REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Roxborough Brand & Website Design For the ROXBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Roxborough Brand & Website Design For the ROXBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Issued by: ROXBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION All respondents must submit proposals electronically to Samantha Bridge, Marketing & Communication s Manager, Roxborough Development Corporation; samantha@roxborough.us Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 by . We anticipate the project to start February 1, 2015.

2 A. PROJECT OVERVIEW The Roxborough Development Corporation (RDC) seeks to contract a creative firm to develop a new identity and brand for the Roxborough neighborhood. The firm will also create a newly developed website as a tool for the brand to communicate Roxborough s appeal. This is the first major branding initiative for the Roxborough neighborhood. The brand must be able to connect to a wide range of audiences in the community including current and prospective residents, businesses, developers, as well as visitors. Roxborough currently has no set branding, only a basic logo for the RDC. Please note this project is intended to address the brand identity for the neighborhood as a location, and not the Roxborough Development Corporation. The website redesign is for both the neighborhood as well as the Roxborough Development Corporation. The RDC s current website was established in 2008 and can be visited at B. ORGANIZATION MISSION STATEMENT To provide Roxborough residents with high quality shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences. C. ROXBOROUGH DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OVERVIEW The RDC is an economic development corporation managing the Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor extending from Main Street to Domino Lane in the Roxborough section of Northwest Philadelphia. The RDC s board, volunteers, and staff have been working hard since 1992 to enhance Ridge Avenue for the Roxborough community by promoting special events, beautifying and cleaning Ridge Avenue, helping existing businesses to expand while recruiting new ones, as well as marketing and communicating about the corridor and the organization throughout the year. As one of the 13 Business Improvement Districts (BID) in the City of Philadelphia, since 2003 the RDC has blended the Main Street Four Point Approach, a downtown revitalization organizing mechanism, while relying on two sustainable revenue sources, the Community Development Corporation Tax Credit Program and a Business Improvement District, to support operations and programming. This hybrid model has created a highly effective public-private partnership to revitalize the Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor. Most recently the RDC launched a five year strategic plan, Roxborough 2020, which can be found at One of the major goals for the RDC in building off of Roxborough 2020 is to create a new Roxborough brand and identity to be transformed into a redesigned website for the neighborhood. D. CURRENT CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES Through Roxborough 2020 and the Roxborough Branding Initiative the RDC seeks to advance a conversation about what the neighborhood and the Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor can be in the future. Many neighborhood residents that have lived in the community for decades often talk about the glory days and how things use to be. While we must understand our character and history, the conversation needs to evolve into the potential for what the future holds for the Roxborough community. In addition to the aforementioned sentiment, while the neighborhood has its own

3 unique identity, the absence of a proactive brand, has led many to market and promote Roxborough to newcomers as Manayunk. With these factors in mind there is a growing group of stakeholders who are interested in promoting Roxborough and building off a range of superlatives the neighborhood has to offer. The Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor and Roxborough as a whole has a flourishing mix of businesses, great schools, a strong quality and diversity of housing, great outdoor parks and trails, as well as a strong and involved community. It is the safest, greenest neighborhood in Philadelphia and has one of the highest household income averages in the city. Further, it tops the city in new construction and has a diversity of housing stock that is unmatched in Philadelphia. Similar to Philadelphia, Roxborough s future will strongly depend upon the continued influx of millennials that are calling the city home. By developing a new brand, the goal is to move away from past perceptions of the area and promote the new image including the assets and positives that Roxborough has to offer. E. OBJECTIVES As the RDC currently works to promote the Roxborough neighborhood the goal is to bring more people to the Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor to experience what Roxborough has to offer. Therefore we want the brand to reflect this goal and have the ability to be tailored to specific audiences. The goal of the website is to provide information to residents, stakeholders, and visitors, as well as to increase awareness of Roxborough, build brand identity, and to promote the Roxborough neighborhood. We want an easy-to-use, interactive, and engaging website that serves as a valuable resource to our audiences. Ultimately we want to inform the current residents of the happenings in the area, as well drive economic growth for the corridor. A list of project objectives for branding and the website are as follows: BRANDING Create a new Roxborough identity that communicates a bold distinctive brand representative of the neighborhood s unique human, natural, recreational, historic, shopping and dining assets. Increase visits to Ridge Avenue and target visitors coming into Philadelphia. Increase visits to Ridge Avenue by current residents, residents of nearby communities, including suburban residents. WEBSITE Create an attractive and cutting-edge website that clearly communicates the neighborhood s new brand and messaging. Increase awareness of Roxborough, build brand identity, and to promote the Roxborough neighborhood. Compatibility with a range of devices, including cell phones and tablets. Photos/graphics prominently displayed, which rotate as a slideshow and are easily updated by staff. User sign up for monthly e-newsletter. Section for new announcements on the home page easily updated by staff. Site search capabilities using key words or phrasing that will locate content. Capacity for multi-media uploads, PDFs, images, audio, and embeddable video with YouTube, Flickr slideshows. etc. Crosslinks with partner organizations. Functions for sponsorship opportunities within the site (banner ads and

