Bozell Full to Post.pdf

09.27.2023

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR

PROPOSAL 6820 Z1:

MARKETING SERVICES

FOR STATEWIDE PUBLIC

EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

ON VOTER IDENTIFICATION

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TThe best way to predict the future is to create it.”

– Peter Drucker

Thank you for the opportunity.

We appreciate all of your time, hard work and consideration. Throughout this proposal, we’ll discuss in detail how we’re not only qualified for the job but passionate about this initiative. Know that we are more than up for this challenge.

In fact, it’d probably be more appropriate to say we’re excited. So please do not hesitate to contact us with questions.

Jackie Miller, CMO & Owner

Bozell | 407 N 117th St., Lower Level, Suite B | Omaha, NE 68102 jmiller@bozell.com

402.965.4391

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FORMS

The “Contractor Proposal Point of Contact” and “RFP for Contractual Service” forms can be found in

Appendix A and Sections II through IV can be found in Appendix B.

1. CORPORATE OVERVIEW

A. CONTRACTOR IDENTIFICATION AND INFORMATION

Bozell & Jacobs LLC., dba. Bozell

407 N 117th Street

Lower Level, Suite B

Omaha, NE 68154

402.965.4300

Bozell is an LLC that was originally incorporated with the state of Nebraska in 1921. Throughout our 102-year history, Bozell has seen many changes:

Today, Bozell is also a certified women-owned business. You can find certificates for our WBENC National certification, as well as our Small Business certification, in Appendix C.

B. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

A statement about the stability and financial strength of our organization can be found in a separate attachment marked “Confidential.”

C. CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP

For more than 20 years, Robin Donovan and Kim Mickelsen have been owners of Bozell. Seven years ago, they started the succession planning process and brought in Jackie Miller as the lynchpin. In November of

2022, Bozell added long-time employees Laura and Andy Spaulding to the ownership team. Over the next couple of years, Robin and Kim will work toward retirement while Jackie, Laura and Andy will remain.

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D. OFFICE LOCATION

Bozell’s Omaha location would be responsible for the performance pursuant of an award of a contract with the state of Nebraska.

E. RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE STATE

In the past three years, Bozell has actively worked for the state of Nebraska on the following contracts:

1. �The contract with Nebraska Public Power District, a public corporation and political subdivision of the state of Nebraska, was in response to RFP No. 18170. This agreement was for media-buying services and began November 2018.

2. �The contract with Omaha Public Power District, a public corporation and political subdivision of the state of Nebraska, was in response to RFP No. 5705. This agreement was for outside marketing services and began June 2020.

F. CONTRACTOR’S EMPLOYEE RELATIONS TO STATE

No Bozell employees are/were employed by the state of Nebraska in the last 12 months.

G. CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

Bozell has not had a contract terminated for default in the past five years.

H. SUMMARY OF BIDDER’S CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

Work listed in this section was completed by Bozell serving as the primary contractor.

529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLANS

Time period: 2018–2020

Reference: Betty Lochner

360.951.1691 betty@cornerstone-ct.com

Together with 27 states, we helped launch a national awareness campaign for 529 College Savings Plans— state-backed programs that help families from all walks of life save for higher education.

Total student debt in the U.S. has climbed to more than $1.5 trillion. Yet most of the national conversation surrounds debt forgiveness and the rising costs of education, rather than preventing debt in the first place.

Our goal was to help tackle this crisis for future generations.

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529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLANS cont.

We began by developing the logo, brand, look and feel for the campaign. Then to help drive awareness across the country, we collaborated with Fred Rogers Productions – creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and, more recently, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Dedicated to making the world a better place for future generations, it was the perfect partner for the campaign.

As a Fred Rogers Productions underwriter, we were given :15 nation-wide recognition spots before and after every episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

In addition to the TV spots, we created a new microsite, 529forCollege.com, which communicated our mission and served as a content hub with custom articles, stories and testimonials. It also housed custom content created by Fred Rogers Productions.

We combined national PR and social media efforts with local and regional efforts from each contributing partner through the use of a toolkit, which contained videos, photography, sample layouts and talking points.

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529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLANS cont.

We launched the campaign on March 4, 2019, with national and local PR alongside the TV spots, microsite and social media. In the first week alone, we generated press valuing the equivalent of 3% of our total

18-month ad buy, and we increased social media engagements by 580% over the previous week.

Over the course of the entire campaign – which ended on September 18, 2020 – we garnered 191.4M impressions through our partnership with Fred Rogers Productions. Our social media efforts amassed more than 976,000 impressions, and we saw significant increases in followers and engagement compared to pre-campaign. Our microsite has had more than 40,000 unique visitors, and we received hundreds of PR mentions, including high-profile mentions from publications such as New York Times, Forbes and CNBC, which reached an estimated ad value of more than $210,000.

Most importantly, after our 18-month campaign, we saw an increase in awareness and use of 529s. Based on our primary research:

• Awareness of 529 plans increased by 40%, from 32% to 45% (goal was 42%).

• Connection of 529 plans to education increased by 54%, from 22% to 34% (goal was 32%).

