The vendor is required to provide destination marketing organization services for the city.
- Increase overnight visitation and visitor spending while also engaging our local community to encourage tourism that contributes positively to city economy without compromising its environmental or cultural integrity through the following means:
1. Destination marketing
• Promotion of city as a premier coastal destination by leveraging a balanced mix of paid, earned, and owned media.
• Utilize data-driven content strategies to tell authentic stories, highlight visitor experiences, and drive engagement across all marketing platforms.
2. Brand and communications
• Shape and enhance public perception of city through consistent, values-based storytelling.
• Implement public relations initiatives, influencer collaborations, and direct-to-consumer outreach that reflect the city’s character, natural assets, and diverse cultural offerings.
3. Stakeholder relations and community engagement
• Build strong partnerships with local businesses, hospitality providers, cultural organizations, and residents.
• Champion the value of tourism as a tool for community benefit, ensuring locals feel heard, respected, and engaged.
4. Promotions and events
• Develop and support signature events, thematic campaigns, and in-market activations that generate buzz and create shareable visitor experiences.
• Promotions should align with city brand identity, enhance the local experience, and encourage overnight stays.
5. Sustainable and inclusive tourism development
• Prioritize sustainability in all promotional efforts.
• Support initiatives that highlight underrepresented voices, promote environmental conservation, and align with local values. encourage tourism that contributes positively to city economy without compromising its environmental or cultural integrity.
6. Measurement and insights
• Incorporate performance tracking, audience analytics, and visitor sentiment analysis into all aspects of the tourism strategy.
• Use insights to adapt campaigns, measure ROI, and inform future planning.
• Regularly report outcomes to the city and stakeholders to ensure transparency and continuous improvement.
- The tourism promotion services provided shall include, but not be limited to, the following tasks:
1. Destination marketing plan development & implementation
• Collaborate with city leadership to develop a strategic, data driven destination marketing plan that sets clear goals and identify implementation steps
• Continue ongoing market research to define and refine target audiences, visitor personas, travel motivations, and regional trends.
• Use insights to inform real-time adjustments and long-term strategy.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• Implement the goals of the DMP with clearly defined KPIs and timelines.
• Increased visitation during targeted seasons
• Measurable growth in visitor spending and economic impact.
• Enhanced understanding of visitor behavior and journey mapping.
2. Brand management and communications (including sustainable & inclusive tourism development)
• Maintain and evolve the discover city brand, including logo systems, style guides, tone of voice, and key messaging pillars.
• Ensure consistent application of discover city brand in marketing assets, digital platforms, and relevant third-party partner initiatives in city and county.
• Create a cohesive brand narrative that distinguishes city in a competitive coastal market.
• Shape and enhance public perception of city through consistent, values-based storytelling.
• Implement public relations initiatives, influencer collaborations, and direct-to-consumer outreach that reflect the city’s character, natural assets, and diverse cultural offerings.
• Prioritize sustainability in promotional efforts. support initiatives that highlight underrepresented voices, promote environmental conservation, and align with local values.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• Consistent branding across ≥ 90% of marketing collateral.
• Increased brand recognition and positive sentiment in target markets.
• Engagement growth on branded platforms.
• Increased number of sustainable tourism-related promotions.
3. Stakeholder relations and community engagement
• Facilitate regular engagement with local businesses, nonprofits, cultural institutions, and residents.
• Strengthen community-tourism relations by promoting local-first tourism strategies and responsible visitation.
• Create channels for stakeholder input and collaborative marketing opportunities.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• Stakeholder satisfaction and engagement survey scores.
• Number of collaborative projects or co-branded campaigns initiated.
• Reduction in tourism-related community concerns.
4. Promotions and events
• Develop and support signature events, thematic campaigns, and in-market activations that generate buzz and create shareable visitor experiences.
• Promotions should align with city brand identity, enhance the local experience, and encourage overnight stays.
• Identify opportunities for new events that drive year-round visitation and reflect city identity.
• Foster community partnerships and sponsorships to strengthen and diversify event offerings.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• Attendance, media coverage, and hotel occupancy tied to events.
• Year-over-year event-driven economic impact growth.
• Community participation and satisfaction levels.
5. Content creation, creative production and asset management
• Provide and partner with the contracted content creator on high-quality photography, videography, and storytelling assets that highlight city landscapes, attractions, local culture, and experiences.
• Maintain a robust digital asset library and monthly branded newsletter that engages target audiences.
• Provide concept development, copywriting, graphic design, and production of all creative materials for digital ads, social content, print pieces, and out-of-home media., either in-house or through vendors.
• Ensure all content aligns with campaign goals, accessibility standards, and brand tone.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• Monthly content production goals met.
• Newsletter open and click-through rates that compare to industry benchmarks.
• Growth in organic search traffic and time-on-site metrics.
• Positive qualitative feedback from stakeholders and community.
6. Marketing and advertising
a. Digital and social media marketing
• Maintain and enhance the discover city website and social media channels, ensuring content is timely, mobile friendly, and SEO-optimized.
• Develop strategic digital campaigns that grow awareness, engagement, and conversions using organic, boosted, and paid placements.
• Evaluate and implement emerging media formats, including OTT (over-the-top), CTV (connected tv), and mobile-first platforms.
b. Measurable outcomes:
• Growth in social media followers, reach, and engagement by ≥10% annually.
• Website traffic growth with improved bounce rate and time on site.
• ROI from paid digital channels.
c. Targeted advertising
• Deploy advertising campaigns that reach high-value visitor segments in key geographic and psychographic markets.
• Use programmatic ad tools, geofencing, retargeting, and other tactics to drive conversions.
• Continually optimize messaging, creative, and placement based on performance data.
d. Measurable outcomes:
• Increase in conversion rates from targeted campaigns.
• Improved return on ad spends (ROAS).
7. Reporting and accountability
• Provide quarterly progress reports and performance metrics to the city council and discover city committee, including analysis of key marketing indicators, tourism trends, and ROI.
• Present quarterly and annual summaries with visual dashboards, campaign highlights, and recommendations for improvement.
• Ensure all activities and strategies are aligned with the city council’s goals and the discover city committee’s mission.
• Adapt and pivot as needed in response to citywide initiatives, public input, and changing market conditions.
• In partnership with city leadership, conduct an annual tourism relations survey for the community.
a. Measurable outcomes:
• 100% on-time reporting.
• Demonstrated improvements in KPIs over baseline benchmarks.
• Transparent budget and resource utilization.
• Quarterly alignment check-ins with city leadership.
• Marketing efforts visibly support economic, cultural, and sustainability priorities.
- Contract Period/Term: 2 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: April 30, 2025