The Win
Speaking at a trade show can result in new client business. This is what Prospect Associates believes led to an invitation to submit a proposal for an outreach program to support the Massachusetts Women, Infants and Children Program (MWIC).
In 1998, Dr. Craig Lefebvre, Prospect's chief technical officer, spoke at a social marketing conference that was attended by MWIC representatives. Last August, Linda Bardfield van Over, Prospect's creative director, was sent the anonymous RFP (request for proposal) to her home address. Putting two and two together, van Over surmised that since she submitted her home address to the trade show's database, MWIC used that information to contact the agency.
In October, Prospect won the $100,000 MWIC contract. Its assignment is to conduct research on the causes of MWIC's declining enrollment. In addition, the contract calls for developing a marketing plan to boost enrollment and retention.
Main Competition
There were four other agencies that submitted proposals for the MWIC contract.
Pitch Team
Linda Weinberg, VP communications; Dr. Craig Lefebvre, VP and chief technical officer; Paula Panissidi, account supervisor; Linda Bardfield vanOver, creative director.
Assignment
The proposal required that agencies submit a five-page proposal on social marketing capabilities and specific experience with nutrition-focused outreach and consensus building among various audiences.
MWIC needed communications counsel to develop strategies for boosting its client retention and enrollment.
Although MWIC had an extensive database on its clients, it needed help with determining which client targets provided the best opportunities to reverse disenrollment trends. The government agency also needed a solid marketing plan to reach the women most eligible for its services - pregnant women and mothers of infants and children up to age 5.
Presentation
With a two-week deadline, Prospect submitted its five-page proposal in August. The proposal focused on its experience in:
- social marketing;
- consensus building among professional and consumer audiences;
- market research;
- outreach to women, various ethnic groups and low-income audiences; and
- nutrition-focused outreach efforts.
One of the most convincing ways Prospect conveyed this experience was with grids that graphically demonstrated its social marketing campaigns that targeted various audiences, like Hispanics, women and low-income families.
What also made Prospect attractive to MWIC was its experience working with WIC on a national level. The campaign, "Tickle Your Appetite," boosted awareness among women of the importance of proper nutrition and diet.
Linda Weinberg, Prospect's VP communications who is also a registered dietician, and Lefebvre were positioned as potential senior advisors for the MWIC project. They have significant combined experience in the area of nutritional outreach and social marketing. Prospect submitted several published articles written by Lefebvre on social marketing.
The proposal satisfied most of MWIC's criteria. The only outstanding concerns Prospect had to address involved expanding the research parameters to include more state-level government targets, says Paula Panissidi, Prospect's account supervisor.
Pitch Tips
Prospect's win of the MWIC account testifies to the merits of speaking at industry conferences. "Trade shows are excellent [new business] lead generators; in our case we were able to position the agency as an expert on social marketing," says Panissidi.
Although the trade show exposure opened the door for Prospect, its concise case-study-driven proposal is what won them the account.
MWIC needed an agency with a proven track record of social marketing campaigns that targeted various audiences. Prospect fit that bill with:
- specific campaign examples involving various government programs;
- research design; and
- the agency's approach to strategic planning.
Prospect Associates
Founded: 1979
Location: Silver Spring, Md., Frederick, Md., and Atlanta
Revenues: $12.9 million
Focus: planning, evaluation, PR, advertising
Healthcare Clients: National Institutes of Health, Maryland Department
of Health
Phone: 301/592-8600