• Use of a 529 plan to save increased by 33%, from 12% to 16% (goal was 15%).

• The total amount saved in 529s increased at a record amount at 19% in 2019.

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NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT

Time period: 2018–current

Reference: Scott Margheim

402-563-5991 samargh@nppd.com

Bozell has partnered with NPPD for five years. Over that course of time, we’ve come to understand the

NPPD brand and business objectives, and we’ve generated numerous successful campaigns. Here are a few recent initiatives.

In 2019, we rolled out a large, two-phased brand campaign – the first focusing on flood relief and the second touting the new tagline, “Powering Your Everyday, Every Day.” Both phases included radio, digital, TV and print.

In 2021, NPPD consulted Bozell with the naming of its Time of Use program, now known as RateWise. That same year, Bozell wrote radio spots that talked to the pillars of public power – low costs, local control, high reliability, a focus on community, and environmental stewardship.

Powering your everyday, every day.

When you run a farm, it’s not the sun that starts the day. The day starts when duty calls. And it goes well into the evening hours. For those times, and everything in between, we’re there for you.

Keeping the lights on when there’s no such thing as quitting time.

NPPD.com

Together with your local public power utility.

Ad Caption “Powering your everyday, every day” Job # 19-NBPPD-0157 Pub: - Rocky Mountain Electrical League Insertion date: Summer 2019 Insertion order:

Size: LIVE: 7” x 4.583” - BLD: 7.25” x 4.75” Ink: 4C Date prepped: May 2019 Prepared by: Bozell/Omaha

NPPD-Phase II-Print Ad-AG_7x4.583.indd 1 5/22/19 11:15 AM

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NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT CONT.

For Public Power Month in 2022, we developed the Uniquely Nebraskan social media campaign, where we put together a toolkit for all of NPPD’s public utility partners to engage with their customers and promote the positives of being publicly powered. This toolkit included a press release and talking points, campaign logo, graphics and copy for their websites, graphics and copy for their social posts, a T-shirt design (for giveaways), a tactical timeline, and a template for contest rules.

Also in 2022, in an effort to minimize powerline-related incidents involving farm equipment, we created an ag-safety campaign. This included radio, print and digital ads.

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NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT CONT.

Most recently, however, the Bozell team completed a massive discovery initiative, falling on the tail end of the internal “Power of People” campaign. This discovery began at the beginning of 2023 and included nearly a dozen stakeholder interviews, an industry and competitive analysis, a communications audit, and more. Armed with newfound insights, we produced a go-to-market strategy and brand approach that would set up NPPD as a confident leader in the industry and aptly take them into the future of energy.

For the brand approach, we updated tone, key messaging and design. While NPPD has traditionally taken more of a backseat, “there when you need us approach,” the new tone and look puts the dedicated, supportive, knowledgeable, innovative NPPD employees at the forefront more. From there, the new tagline, “Powering Our State. Empowering Our People.” was born. (Altered per audience for relevancy.)

With this new brand approach in place, the go-to-market strategy included:

• An HR campaign, which included native articles, social ads and display ads, as well as an SEO-rich update to the NPPD careers page.

• An umbrella campaign, which included print, digital, radio and TV ads and showcased NPPD’s commitment to the state of Nebraska.

• A beneficial electrification campaign, which included radio, print and digital ads and highlighted

NPPD’s energy-efficiency incentives.

• A retail campaign, which included radio, print and digital ads and highlighted the community involvement of NPPD and its affiliates.

Sometimes the hardest jobs are the most important.

Together with your local public power utility nppd.com | (877) ASK-NPPD

Long hours. Busy days. Late nights. There are plenty of jobs that fit that description. And some days are harder than others. But when you know that what you’re doing is making a difference in someone’s life, that keeps you going. At NPPD, the pride we feel at the end of a long day, knowing we helped keep your lights on and your power reliable, that’s what makes our job all the more worth it.

PAID CAROUSEL

The hardest jobs truly are the most important.

Thank you for trusting us to power our state and empower your life.

Proudly reliable.

Learn more

Fully supportive.

Learn more

Wholeheartedly Nebraskan. Learn more

Your local power company. Learn more

FACEBOOK VIDEO

The hardest jobs truly are the most important.

Thank you for trusting us to power our state and empower your life.

Your Local Power Company Learn more We’re proud to serve

HTML 5 DIGITAL

A caretaker of the land. A trusted member of the community. These responsibilities can’t be faked, nor are they for the faint of heart. But there is a great deal of satisfaction at the end of each day. At NPPD, we put in a lot of hard work – to protect our state’s natural resources, empower the communities we serve, and better the quality of life for all Nebraskans. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously and one we couldn’t be more proud of.

nppd.com | (877) ASK-NPPD

There’s no greater reward than a job well done.

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MAKE-A-WISH NEBRASKA

Time period: 2014–current

Reference: Brigette Young

402.333.8999 byoung@nebraska.wish.org

Make-A-Wish Nebraska was founded in 1983 to grant the life-changing wishes of children with critical illnesses. Serving as their agency since 2014, we have helped them with numerous campaigns and events to build awareness and, ultimately, grant more wishes. Below are just two examples of that work.

