SOW_NWRSCommunicationsCampaign.docx

Attachment 2

STATEMENT OF WORK

National Wildlife Refuge System Communications Campaign

I. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) seeks marketing services to assist the agency in a rebranding effort that showcases the diverse facets of our mission as it is realized through the National Wildlife Refuge System. The campaign is intended to inspire, empower and facilitate more public engagement in wildlife conservation by reaching influencers and innovators in the conservation community.

The public lands managed by the Service are primarily located along our country’s rivers, coasts and wetlands, but are also found in the American heartland and extend into our deserts, forests, mountains, oceans and the Arctic. This rich and diverse land network is tied together by the millions of fish, wildlife and people that depend on these special and unique places.

Best Place in America to Get Your Nature Fix - ‘Nearby Nature for All Americans’

With units including wildlife refuges and wetland management districts scattered from Maine to the Caribbean, National Wildlife Refuge System lands are public treasures within reach. All Americans have a nearby opportunity to witness and experience the nation’s diverse wildlife heritage.

Each year 53 million people enjoy outdoor nature experiences on national wildlife refuges. The National Wildlife Refuge System’s Visitor Services Program works to make these experiences rewarding and educational. Providing wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities to Americans is a key goal of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. Priority wildlife-dependent recreation includes: fishing, hunting, wildlife watching, photography, interpretation and environmental education.

Other refuge activities, such as walking on our trails, participating in wildlife festivals and enjoying auto tour routes, allow visitors to unplug from the stresses of modern life and reconnect with their natural surroundings.

Over a century of leadership in fish and wildlife stewardship and natural resources conservation has taught us that partnership and public engagement remain core to our mission and integral to our ability to deliver on-the-ground conservation. To continue our work for the next generation, it is critical that we engage a wider cross-section of the American people as visitors, volunteers, and conservation partners.

In order to do this we must ensure that the American public remains aware of and inspired by the public benefits provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These are most visible on National Wildlife Refuge System lands, the places where we fulfill all aspects of our mission to conserve fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is looking for an industry specific advertising agency to create a ground-breaking rebrand and communications campaign targeted at mobilizing nature and wildlife enthusiasts to engage with the National Wildlife Refuge System through a myriad of digital and in-person channels.

This task will require that the agency integrate Service priorities and background knowledge of the organization into an engaging suite of creative assets and accessible and representative graphic identity, as well as provide industry expert consultation, articulate and prioritize categories of approaches with distribution to external markets.

II. INTENT/BACKGROUND

Who We Are Celebrating 115 years of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Our story begins in 1903. “Pelican Island (America’s first National Wildlife Refuge) is the birthplace of a GREAT AMERICAN IDEAL that WILDLIFE and WILD PLACES should be PROTECTED in PERPETUITY.” - Theodore Roosevelt, March 1903 The World’s Largest System of Public Lands Dedicated to Wildlife Conservation The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is America’s leader in wildlife and habitat conservation. One of our responsibilities is to steward of the NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM. There are 566 Wildlife Refuges which protect 100 million land acres and 750 million marine acres of America’s most remarkable public lands, provide habitat for the 8,200 species of fish & wildlife, while also supporting world-class wildlife-centric recreational opportunities. There is a Refuge in every state and one within an hour of nearly every major urban center in the country. More than 53 million people visit Wildlife Refuges every year, creating economic booms for local communities. These visitors generated nearly $2.4 billion in consumer spending and support over 35,000 local jobs. Not to mention, that we also have 40,000 of the world’s most-passionate nature and wildlife volunteers who work at our Wildlife Refuges and who love to share our story each and every day. The Refuge System also supports 180 Friends groups that run nature stores, collaborate on education and conservation programs.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is AMERICA’S GATEWAY TO NATURE and WILDLIFE.

Why We Exist

TO INSPIRE, EMPOWER, AND ENABLE WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE TO THRIVE.

