ENQEIR883 - Advertising and Media Buying Services

Short description

EirGrid has a requirement for creative advertising services and media planning and buying services to work with EirGrid on our communications within the Republic of Ireland. We are seeking agencies in the creative and media space that have experience of strategising and developing communications, and planning and purchasing media for national and regional campaigns on strategic infrastructure projects.

Description of the procurement

Lot 1 Strategic creative advertising services

Deliverables include, but are not limited to:

- Strategic brand planning and communications advice for the brand, pertaining to time-bound information campaigns through to strategic brand awareness campaigns.
- Full production of through-the-line advertising communications for the brand, from conception through to delivery of artwork / content across all possible mediums, which respond to the specific goals of the brief / campaign, while delivering overarching brand KPIs.
- Production of once-off content (video, copywriting, specials, etc.) for specific single-use or out-of-campaign related purposes.
- Act as a guardian for the brand’s visual identity.
- Monitoring of trends and ongoing analysis of strategic environment; be a source of strategic insight and direction for the brand.
- Write copy or source copywriting in Irish, and potentially other languages, upon request.
- Provide support to the client to meet requirements for Irish language advertising under the Official Languages Act.
- Provide support to identify and understand target audiences and their behaviours.
- Expertise in effective public information campaigns.
- Advice on suitability of new communications channels and platforms that may emerge over the lifetime of the contract.
- Pre-testing of creative concepts and proposed communications solutions.
- Plan and manage integrated campaigns to ensure consistent, quality messaging across traditional, digital, mobile, social media and other emerging technologies.
- Manage relationship with client, liaising with other client agencies where required, to support the brand’s communications and ensuring an integrated communications approach, in particular with the media planning and buying and research agencies.
- Procurement and management of all sub-suppliers required to fulfil delivery of finished artwork / content.
- Participate in high-level once-a-quarter agency reviews of brand goals, recent campaigns, trending data, environment and consumer outlook.
- Provide best-in-class provision of client service, including provision of itemised spend per job, timely responses, timeline management, budget management, invoicing, accrual reports, etc.
- Traffic and distribute finished creative materials to other brand suppliers and third parties as required and in line with media plans.
- Provide detailed evaluation of the effectiveness of the creative materials following the completion of activity to include learnings and recommendations for future activity.
- Assist the client in addressing ad-hoc queries from the public, public representatives, Government and other requests and enquiries relating to the advertising.
- Advise and assist the client on any issues arising in connection with EirGrid advertising campaigns.
- Advise the client in relation to copyright and intellectual property issues with a view to ensuring full compliance with the provisions of the contract.
- Take all reasonable precautions to guard against any loss to the client through the failure of suppliers to properly execute their commitments.
- Ensure all advertising is in line with the ASAI Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications in Ireland and any other relevant industry codes and necessary processes are adhered to.
- Creative agency may be tasked with procuring research services for qualitative and quantitative tracking on behalf of EirGrid; envisaged as qualitative and quantitative research once a quarter, but subject to amendment.
- Delivery of pre-agreed KPIs for service performance to be reviewed at least annually, within the operation of a PRIP regime (performance related incentive programme)

Estimated value over the potential 8 years is €8,050,000

Description of the procurement

Deliverables include, but are not limited to:

- Provision of strategic media planning and advice for the brand on all campaigns undertaken by the organisation, specific to each campaign and in keeping with overall brand objectives.
- Creation of holistic media plan recommendations reflective of the campaign key metrics, research against the target audience and creative direction; media buying to include:
- pre-buy cost and communication metric estimates,
- medium / slot determination,
- media buying negotiations, delivering optimum media efficiency for available budgets,
- prioritisation, and understanding of value, of regional / local media planning and buying integration for information campaigns,
- delivery of added value communications, where feasible,
- timely follow-up and post-campaign analysis.
- Specific development and nurturing of relationships with local and regional media on behalf of the brand to better advise and enable optimum delivery of information campaigns.
- Pro-actively identify and assess new opportunities and developments in media consumption and viewpoints that may impact client in the short- and long-term.
- Advise, support and execute media buying plans that ensure obligations under the Official Languages Act are met.
- Manage relationship with client, liaising with other client agencies where required, to support the brand’s communications and ensuring an integrated communications approach, with the creative and research agencies.
- Participate in high-level once-a-quarter agency reviews of brand goals, recent campaign performance, trending data, environment and consumer outlook.
- Provide best-in-class provision of client service, including provision of itemised spend per campaign, timely responses, timeline management, budget management, efficient and timely invoicing, accrual reports, etc.
- Delivery of pre-agreed KPIs for both Service and Media buying delivery to be reviewed at least annually, within the operation of a PRIP regime (performance related incentive programme).
- Submission to media auditing (if requested) at least annually of media costs and quality, AVBs.
- The measurement and return to EirGrid of so called AVBs (annual volume bonifications) based on the client’s annual spend with media owners who operate AVBs.
- The return of unbilled media, that being media paid for by EirGrid but subsequently not invoiced, in part or in full, to the media agency by media owner(s).
- Billing of technology costs, e.g. digital adserving, at cost, without mark-up. Costs for any other technical costs, e.g. use of optimization tools, agency programmatic systems to be agreed in advance with EirGrid.
- Take all reasonable precautions to guard against any loss to the client through the failure of suppliers to properly execute their commitments.

Estimated value over the potential 8 years is €5,600,000