Let a Wish Begin with You

Nebraskans will do just about anything possible to help someone in need, especially a child who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. And there’s really no better way to convey the true joy of a wish than to see it in person. So, in an effort to help drive awareness and engagement in Nebraska, we needed people to get involved.

Phase 1 of the campaign focused on getting people to a live wish granting, which was promoted on

Facebook and through Seward and nearby community media stations. And it worked. Hundreds of supporters joined the event where Prince Charming informed 5-year-old Karis that she was going to Disney

World.

With photos and video footage from Karis’ parade, Phase 2 began. TV, radio, digital and print ads, as well as social posts, were created to share the event and the Make-A-Wish mission.

By all accounts, the campaign was a huge success. It gathered a whopping 18.8M total impressions, reaching 69 percent of the state with an average frequency of 14 in just four weeks. And this was all on a negotiated 6:1 match from paid media.

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MAKE-A-WISH NEBRASKA CONT.

2021 Blue Jean Ball

Because of COVID-19, travel wishes went on pause in March of 2020. Our approach to the 2021 Blue Jean

Ball theme needed to debunk the idea that all wishes were paused due to COVID-19. We needed to make it very clear that there are always wish kids patiently waiting for their in-town wishes to come true.

We went with the theme “Hope is Essential,” along with the added message that “wishes are waiting.”

Visually, this concept featured kids who have in-town wishes that Make-A-Wish could grant, despite restrictions – play structures, shopping sprees, campers, etc. This creative extended to a mailed save-the-date, a mailed invite, social posts and emails.

During the event, Make-A-Wish played two videos that we produced. The first told the story of wish kid

Aspen who has dealt with cancer and wanted nothing more than a playhouse for her and her chickens. The second video included a compilation of wish kids who are currently waiting for their wishes to come true, as well as a quick glimpse of James’ wish reveal – receiving a camper for him and his family.

The evening was a huge success. We helped Make-A-Wish Nebraska raise a record-breaking $430,000!

Which was a 34% increase from 2020, and a 23% increase from 2019.

presented by

I wish to have a play structure

Carmenella, 3 wilms tumor

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tim McGill, Chairman Carrie Weber, Vice Chairman Brian Pierce, Treasurer Brian Ketcham, Secretary David Kirkwood, Past Chairman Brigette Young, President/CEO Mike Abramson Dr. Michael Ash Gary Byrne Brad Ewerth Deb Fenton Dr. Angie Fisher Cody Forristall Kelly Hillman Matt Hoskinson Mark McQueen Renee Miller Jeremy Payne Clashaud Robbins Jack Struyk Pat Verkamp Dr. Mark Puccioni, Medical Advisor

ADVISORY BOARD

Harlan Falk, Chairman Gary Gates Ted Hubbard Mike McMeekin Anthony Messineo Trey Mytty Gary Perkins

FRIENDS COUNCIL

Angie Fisher, President Candi Kirkwood, Event Chair Sheri Abramson Katie Blakeman Mary Crockett Sandy Epstein Stacy Feit Diana Fuller Kathy Gates Angie Gerlach Lisa Ketcham Kristin Klein Lisa Koch Amy Maliszewski-Branaugh Teagan McGlade Stacy Neil Renee Osborn Whitney Rubin Jess Surface Kari Tauber Denise Willett

Thank You

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I. PROPOSED PERSONNEL / MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Your core team will be led by two of our owners, Jackie Miller and Laura Spaulding. They will be supported by a senior account executive, as well as a project manager, who will be your primary contacts. Your core team will also include creative director Kerrey Lubbe, head of paid media David Adelman, and director of

PR, social media and content Jim Minge. All Bozell marketing professionals, including those in strategy and analytics, creative, public relations, social media, media planning and buying, and production are available to the core team at all times. They are brought into projects on an as-needed basis. Below are the bios of individuals we believe will be key team members.

Jackie Miller, CMO & Owner

Jackie joined Bozell in 2015 as CMO and has nearly 20 years of agency experience, including communication, project, digital and operations management. She has worked with national brands such as Warner Brothers, Union Pacific, Lifetime and Subway. Today, Jackie leads new business initiatives as well as strategy and initiatives for several clients, including INTRUST Bank, Nebraska Public Power District and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.

�Degree:

University of Nebraska at Omaha – Bachelor in Communication, Journalism: Advertising and PR with a minor in Marketing

References:

Philip Brohn, philip.brohn@gmail.com, 917.744.5217

Melissa Libner, mellibs77@yahoo.com, 917.283.5273

Jennifer Thiele, jennifer@entry-envy.com, 402.880.388

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Laura Spaulding, Director of Corporate Communications & Owner

Laura joined Bozell in 2006 and has nearly 20 years of marketing strategy and account service experience. She has worked in a variety of industries including retail, nonprofit, and events and entertainment. Today, she oversees the account service team and leads strategy on several accounts including Omaha Public Power District, Make-A-Wish Nebraska, NCAA

Men’s College World Series, Platte River Power Authority and more.

