementation readiness and foundational program development and is not intended to serve as a full long-term advertising or public awareness campaign.
- Communications support services to assist with:
• Development of foundational messaging,
• Program naming recommendations,
• Preliminary visual identity development,
• Stakeholder communications,
• Audience testing and message validation,
• Public-facing information support,
• And issues management related to the initial implementation phase.
- Strategic Communications Framework
• Conduct kickoff and discovery sessions with agency staff and leadership
• Review existing planning materials and communications resources
• Identify priority stakeholder audiences and communications considerations
• Develop foundational messaging and communications guidance
• Provide recommendations related to implementation communications priorities and sequencing
- Messaging, Naming, and Communications Support
• Develop audience-based messaging recommendations
• Develop program naming concepts and rationale
• Prepare foundational talking points, FAQs, and background materials
• Assist with communications related to key implementation milestones
• Provide strategic communications counsel and messaging guidance as needed
- Preliminary Visual Identity Development
• Develop preliminary logo and visual identity concepts
• Recommend typography, color palette, and visual styling elements
• Create foundational visual direction aligned with implementation communications needs
• Develop basic design treatments and/or templates for communications materials provide flexibility in creative options.
- Audience Research and Testing
• Conduct virtual stakeholder testing and/or focus group sessions to evaluate naming concepts, visual identity options, and messaging approaches
• Testing should include, at minimum:
o employed state, and
o business owners, employers, and/or business leaders
• Provide summary findings and recommendations to inform final foundational communications direction
- Web and Digital Communications Coordination
• Provide strategic guidance and communications recommendations for development of a basic public-facing information landing page
• Coordinate with agency staff and/or designated web development resources
• Recommend user-focused content organization and messaging structure
• Provide visual and messaging direction to support consistency between foundational branding and initial web presence
- Issues Management and Communications Counsel
• Provide strategic communications support related to emerging issues and stakeholder concerns
• Assist with message alignment and response guidance
• Support implementation-related communications coordination as needed.