REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR

Branding and Design Services

Brand Identification, Logo, Tagline, Style Guide

Proposals must be submitted no later than 5:00pm on December 3rd, 2018

Sam Filler, Executive Director

New York Wine & Grape Foundation 800 South Main Street, Suite 200

Canandaigua, NY 14424 p. 1 (585) 394-3620 e. rfp@nywgf.org

w. www.newyorkwines.org

1. Introduction

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation seeks a qualified consultant(s) to provide branding and design services to include

a. Brand identification and key messaging b. Design and production of new logo c. Creation of impactful tagline d. Creation of company-wide brand book e. Creation of a brand strategy implementation plan

2. Organizational Background

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) was created by the State of New York in 1985 as a private, non-profit organization. The enabling legislation established a financing mechanism for promotion and research, providing the industry with both short-term assistance and the potential for long-term viability. NYWGF’s programs are developed by a 21-member Board of Directors in consultation with other representatives from industry and state government. The activities carried out by NYWGF are designed to support all uses of New York-grown grapes from all regions of the state. The mission of the NYWG (updated in May 2018) is to “promote the world-class image of New York grapes and wines from our diverse regions to responsibly benefit farmers, producers and consumers through innovative marketing, research, communication, and advocacy.” The vision of the NYWGF (updated in May 2018) is “to be the world's premier region for cool and cold climate viticulture.” 3. Project Description and Brand History

The brand identity for New York Wines requires an update to remain competitive with leading international wine regions. (Austria New Zealand Australia Napa, CA ) Investments in branding New York wines on a national scale has, and will continue, to benefit the industry. The New York Wine & Grape Foundation launched the “Uncork New York!” brand in a marketing campaign unveiled in 1987, leveraging a $1 million investment from the State of New York. The brand remains in use to this day, having last received an update in 2007. State-led wine grape promotion agencies in Washington and Virginia recently launched new brand identities to meet the demands of their growing industries. The visual identity for New York Wines requires an updated message as a well as a new

‘look and feel’ to accurately and enthusiastically reflect the industry’s growth and increase recognition as a premium international grape growing and wine making region. 4. Project Goal, Objectives and Deliverables

Goal: To elevate the brand and visual identity the New York Wine & Grape Foundation through a set of unified brand guidelines, visual identity hierarchy and marketing messaging. Project Objectives:

• Audit existing brand, sub-brands, and marketing materials o Conduct research of our primary internal and external audiences. o Profile and segment research by targeted key audiences (consumers,

wineries, grape growers, winery associated business, wine buyers, media and trade influencers).

o Perform a competitive analysis of peer institutions brand positions

Note: There is not an expectation to conduct in-depth surveys or focus groups. Goal is to benchmark the brand based on audience and peer institutions, and how to position brand.

• Evaluate and update our visual identity and tagline

• Develop other essential brand identity elements, including clarity around the branding of major programs (NY Drinks NY, NY Wine Classic, NY Juice Grapes and NY Wines).

Project Deliverables:

• Conduct a brand audit/benchmarking: that provides a market research/competitive analysis and establishes the brand positioning.

• Respondents will design a Brand Architecture Diagram that identifies the position of

each of the sub-brands as they relate to one another and the parent brand.

• Design and present at least three (3) iterations of the organization’s visual identity and tagline. Visual identity means a mark (logo), font/typeface, color palette, one-sentence elaboration (“tagline’) on the brand for messaging purposes

o The mark (logo) must be effective in color and in black-and-white/grayscale. o Final mark (logo) versions shall be suitable for use on:

§ Printed brand collateral: stationery, printed materials, trade show booths, (i.e. banners, billboards, flyers, wine bags, clothing, wine guides, tv and radio advertising, and indoor and outdoor signage)

§ Digital implementation: mark (logo) for use on NYWGF's website and social networking sites.