�Degrees:

Creighton University – Bachelor of Arts, Journalism: Advertising and PR with a Certificate of Business

Creighton University – Masters of Business Administration

Certificate:

University of South Florida – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the

Workplace Certificate

Amanda Sullivan, amanda@sierrainteractive.com, 402.676.2424

Dan Morrissey, dansjag@gmail.com 402.677.9360

Rachel Boshart, rachbossdesign@gmail.com, 402.297.0006

Kerrey Lubbe, Creative Director

Kerrey joined Bozell in 2011 and has nearly 20 years of marketing experience writing and producing effective advertising for clients in a variety of industries that include energy, retail, healthcare, nonprofits and more. Today, she currently leads the creative strategies and executions for several of Bozell’s clients, including Make-A-Wish Nebraska, Omaha

Public Power District, Nebraska Public Power District, Siprocal and Platte

River Power Authority.

Degree:

University of Kansas – Bachelor of Science, Journalism: Strategic

Communication with a minor in English

Rod Coleman, rodiqusecoleman@gmail.com, 605.545.5765

Carrie Lessard, hello@carriemakes.com, 402.981.5506

Jeff Hinchcliff, jhinchcliff@hhautomotive.com, 402.596.2743

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David Adelman, Head of Paid Media

David has more than 30 years of marketing and paid media experience.

Over the years, he has held management positions at Initiative Media, TN Media, DMB&B/MediaVest, Schering-Plough, McCann and Saatchi.

Today, he leads our paid media strategy, planning and buying for all of our clients including INTRUST Bank, Nebraska Public Power District, NebraskaLand Bank and more.

Degree:

Baruch College – Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing with

Advertising Specialization

Paul Silverman, psilverman@ANA.net, 646.708.8106

Angelina Eng, angelina@iab.com, 646.543.7890

Richard Murphy, RMurphy@bpaww.com, 203.447.2804

Jim Minge, Director of PR, Social and Content

Jim joined Bozell in 2016 with more than 20 years of experience writing and developing content for a variety of clients and publications, including the Omaha World-Herald, Omaha Steaks and The Omaha Dispatch, a local entertainment newsletter. Jim currently leads the strategy, concepts and execution of communications plans for all of our clients, including Siprocal, INTRUST Bank, NCAA Men’s College World Series and more.

Degree:

Creighton University – Bachelor in English with a minor in Creative Writing

David Crum, david@nebraskalegalgroup.com, 402.509.7033

Andy Arkfeld, andy@arkfeldinc.com, 402.933.1970

Jim McKernan, jim.mckernan@wowt.com, 402.346.6666

J. SUBCONTRACTORS

Bozell is a full-service agency and does not anticipate using any subcontractors or partners to deliver the core services defined in the RFP. Bozell does not include media outlets, printers or broadcast production companies as subcontractors, but rather as vendors that are bid out and approved by the client on a project-by-project basis.

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AATTACHMENT A:

Technical Approach

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Attachment A - Technical Approach Request for Proposal Number 6820 Z1

Bidder Name: BOZELL

For the following technical requirements, provide a response explaining how each requirement will be met and experience in such areas. This completed form must be submitted with the proposal response. Attach additional pages as necessary when responding to each item or provide responses to each requirement in a separate attachment.

1. UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Provide your understanding of the project description and scope of work.

Bidder Response:

In June of 2023, LB514 was signed into law and established voter identification requirements.

The initial election where these new voter ID requirements are first assessed will be May 14, 2024. As the first election with the new Voter ID requirements approaches, Bozell recommends a public education campaign to ensure voters 1) understand the new requirements and 2) take action, if needed, to ensure they can participate. In addition to the public education campaign, Bozell also recommends training materials for poll workers and other county officials. This will ensure 1) the voter experience is consistent and 2) the flow of the new requirements won’t disrupt the hard-working poll workers from keeping our right to vote free and fair.

Goals of the campaign:

• Awareness o Introduce the new Voter ID requirement to those of voting age.

o Manage perception for ease and security.

• Engagement o Build an understanding of what the new requirement entails through time spent with our messaging.

• Conversion o Ensure voter participation doesn’t decline and voters have a positive experience at the polls.

2. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT APPROACH

Describe your proposed development approach including recommended quantities for media production and recommended budget for media buys. Provide a detailed breakdown for media production and media buys by media type, including recommended quantities. If there are any overhead charges or mark-ups associated with media buys, please detail those costs below.

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Bidder Response:

Fiduciary responsibility is part of our core values. We treat our clients’ money as if it was our own, and we firmly believe in “no surprises.” We have found that our new membership platform (outlined in the proprietary information section) enhances our objective of solid, strategic work that produces results for our clients.

Typically, for a 10-month campaign (mid-January through election day), we would recommend three versions of each creative execution. This will help combat creative fatigue. However, with our membership platform, we can pivot to update or add additional deliverables as needed, without increasing your flat monthly rate. For example, if we find that the creative is hitting fatigue within the marketplace, we can simply reprioritize updating the assets as needed. Or, if A/B testing shows that one digital ad is outperforming another, we can create a new ad that aligns with the one producing better results – all without increasing your anticipated agency fees.

