OCEAN CITY — Ocean City is getting ready to shop the town’s advertising contract through a competitive bid process.
During Tuesday’s Tourism Commission meeting, Communications and Marketing Director Jessica Waters outlined the timeline for the request for proposal (RFP) seeking bidders for the town’s advertising firm contract. For the last 20 years, the town has contracted with MGH and CEO Andy Malis to handle television, digital, radio, print and billboard advertising campaigns.
Malis works closely with town tourism officials and leadership of organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, for example on conceptual plans for campaigns and his team carries out the marketing intentions. The tourism commission has decided to put together an RFP soliciting bids for a new advertising contract, according to Communications and Marketing Director Jessica Waters.
“The tourism commission some time ago voted to do an RFP for our advertising contract,” she said. “It has a pretty aggressive timeline. It needs to be in order for us to award a bid for a new agency. We discussed in length what we wanted the criteria to be and what qualifications we would expect.”
It remains uncertain if MGH will submit a bid to renew its advertising contract with the town after two decades, but the company will likely be among the bidders. The RFP at this time is not any reflection on the town’s satisfaction with MGH. Officials say it’s mere’s a healthy exercise to open the bid process and see what’s in the marketplace. Waters said in the meantime, her office continues to work with MGH on a possible transition.
FINALLY getting out of the 20th Century mindset which did not work. Challenge now will be the bad rep OC has received over the last many years via June Bugs, natives from Bmore, DC and PG counties, as well as the City Fail debacle with the H20i group. Im sure marketing and ad groups wont be cheap either, which worries me since the old mindset like to go for the cheap rather than long term strategic planning.
Prove us wrong City Fail.