The City of Cambridge seeks qualified firms or agencies with strong experience in marketing strategy and design services to create brand awareness and market the City’s commercial districts, with an emphasis on those commercial districts and areas of the city most impacted by Encore Boston Harbor. Funding for this request for proposals comes from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in order to mitigate the impacts of nearby gaming establishments – in this instance, Encore Boston Harbor. Gaming establishments attract a large group of patrons and employees to their establishments that would not otherwise be present in the region. While the increase in Encore Boston Harbor’s patrons and employees to the region has the potential to positively impact Cambridge’s diverse small businesses, our commercial districts are unable to help small businesses take advantage of this new opportunity. Cambridge Community Development Department via the Economic Opportunity and Development Division (EODD) seeks to promote Cambridge as a destination for patrons and employees of gaming establishments to dine and shop by working with the selected vendor to develop a marketing campaign for the City’s commercial districts. The EODD will work with the selected vendor in collaboration with business associations and business owners to determine the specific marketing needs of the commercial districts and develop a marketing strategy and associated collateral templates. Collateral templates will be used by the City to advertise at venues such as Encore Boston Harbor, MBTA channels, and other regional marketing opportunities. The templates may also be shared with the Cambridge Office of Tourism, Cambridge business associations, area hotels, and small businesses.