In some instances, marketing costs may fall outside of our monthly fee. These include instances like purchasing fonts, music and imagery, utilizing printing services, hiring videographers, production teams and talent for video/audio shoots, etc. Following our concepting phase, we will work with you beforehand to make you aware of all costs and receive your written approval before moving forward with any agreements. These costs will be billed to you as a “passthrough,” with absolutely no markup from Bozell.

During our media process, we will develop a paid media strategy that includes a breakdown of media buys by media type, utilizing your approved budget. Based on our years of experience, for a 10-month, statewide, general awareness campaign, we would recommend a paid media budget of $500,000–$750,000 (gross). However, this can be flexible, and we understand how to adjust for available budgets. With our membership platform, we offer a discounted commission rate of 10%, which means more of your dollars go toward the actual media buy.

3. MEDIA PLANNING

Bidder must have experience finding, interpreting, and applying research to leverage the individual strengths of different mediums and channels to best reach consumers. In addition, bidder must have experience working with stakeholders and assist in integrating changes to improve concepts before launching into marketplace. Bidder must be skilled with a variety of media production techniques and implementation strategies. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

A successful media strategy is a measurable, concise, decision-making structure that directs you toward the most effective way to leverage media in order to reach your business goals. Let’s break that down:

• Measurable: We cannot manage our media if it is not measured. Every successful strategy must include a clear measurement plan.

• Concise: A good strategy should be simple and clear. Identify the goal, outline the path and provide a stable foundation upon which we can operate.

• Decision-making structure: A good strategy does not list every step needed to reach a goal. Rather, it clarifies boundaries and provides guidance when problems arise.

• Most effective way to leverage media: Media choices can be overwhelming. Your strategy should help avoid distractions and determine the most effective tactic.

• Reach your business goals: A strategy doesn’t work without a business goal. You need to work toward a specific, tangible objective that will positively affect business.

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Bozell recommends buying paid media on an upfront basis. This allows for research and planning to find the right placements, so we can meet our audience where they are, at the right time, with the right message. Buying media upfront provides added benefits:

• Reduced cost of media inventory inflation.

• Increased reach, frequency or impact through negotiated added value.

• Secure inventory, especially during a year with a presidential election and the 2024

Summer Olympics.

With that in mind, we would begin with audience insights and discovery, then develop a customized plan to meet your audience in the right place, at the right time, with the right message.

Awareness Media

• Video is the best channel for storytelling and shaping perceptions. This could include pre-roll, TV, connected TV, social video, etc.

• Audio provides supplemental brand awareness and frequency reinforcement of key messages in self-selecting environments. This could include radio, streaming audio, podcasts, etc.

• Print and Out-of-Home provide a local perspective to improve community building and continuity of messaging.

Engagement Media

• Native allows for long-form communications in both paid and non-paid, giving more space and room to ensure the audience understands the requirements and actions, if any, they must take. This could include social, news/print, influencer and programmatic.

• Paid social improves the Voter ID position as part of our ongoing civic duty and arms advocates to syndicate the message.

• Display advertising provides an opportunity for increasing visits to the website among those seeking more information. This could be DSP, publisher direct, local and national news, etc. – all leveraging intent and content targeting to be relevant.

Conversion Media

• Paid search ensures we capture those who may have heard about the Voter ID requirement but are unsure where to go for accurate information. This would be Google and Bing.

• Retargeting display advertising provides an opportunity for increasing visits to the website, among those seeking further information who hadn’t clicked before.

4. DESIGN OF PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Bidder must have experience with designing and developing creative products for a multi-month campaign that uses consistent branding in innovative, unique, and compelling methods across a wide variety of mediums to most effectively reach as many people in the target audience as possible. Bidder must be skilled in breaking down complex topics or statutory requirements into easy-to-understand materials for consumption by the general public. Bidder must be able to provide media in both English and Spanish and meet accessibility requirements. Describe experience.

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Bozell has had decades of experience working in highly regulated industries. We know that creative needs to not only stand apart from the “sea of sameness” but also solve for our audience’s dwindling attention span. To do this, we need to focus on why the audience needs this information and share that in a true, ownable way for the state.

At Bozell, we’re not just creative for creative’s sake. Everything we do is rooted in insights and strategy. Before “the creative process” even begins, we help identify the challenges your business is facing. Then, we get the whys behind your customers’ behaviors. Then, armed with all these insights, we create purposeful advertising that’s as smart as it is creative.

Creative Process

1. Kickoff: It all starts with the holy grail: the creative brief. This acts as a compass, helping us find our way to the root of your business problems, as well as the key factors that will help shape the overall creative strategy.

2. Immerse: Next, we take a deep dive into your business and your target market. We collect insights using our Smartargeting® process and secondary research to help us determine who your audience is and why they do what they do.