4 widgets). Compatibility with all web browsers. Analytics website must including coding to enable tracking internally by Google Analytics or a similar tool. Contact information on every page. Work with the RDC to finalize their draft and collection of the new site map, layout concepts, copy and photographs. F. PROJECT PROCESS The selected firm should expect a kick-off project launch meeting where they will meet with leaders of the project s steering committee. This will also be an opportunity to collect information on Roxborough 2020, current market research and neighborhood planning documents as well as references to information that will guide in brand strategy and brand development. In addition the creative firm will be requested to facilitate a series of meetings with key community stakeholders to develop, present, and finalize creative brand concepts. The process will be led by a steering committee, however, the agency will present the concepts during at least two stakeholder meetings organized by the RDC, including local civic organizations. In your proposal we want to hear about your process in developing a brand and what you suggest for the RDC, including number of meetings, and how you recommend gathering input from all aspects of the community. G. PROJECT SCOPE We are prioritizing the branding and website project in two tiers: must-have s and nice-to-have s. We are seeking your input to advise us on getting the most from our budget and on prioritizing these pieces for implementation. Must-Have s BRAND Logo design Message matrix Style guidelines including color palette, typography, and brand guidelines Tagline development Design templates for e-newsletter, brochures, print ads, stationary, and business cards WEBSITE Design to delivery process for website redevelopment with one month maintenance support after programming The website should include the following categories/elements: o Living Here: Featuring neighborhood attractions and assets, targeted to visitors o Business Directory: Comprehensive list of retailers and restaurants with a three way search functionality alphabetically, geographically with mapping, and by business category o Updating capability for non-rdc-staff users with permission/approval o Link s to each businesses websites o Search optimization tools o Events: Calendar listing of community and RDC events o Search features and social media buttons For Business: (Economic Development Section) o Directory and available property for lease, sale

5 o Key reasons to locate to Roxborough o Recent and future developments o Desired developments o Roxborough news o Recent articles updating to the page, with permission/approval Getting Around o Transportation, including public transit, taxis, parking etc. Donations & Project Funding About Us o RDC organization description including mission, brief history o Roxborough 2020 Strategic Plan o Board Member Listing o Committee Listings, Invitation to Join Us! (Volunteers- Application Submission) o Staff bio and contact info o Documents: Board meeting minutes, committee minutes, financials? o Business Improvement District (BID) Section o Services o Purpose (Beautification/Cleaning and Other Services) o Annual BID Report Membership & Sponsorship o Includes benefits of membership o Link to PDF of Packet o Inquiry form o Sponsorship Opportunities, Community Partners Donations & Project Funding: Secure donation link, Funding goals for specific projects, where funding comes from? Nice-to-Have s Banner or way-finding design Map design of the district and Roxborough Marketing & communication strategy H. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSALS Please provide a written response to this request including the following: 1. Company Name 2. Principal Name(s) 3. Contact Information 4. City of Philadelphia Business Privilege License Number 5. A brief description of your firm 6. Profile of employee(s) who will work on this assignment 7. Three recent ( ) examples of branding project success for non-profit and for-profit companies. Please provide contact information for referrals, dates of service, and a description of services provided for that client. 8. Tell us about your design philosophy and how you ve approached projects such as this one. 9. Describe how you would approach the process of group facilitation, the deliverables identified above, and your recommendations for leveraging the new branding messages through traditional and digital media.

6 10. Complete budget for the services described above. 11. Proposed schedule and description of timeline for a project like this one. *The RDC reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals, and grant final acceptance to the proposal that best meets the needs and interests of the RDC. I. INSTRUCTIONS Questions about this RFP should be directed by to samantha@roxborough.us. Please note that phone calls will not be accepted.