Core Insights -2017 National Study on the Nature of Americans (https://natureofamericans.org/) In 2016, the USFWS, partnered with Yale University, other leading Wildlife Conservation agencies, and DJ Case & Associates to better understand Americans' relationship with nature. Together, we conducted the largest study of its kind in U.S. history - consisting of 11,817 adults, children, and parents across the United States. This unprecedented study is a cornerstone of both the ‘National Initiative to Understand and Connect Americans and Nature’ and our new brand campaign.

The core insights identified in this study are the pillars of our Strategic Brand Positioning and serve as the backbone of our efforts to change the face of wildlife conservation from this point forward.

Core Branding Position National Wildlife Refuge are the best places in America to

· Experience Fish and Wildlife

· Experience wildlife-centric Recreation (Wildlife Observation, Photography, Hunting, Fishing, Education (Field Trips), and Nature Study)

· Get your nature fix close to home.

· Find peace and solitude

· Make memories and pass on traditions with family and friends

· Experience nature benefits for communities- clean air, clean water, local food, flood protection and more.

National Wildlife Refuge are the best places in American for wildlife and people to thrive.

Core Target Audience The world’s most passionate nature and wildlife enthusiasts love the way connecting with nature and wildlife makes them feel.

Our tribe feels a profound sense of CONNECTION, HOME, FREEDOM, AWE, WONDER and ALIVENESS when they connect with nature and wildlife. The 2.5% of the population who are an integral part of the nature connection movement that are deeply committed to empowering wildlife and people to thrive.

We have designed 16 CORE PROFILES to help us best capture the 2.5% of the population who self-identify as the most inspired nature and wildlife enthusiasts.

The Big Idea Based on a large assessment of cultural insights and trends from marketing research agencies, we determined that Americans feel overworked, overwhelmed, unfulfilled, disconnected and numb to the world around them. The same research identifies that Americans want to feel alive, a sense of purpose, mastery, autonomy, and vitally connected to the world around them.

We know that Americans love how nature and wildlife make us feel. Nature and wildlife are a powerful gateway to connect us to how we want to feel in our everyday lives.

As a result, people are seeking self-fulfillment by reconnecting to nature, reconnecting to their community, reconnecting to their family and friends, seeking solitude, and deeper connections to our lands. This growing movement is known as the “Nature Connection Movement’.

“The Nature Connection Movement is one of the next big human trends.”

We believe that the NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM with our state and local partners is uniquely and perfectly positioned to become the ‘HOME of the NATURE CONNECTION MOVEMENT’ while revolutionizing the face of wildlife conservation and wildlife-dependent recreation for the American public.

II. GOALS

To establish National Wildlife Refuges as the ‘Best Places in America for Wildlife and People to Thrive’ by increasing public awareness of and generate increased public engagement around the unique and authentic recreation and engagement experiences available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System lands.

To establish the National Wildlife Refuge as the ‘Home of the Nature Connection Movement’ by employing compelling, creative storytelling techniques that express and depict how the conservation mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is carried out on America’s national wildlife refuges with a suite of diverse partners including states, non-profits, local communities, and industry.

To frame, name, and catalyze the NATURE CONNECTION MOVEMENT to move to the next level to inspire, empower, and enable wildlife and people to thrive by building and uniting the influencers in various outdoor recreation communities in support of the Service’s wildlife conservation activities at national wildlife refuges.

III. OBJECTIVES

Work collaboratively alongside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Core Team, the vendor’s Team will develop a suite of cross-channel creative assets for marketing purposes and propose a media strategy to achieve our stated goals.

The rebrand and subsequent national marketing campaign would:

· Develop a cohesive verbal and visual identity designed to engage and inspire the American people to support fish and wildlife conservation through various activities;

· Outline in a plan a mix of marketing products to support the overall objectives of the campaign.

· Develop communication products particularly applicable to our highly visited refuges, refuges with opportunities for world-class wildlife-centered recreational experiences, our remote yet iconic refuges (Oceans and Arctic), and a few others that best express the values of the entire U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

· Create and package a mix of marketing products for delivery by staff field station staff that encourage momentum for action and collaboration.