3. Strategize & Validate: Here’s where we develop creative solutions that stem from the strong insights we’ve uncovered. We communicate with all departments to produce strategic marketing that is integrated across all channels, ensuring that we deliver the right message and creative at the right time, in the right place. This relevancy breaks through the clutter and helps your brand stand out. We then validate our ideas with testing, so we can gather outside perspective and make it even better.

4. Execute & Assess: At this point, it’s time to put our integrated marketing campaign out into the world, directly in front of your audience. And we continue to review how everything is working, making optimizations as needed along the way.

Below are just a few of examples of how we’ve put this process to work.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium – Zoo More Good The Zoo’s annual membership campaign typically focused on new exhibits or the family-friendly experience. However, with environmental threats looming around the planet, the Zoo wanted to bring their conservation efforts to the forefront of the conversation, encouraging their audience to get involved and showing how everyone can have a positive impact.

Environmental or conservation-focused communication can easily become gloomy or seem too big for one person to make a difference. Which is the opposite of what’s needed in a place known for intrigue and wonderment. So, the challenge was to create a zoo-centric message that was positive.

Thus, Zoo More Good was born. Combined with vivid illustration, it happily describes zoo-sponsored conservation that is understood by both adults and children. The Bozell team also maximized the campaign budget by creating one key visual and then repurposing it for multiple components. From posters to TV, banners and digital, the idea easily integrated into every media platform.

The campaign not only outperformed industry benchmarks for clicks and click-through rates, but it had great engagement on social media and helped the Zoo meet their aggressive membership goals.

Full case study here: https://bozell.com/work/omahas-henry-doorly-zoo-zoo-more-good/ https://bozell.com/services/research-and-insights/ https://bozell.com/work/omahas-henry-doorly-zoo-zoo-more-good/

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FNBO – Paymaker Using a video to help simplify information is one of our specialties – proven true by this First National Bank of Omaha Paymaker video. Working hand in hand with the creative team, our animator brought to life the pages of client-approved storyboards, worked through hundreds of keyframes and unique motion graphics, and developed a two-minute video that easily explains the product and keeps the viewer entertained. All within a tight timeline, too.

Video here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/425564117

OPPD – Net Metering As more and more customers were beginning to generate solar power, OPPD needed a quick and simplified solution for explaining their net metering process and how that would affect the customer’s monthly bill. Our creative team shaped the story and designed each frame, and our animator brought it to life.

Video here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/768658261

5. BRANDING CREATION AND REGISTRATION

Bidder must have experience developing cohesive branding, including finalization of the visual look and feel of all media and education materials to be used to obtain maximum impact.

Additionally, bidder must have knowledge of creating branding tool kits to be used by third parties. Bidder must have experience protecting and copyrighting branding, such as verifying availability and registering branding with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and the Nebraska Secretary of State as needed. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

Bozell has more than 100 years of experience building brands from the inside out. We have developed brand guides and campaign toolkits to help the key message syndication and impact of awareness.

For example, for 529 College Savings Plans Network, Bozell worked to align stakeholders, including state treasurers and plan administrators, to build the national brand, all while individual plans continued to market directly. We developed a detailed brand guide with co-branding and identified specific use-cases. We also provided a toolkit with areas for their logo placement.

Along with the toolkit, we shared an editorial calendar with pre-designed and developed content they could use on their own social channels, at events and for local activations. This allowed the overall brand to be developed at a national level and activated/grown from various individual plans. Ultimately, most consumers aware of 529s were wealthy and white, looking for a tax break. We needed to educate the entire public and show how even a little savings can go a long way toward eliminating debt for the next generation. This bottom-up-and-top-down approach helped us be more inclusive and lift not only awareness but engagement and conversion, as well.

Full case study here: https://bozell.com/work/529-college-savings-plans-for-their-future/

6. ACCOUNT SERVICES & MANAGEMENT

Bidder must have experience with using collaboration, coordination, and communication to build a successful working relationship. Bidder must have experience not only providing materials, but actively engaging with customers and stakeholders to accomplish the mission. Additionally, bidder must be able to adjust and tailor initial plans based on feedback from customers, stakeholders, and research. Describe experience.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/425564117 https://player.vimeo.com/video/768658261 https://bozell.com/work/529-college-savings-plans-for-their-future/

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Our unique membership approach to building client relationships has allowed us to serve as an extension of your team and gives us a chance to collaborate for the most-effective, on-time and on-budget campaign execution.

Availability Bozell and its members will agree upon a consistent cadence and regularity for their communication. Bozell expects its employees to be available between regular business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).

Bozell members are encouraged to reach out to Bozell professionals to ask questions, share ideas and, otherwise, communicate during those business hours. Bozell professionals will work with members to identify priority projects and needs as they come.

We understand that marketing needs can be urgent. As your partner, we will handle crises and rush projects on an individual basis and do as much as we can to find a solution based upon your business needs. These will be prioritized based upon their impact to the business objective. We will then schedule a post-mortem after the situation to identify ways to mitigate crisis in the future.

