QA.22 MAY.docx

Question #1:

The notice states that the NYARNG will provide all video and digital graphics sans text. Will these be to required specs?

Answer: All graphics provided will be to Google Ad specs

Question #2: Who is the incumbent, and/or what contract was it awarded?

MSS Media, Miami FL 1 AUG 2019

Question #3: In 5.1.4 please clarify the reference of 1 meeting within 2 weeks after awarding the job, and 1 time every quarter thereafter for a total of (9) meetings in a year. Should it be (5) meetings per year? Please clarify.

Answer: there will be 1 post award meeting which will be held in person. Thereafter there will be will 4 meetings per year (quarterly) 2of these can be held via teleconference or VTC.

Question #4: In 5.1.5 is there any flexibility in your requirements for providing experience 5 companies across NY State and additional 5 companies upstate? If we had 4 digital campaigns specifically in the state of NY but not statewide Answer: We're looking for companies that have extensive experience operating across the state of NY, with specific experience in upstate NY, to put together a highly local lead-gen campaign.

Question #5 Can you tell me if there is a proposal outline document?

Answer: There is no specific proposal outline document, however, we expect an in-depth report that ensures that the contractor has an adequate understanding of the requirements set forth by paragraph 5.1.6

Question #6:

5.1.5 There is mention of the proposer having 10 POP in the NY area with 5 of them being upstate NY. Is this required or just recommended? For a small business this seems to be a large request

Answer: Yes, we're looking for companies that have extensive experience operating across the state of NY, with specific experience in upstate NY, to put together a highly local lead-gen campaign.

Question #7:

Is Clickcease the mandatory fraud protection software necessary or will other software be considered?

Answer: Click-cease is preferred as we've used it with success for several years with a well-developed fraud database, however, any click fraud protection software will be considered that is compatible with Google Tag Manager.

Question #8:

Is there a previous Search build that will be used as reference, or will the Search build be brand new?

Answer: The campaign will be built on top of a previous search build with one year of data - it will not be brand new.

Question #9: Campaign Goals: How many recruits are you expecting the ad campaign to generate over the course of a year?

Answer: Average KPI's will only be discussed with the vendor who is awarded the contract.

Question #10: What is the dollar value of each recruit? We ask this because we need to conduct an ROI Analysis

Answer: We aim for an average of $2,000 per enlistment. This is the current national average spend by the Army to enlist a new recruit.

Question 11: Have you implemented campaigns like this in previous years? If so, please provide the following information from your most recent campaign.

Answer: KPI's will be discussed with the vendor who is awarded the contract. The campaign will be built on top of an existing GA account with over a year of spend history. Specific KPI's will not be publicly available due to the sensitive nature of the information.

Question #12: Which marketing platforms did the Army use to achieve this performance? (Google Display/Search, YouTube, Instagram, Programmatic, or others.)

Answer: As written in the PWS, this campaign is specifically for Google Display/Search, and YouTube.

Question #13: Will the ads drive potential recruits to a full website, microsite, or a “squeeze” landing page? Will our agency need to develop the website or landing pages? If no, please provide the URL addresses for the campaigns.

Answer: Recruits will be driven to a series of landing pages developed by our marketing department that align with each major keyword group. The vendor will not be required to build out any landing pages.

Example page: https://bonus.nyarmynationalguard.com/contact-recruiter/

Question #14: Will we be able to survey recent recruits within the 17-34 age demographic? Part of our strategy development process includes developing target personas. We do this by surveying “happy customers,” in this case, recruits, to get a solid understanding of their journey to deciding to join the military. For example, if 50% said they committed after talking to their parent or guidance counselor, both the parent and counselor are influencers. Thus, part of the strategy may include a campaign targeting influencers as part of the A/B testing.

Answer: I don’t know the answer this or how I should answer this question

Question #15: Should travel costs to the state be a part of the bid? Or, could they be billed separately from the monthly contract?

Answer: See Question #3. There will be 5 IN PERSON meetings. The travel cost for the in person meetings part of admin cost for each year of the contract. Any other travel is optional and is the responsibility of the contractor.

Question #16: Is there an incumbent for this effort? If so, could you provide their name and contract number?

Answer: MSS Media, Miami FL, 1 AUG 2019

Question #17: Do you have any existing keyword sets / adsets from previous or existing campaigns?

Answer: The campaign will be built on top of a previous search build with one year of data - it will not be brand new.

Question #18: If yes, can you provide how many keywords / adsets you're running / optimizing?

Answer: This information will only be discussed with the contract winner.

Question #19: What creatives, if any, will we specifically have to create? (IE Video Ads) Answer: All required digital graphics will be supplied. Vendor will be responsible for text ads and copy.

Question #20: Regarding the platforms specified for promoting the videos (Google, YouTube) and the need for contextual targeting, is there a reason a platform like YouTube is being used as opposed to Facebook’s Video advertising platform, which includes Instagram? Just trying to get context, since we’ve seen significantly better returns and opportunities for targeting hard-to-find-and-engage demographic groups using Facebook/Instagram instead of Google/YouTube, to promote videos.

Answer: As written in the PWS, this campaign is specifically for Google Display/Search, and YouTube.

Question #21: Will the digital graphics and video content created by the NYARNG team focus on specific demographic or psychographic research, or will the winning contractor provide data and research from each platform to inform the content being created? Asking because contextual targeting isn’t just based on the word/targeting used in the ad, but it’s equally important that the content being promoted is lockstep with the audience being targeted.

Answer: All required digital graphics will be supplied. Vendor will be responsible for text ads and copy.

Question #22: Regarding the in-person meeting requirement- during this pandemic and state-by-state differences on travel restrictions, does the winning contractor have to be located in NY State?

Answer: No

Question #23: Do you have a specific detail for the project so we can quote out the best price for the $25,000 -$250,000 project for support of the NY Army National Guard (NYARNG) Recruiting and Retention Battalion which is located at 25 Gibson Street (Watervliet Arsenal) Watervliet, NY 12189

Answer: There is no specific proposal outline document, however, we expect an in-depth report that ensures that the contractor has an adequate understanding of the requirements set forth by paragraph 5.1.6

Question #24: Items 0007 and 0008 on pages 12 and 13, for Contract Manpower Reporting, we just want to reconfirm that per paragraph 1.3.5, the proposed cost is for each year, both Base Year and Option year 1. Is that correct please?

Contractor Manpower Reporting occurs once per calendar year NLT 31 OCT. Contractor is responsible For base year and option year reporting, thus the quote should include a price for 2 calendar years. Go to https://ecmra.mil/Login.aspx click on https://ecmra.mil/help/help.html then review the Prime Contractor Quick Guide.

Question #25: the dollar magnitude of this procurement is estimated at $25,000 to $250,000, inclusive of options. Please let us know how this is interpreted. Is the range per year or is it for both the base year and option year 1? We would like to provide you the most value and the best options available.

This is what the Government feels the effort should cost over a 2 year period.

Question #26: For in addition to digital marketing, please confirm that other outlets can all be considered in scope as we have relationships with television networks as well. Please let us know if we can also include the following in our response:

* Television Advertising

* Billboard advertising

* Mobile billboards

* Point of sale displays

* Street furniture, such as bus shelters and kiosks

* Transit advertising and wraps, such as on taxis, buses, subways, and trains.

The above services are not within the scope of the solicitation and should not be priced as a line item