· Track, Measure, and Evaluate the success of these efforts.

V. DELIVERABLES

1. Kick-off Meeting A kick-off meeting will be held between the Service’s Core Team and the vendor’s Team at location on or near a National Wildlife Refuge. Service representatives will offer an in-depth overview of the organization’s values, mission and activities, rebranding parameters, and overview of the public experience on National Wildlife Refuges such as hunting, fishing, walking and boating. Materials from previous work (see Section VII, “Supporting Materials Provided by the Government”) will be given to the vendor at this time. Together, the Service and vendor Teams will explore metrics for success that will ensure desired conservation and public relations goals are achieved. This is a four step process: Awareness, Education, Perception Change, and Behavior Change.

2. Creative Concept Development and Content Creation Production Considering the parameters outlined in the Kick-off Meeting, the vendor’s team will develop a suite of creative assets for use across traditional and digital channels.

Assets should feature a consistent use of color, fonts, taglines, logos, and imagery. Final delivery includes full rights of design and all associated font, vector and image files.

Develop a set of storylines that empower our target audiences to connect intellectually and emotionally with the National Wildlife Refuge System. This aspect of contract aims to provide us with a deep well of inspiration and executable ideas for brand going into the future, including interpretive outreach and promotions, and guides messaging to diverse and distinct audience groups in diverse and distinct locations.

3. Guidance for Recommended Use of Creative Assets The vendor shall produce a document akin to the NASA graphics brand standards that describes recommendations for continued use of creative materials. Including assemble assets into tool kit for field staff, volunteers and friends to deploy at their station through in-person presentations, graphics for signage, promotional skins for use in video and social media, and special events menu.

4. Presentation of Creative Assets and Associated Guidance The vendor will deliver a presentation describing their analysis of the brand, and brand design inserted into several potential media/marketing tactics to the Core Team, who will select one of the concepts to launch.

5. Launch Plan The vendor will deliver a campaign launch plan that applies market research findings to deploy selected creative assets across a variety of media channels for the duration of one year. The plan should include a variety of channels, such as television and radio spots, print ads, direct mail, social media, special events and contents, to specific media markets. The plan should outline attainable marketing goals and recommend how to monitor results. The plan should outline a range launch scenarios with associated costs. Launch scenarios should be based on deploying and assessing success of a minimally viable national campaign to a large national campaign deployed in up to eight regional markets.

An initial marketing plan will be delivered for review and feedback followed by a final plan which will at least include timelines, launch, roll-out, projected costs, marketing strategies, and metrics to measure success.

6. Future Media Buying Recommendations The vendor will submit a media buying plan not to exceed that deploys creative assets across a variety of media channels designed to reach the Service’s target audience groups over the period of one calendar year, beginning the date the contract is awarded.. The plan will not be implemented as part of this contract and instead could be used for future work.

VI. SUPPORTING MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT

· Brand Strategy Work/Creative Brief detailing 18 months of internal work. This includes: target audiences, core social purpose, brand launch scenarios. The Brief will be shared as part of the kick off meeting.

· Approved content approaches, wireframes and font styling being adopted as part of new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

· Graphic assets including USFWS logo and NWRS logo, current print and web design standards

· National Wildlife Refuge System Communications Strategy

· Market Research work (multiple studies, focus groups, others)-shared at Kickoff meeting

· USFWS Core Team membership list and contact information

· Suite of high-quality video and photo assets from Tandem Stills + Motion

VII. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

July 30, 2018 through November 30, 2018

Contracting Officer Representative:

Kristen Gilbert U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – National Wildlife Refuge System Branch Chief, Communications and Digital Services kristen_gilbert@fws.gov 703-358-2496

Contracting Officer U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cathleen DeBerry Contract Specialist cathleen_deberry@fws.gov 303-236-4324