Collaboration Bozell members and professionals will meet for regular brainstorms to ideate around business and marketing problems faced by members. Bozell members will be invited to quarterly Member Meetups, which are exclusive to Bozell members and will include idea-sharing presentations, brainstorms and discussions with other like-minded marketers from a variety of industries.

Accountability Bozell members and professionals will agree upon key performance indicators (KPIs) before a campaign begins and work together to meet those. We will provide regular comprehensive reporting to analyze performance toward marketing and business goals. Our reports are more than just paid media reports. We work with you to review business results and analyze the impact of all of our omnichannel marketing efforts against them. And then we optimize accordingly, based on your feedback.

Roles As a Bozell member, you will have open access to our full team of professionals. However, you will also have a handful of key people to turn to for regular check-ins and quick questions or brainstorms.

Account Executives (AEs): Bozell AEs are experts at identifying how Bozell can use its resources to best fit your business needs. Your AE will be your go-to person, and you’ll have regular meetings to keep communication open and clear.

Project Managers: Bozell PMs are focused on ensuring that projects are completed efficiently and effectively. They work closely with the AE to ensure our processes are clean and clear. They make sure deadlines are hit, needs are met, and objectives are achieved.

Communications Team: Our communications team includes professionals across Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media. These people are media buyers, social media strategists, public relations experts and content creators. They work closely with the AEs and PMs to meet your business priorities through smart, effective communication. These folks will join in on meetings and will often work closely with you on specific projects.

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Creative and Digital Team: Our creative team includes professionals who bring your message and media to life. They include our creative directors, web developers, copywriters, motion designers, graphic designers and art directors. Like the communication team, they will join meetings and work closely with you on creative and digital projects.

7. MEDIA PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE AND BUYS

a. Print Media

Bidder must be skilled at content generation, writing, and being able to disseminate complex statutory requirements to the general public. In addition, bidder must have experience in graphic design and print media layout, such as for brochures, training manuals, newspapers, fact sheets, postcards, direct mailers, etc. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

Having worked in the utility, financial and insurance industries for more than 100 years, Bozell understands highly regulated industries. From fair lending laws to ADA compliance and requirements, we have the experience to handle even the most complex requirements. And rather than viewing these constraints and restrictions as roadblocks, we build strategies, content and creative that work in conjunction with them. We know that clear design and language that gets to the heart of the core message helps us prioritize the messaging hierarchy and ensure disclosures or legal requirements aren’t buried, but rather contextualized. So, not only can you trust we have a first-hand understanding of compliance monitoring, you’re also ensured a successful marketing campaign that works across all channels and speaks directly to your target audiences.

For the past three years, Bozell has been working with OPPD, collaborating with their Product Development & Marketing team to promote the many products and services available to its customers. During that time, we have developed a large quantity of print media layouts for OPPD, which has included brochures, training materials, fact sheets, postcards, bus wraps and more.

At the beginning of our partnership, we were tasked with creating a consistent look and feel for all of OPPD’s products and services – color palette, iconography, etc. We also created a landing page template for updating OPPD.com, and, throughout the three years, we’ve developed advertising materials to promote the products and services, such as postcards, tri-fold brochures, bill inserts, sales slicks, trade-show materials, event materials and leave-behinds, etc. (as well as email blasts, social graphics and copy, paid social ads, Google ad campaigns, display ads, radio, TV, social videos and more).

One example of this is OPPD’s Greener Together Program launch—a customer-fueled program created to fund green initiatives throughout the OPPD communities. In addition to said materials above, we also renamed the program using a naming convention we created for all future products and services, to ensure consistency and better understanding of the product/service by OPPD customers.

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Because content generation, graphic design and print media is a key deliverable at Bozell, there are many more examples we could provide if given the opportunity to present more.

b. Video and Audio Media Bidder must have experience with storytelling and training through audio and video tools. Bidder must understand traditional broadcast delivery channels, like television and radio, and media distribution and media buys. Additionally, bidder must have knowledge of internet platforms in releasing audio and video content. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

How people gather their daily content is extremely fragmented, which leads to a variety of placement opportunities for you. If your consumer listens to the radio in the morning, snacks on social throughout the day and watches TV at night, then that’s where your message needs to be.

At Bozell, we center our recommendations on the consumer.

When it comes to educating that audience, we must understand that everyone has a different learning style, whether it is reading, listening, watching or doing. But today, video and audio are key tactics for delivering an emotional connection and to help break down complex ideas. Paired with written materials and engagement opportunities, we can ensure we’re reaching the audience where they learn best.

In addition, video and audio are ideal options to grab attention and make learning fun.

“Edutainment” as a category has been on the rise and infuses the “have to” with the “want to.” At Bozell, we have extensive experience in video and audio – from training details all the way to broader brand messaging. From man-on-the-street interviews to Spanish ads running on Radio Lobo. We even have an in-house video editor and animator, which helps us move quickly when a video need arises.