• Brand book that incorporates: o Brand strategy that specifies the organization’s primary audiences, brand values,

personality, value proposition, brand positioning, and brand architecture o Brand Package that includes final logos and tagline(s). The logo shall be provided

in vector and sized pixel file formats, in JPG and EPS format that can be manipulated using Adobe Illustrator. The RGB color codes and hex values shall also be provided. The detailed brand package shall include fonts, brand assets, other graphic elements, and color palettes for a host of collateral materials.

o Branding and visual identity hierarchy for major programs

5. Project Budget

The budget range for this work $20,000-35,000. All fee schedule types will be considered. Respondents are asked to break out all fees, costs and third-party costs. In order to meet this desired schedule, the NYWGF is open to a phased approach that may require some features to be implemented after an initial launch under separate scope of work and budget. Price accordingly. 6. RFP and Project Timeline

Request for Proposal Issuance October 31, 2018 Deadline for Submitting Questions November 7, 2018 RFP Q&A Conference Call RSVP: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/x4bw9znyd63y&eom

November 9, 2018

Respondents Inform NYWGF Intention to Respond November 19, 2018 Deadline to Submit Proposals December 3, 2018 Proposal Review by Committee December 15, 2018 Finalists Interviews* January 3, 2019 RFP Contract(s) Announced* January 14, 2019 Project Begins February 1, 2019 Draft Project Results April 15, 2019 Final Report and Public Presentation June 3, 2019

*Exact date subject to change

7. Selection Criteria

All proposals submitted in response to this RFP must fully and directly address the statement of work.

The following must be included in the proposal: 1. The company name, the name of a contact person, mailing address, telephone number,

fax number, email address and website.

2. A concise description of Respondent's principal business including company background, characteristics of business strength, and products and services offered.

3. A description of the qualifications of the staff who would work on the project. A team

that includes professionals with proven expertise in brand strategy is highly desirable.

4. A discussion of Respondent's experience in providing deliverables similar in size, complexity and nature to those requested in this RFP.

5. Examples of Respondent's work including relevant samples of branding projects the branding company has completed.

6. At least three (3) references for similar projects completed by the Respondent, including name of organization, name of contact person, address, telephone number and email address.

7. A discussion of the company's ability to complete the project within the desired timeline.

8. A detailed pricing proposal including the estimated number of hours, and fees, for each of the project’s elements.

9. A clear understanding that all project elements will be the exclusive property of NYWGF and that NYWGF will have exclusive rights to each of the elements, including the design artwork.

10. A description of any additional recommended items or services, including the estimated number of hours and fees.

11. A description of the percentage of work that is expected to be done on-site, and the percentage expected to be done remotely.

12. A proposed timeline for completion of the project, including milestones and the

vendor’s proposed methods for engagement of stakeholders during the process. Proposals will be evaluated by a committee of industry stakeholders and NYWGF staff.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Relevant branding experience with the wine industry and other agribusinesses • Cost to complete the process • Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and operate within budget • Proposals must remain valid for a period of 90 days.

NYWGF reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value as determined solely by NYWGF in its absolute discretion. NYWGF reserves the right to not select a contractor based on the proposals received. Efforts will be made by NYWGF to utilize New York based small business, women and/or minority owned business. Offeror qualifies as a small business firm if it meets the definition of “small business” as established by the Small Business Administration (13 C.F.R. § 121.201). And, MWBE firms must be certified in accordance with the requirements of Article 15-A of the New York State Executive Law.

8. Contact information and deadline for submissions

This RFP will be posted on the NYWGF website, www.newyorkwines.org, and may be distributed to individual firms. Questions regarding this RFP must be submitted via email to rfp@nywgf.org. The deadline for submitting questions is November 7, 2018 at 5 pm EST. Inquiries will only be received and answered by email. A RFP Q&A conference call will be held November 9th at 11am. RSVP available at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/x4bw9znyd63y&eom Respondents must notify their intention to submit a proposal by November 19, 2018 by 5 pm EST by email to rfp@nywgf.org. Respondents must submit a copy of their proposal in PDF via email (rfp@nywgf.org) or a flash drive by: December 3, 2018 at 5 pm EST.

Proposal: The brand identity for New York Wines requires an update in order to remain competitive with leading international wine regions. Investing in branding New York wines on a national scale has and will continue to benefit the New York wine industry. The New York Wine and Grape Foundation launched the “Uncork New York!” brand in a marketing campaign launched in 1987, leveraging a $1 million investment from the State of New York. The brand remains in use to-this date and it last received an update in 2007. State-led wine promotion agencies in Washington and Virginia recently launched new brand identities to meet the demands of their growing industries. The visual identity for New York Wines should be updated to reflect the industry’s growth and growing recognition as a premium international wine making region. Original Logo:

Second Version:

Current Version:

Original Organizational Logo

&

Hierarchy of Visual Identities

Juice and Table Grape

Official NY Wines Branding

Website Visual Identity

New York Drinks New York Program

Created for NYDNY

Annual NY Wine Competition

Next Page New York Wine Trail Logos

(Note: These are visual identities of separate marketing groups)