While we’ve already provided video examples in response #4, an additional example is a Smart Thermostat video we wrote, designed, storyboarded and animated for OPPD customers. You can watch that here: https://vimeo.com/783416932/26c49446d3.

c. Outdoor or Out of Home (OOH) Bidder must have experience developing large compelling designs that may be used on billboards, busses, trucks, booths, etc. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

Out of Home is a great driver of frequency and awareness. Because consumers are driving or passing these ads “out in the wild,” they must be clear and concise. However, that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. When designing for OOH, we focus on more than the ad size. We look at placement for context or ways to use the same placement in a new and interesting way.

https://vimeo.com/783416932/26c49446d3

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• For H&H Automotive’s Chevrolet store, we created a series of “We’re Moving” billboards that not only informed the Omaha public of the dealership’s new location, but also used simple, yet fun visuals to visually relay the message of moving (i.e., a truck driving into an oversized moving box, and the current building being pulled away on the back of a semi-truck bed).

• For OPPD, we created a campaign promoting their financial assistance options. To spread the word, we took our concept and design to the streets with a bus wrap that traveled through areas of the city where OPPD customers could benefit most from those options.

• For Sioux Honey, we took advantage of their semi-trucks that already travel across the country, transporting their quality honey, by producing semi-truck wraps that touted messaging for their 100th anniversary celebration.

• For College of Saint Mary, we created an omnichannel campaign that featured actual students. Not only did we put these women on outdoor billboards and signage, we purchased billboards in their hometowns throughout Nebraska, so they became local brand advocates for the school they love so much.

• For Make-A-Wish Nebraska, we used this same approach as College of Saint Mary, featuring Wish Kids in their hometowns across western Nebraska.

d. Digital Media

Bidder must have knowledge of marketing through social media tools, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, etc. Bidder must also have knowledge of native advertising or over the top (OTT) advertising used to target specific demographics. Website design and management are also important technical skills. Describe experience.

Bidder Response:

Here’s the thing about social media and digital marketing: Success involves so much more than simply having a social account. Social media and digital marketing can be an efficient, cost-effective way to build brand awareness, engagement, community development, loyalty, and reputation – which ultimately help increase engagement and conversions. But it only works if you’re using it effectively. And that’s where we can help.

As we mentioned before, how people gather their daily content is extremely fragmented, but one thing we know is that the use of various digital and social channels is still increasing regularly.

Our team works in this space every day for a variety of our clients – paid and organic social media, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, programmatic buys, display advertising, OTT advertising and more.

Native, in addition to placements within digital and social channels, can be highly effective for educating consumers on a more complex topic. Native helps avoid ad blockers, as it shows up alongside editorial content. Whether that is an advertorial in a print publication or following around your key audience with an article placed throughout the user’s journey, we’ll make sure you are not only seen, but also optimized to extend reach and engagement.

We have many examples of all of these tactics and would be more than happy to walk you through the strategy, execution and results.

e. Media Placement Bidder must have experience working with various media entities to secure advertising/marketing space, including but not limited to, print, digital, broadcast, etc. Describe experience.

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Our media process is simple:

1. Identify: We begin by identifying your business goals and your target audience.

2. Strategize: We create a smart, sound omnichannel plan that is centered around the target audience and their daily media habits.

3. Negotiate & Buy: Bozell’s knowledge, experience and connections in Nebraska are arguably second to none.

4. Optimize & Report: We constantly optimize our campaigns to determine the “sweet spot” of awareness, engagement and conversion that allows you to maximize spend.

Once we identify your goals and audience, our team builds a media strategy. This strategy includes specific tactics, media channels and spends. Once that media strategy is approved, Bozell’s media team enters the market very assertively, striving to surpass the levels of media delivery that have been proposed. As part of this negotiation process, we constantly evaluate and explore opportunities for longer-term commitments with the media vendors in order to generate savings and efficiencies. We must evaluate the benefits of longer-term commitments, in terms of securing the necessary inventory for you (avoiding sold-out scenarios for specific properties or even added-value programs) while securing the best rates possible. At the same time, we know that budgetary flexibility is always paramount to our strategic thinking. In many cases, we have been able to secure longer-term media agreements (as long as a year+ dependent on the media property), with corresponding cancellation agreements (short-term option dates 2–4 weeks before the media is scheduled to run).

Bozell’s media-ordering process and procedures are just as detailed as the planning and buying process, as this is the end result of all our strategic planning. Detailed MEAs will be shared with you, reflecting all of the plans (goals established, flow charts, media buys negotiated, etc.), from the initial request to the completion of the planning/recommendation process, for your final review and approval. Detailed ad sizes and format information is secured from the vendors and shared, as well as with our creative team. Orders are then generated to each media vendor detailing the media schedules and the lowest possible rates that were secured. Within these orders, we detail the parameters of the added-value programs that were also obtained during negotiations, and our policies on make-goods (within specific flight windows, in specific programs, websites, out-of-home properties, etc.) that will be deemed acceptable. We also provide details on the media schedule maintenance and reporting that will be expected both during and at the conclusion of each campaign.

We’re constantly looking for ways to achieve more with less and routinely make suggestions that would save money while driving performance, be it adjustments to buying guidelines or when we need/don’t need third-party ad serving.