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Does your $538,000 include hard costs for media? If not, how much do you typically spend on media in a 12-month period?
- First and foremost: The budget outlined in the RFP is for 2026 only. Budget planning for 2027 will occur later in the 2026 fiscal year (we expect it to be the same or greater).
- This is the first time we’ve shared budget guidelines this complete. The $538,000 includes hard costs for media as well as administrative, collateral, print, tools, and other associated expenses in 2026. It is not solely a media budget (we wish). It’s also not solely an admin budget (I know, agencies wish). We've outlined our needs in as much detail as we could to give agencies the context they need to recommend an appropriate media strategy and mix as part of their proposal.
How should we interpret the available budget and funding structure for this project?
As mentioned above, the budget numbers we included here are for the first year only.
- Here’s the 2026 breakdown again:
- Total budget: $538,500
- Otsego County: $450,000
- The Otsego County Partner Program typically allocates ~$120,000 annually for media/campaign work (creative and marketing execution will be part of the agency’s scope/fees).
- The remainder of the Otsego budget is open for strategic recommendations — campaigns, tactics, bold ideas, wild antics? Bring them on.
- Schoharie County: $88,500
- This includes the design and production of a printed visitor piece (we’re open to creative ideas on size, format, etc.).
- The rest of the Schoharie budget is also open for strategic recommendations.
Outside of the Partner Program, the remaining Otsego County budget is intentionally open and flexible. We’re looking to our selected agency to help shape how those funds are used between both the tourism and resident facing brands through creative strategy, bold campaigns, and ideas that move the needle.
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Do you have an incumbent and would they be participating in this RFP?
- Yes. We do have an incumbent agency, and they’re invited to toss their hat back in the ring along with all other interested agencies.
Could you let us know if you have a local preference or are you open to a Canadian agency that has done similar work with clients across the United States?
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We’re happily open to Canadian agencies — we believe great ideas know no borders. (And yes, we speak both miles and kilometres fluently.)
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I noticed influencer marketing isn’t specifically outlined in the scope. Is that something you are planning to explore separately, or as part of this initiative?
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Yes — and we’re already doing it. Influencer marketing and content creator partnerships are part of our current strategy and will (hopefully) continue to be. While we didn’t break it out line by line, we expect it to be thoughtfully woven into your broader marketing approach.
How is the Partner Program structured, and what role would the selected agency play?
- Partner Program enrollment and management is handled by the DMC team. The agency will support through creative production, marketing execution, and reporting. We also welcome agency input on potential benefit updates (marketing tactics) before the Partner Program enrollment launches in November.
Are you expecting three distinct sets of deliverables (Partner Program, Schoharie-specific, and three-brand campaign), and is the unified campaign the lowest priority?
Our hope is that the selected agency can support us across all focus areas — but not in silos. We are three brands under one regional umbrella (and honestly, a mini-brand alignment exercise could be a fun and valuable way to kick things off). While Otsego and Schoharie counties have separate accounting and reporting, visitors certainly don’t travel with a map of county lines in their pocket. They visit, stay, play — and sometimes (clutching our pearls!) fall in love with the region so much they decide to move here. We’d love to help take credit for that, too.
Here’s how it currently looks:
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Otsego County: Cooperstown is the lead brand — it drives the majority of our visitation and brand potential, and accordingly, garners the most attention and budget. Because: Bed Tax. We Go Otsego is our resident-facing brand. Smaller in scale but growing quickly and strategically.
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Schoharie County: This is a smaller but mighty program ( no Partner Program here ) with the print piece noted in the RFP being its top priority.
At the end of the day, we’d like the work to feel connected and cohesive across the region, much like the experience of those who come here. (Hint: they’re not thinking in terms of brand pillars when they’re biking a rail trail or shopping at a Main Street festival.)
How have you used Carvertise in the past? Vehicle wraps? Digital screens? What was the geographic reach? Was it successful?
- Carvertise is a vendor we’ve worked with for several years as one part of our marketing mix. Yes — we’ve used vehicle wraps to reach key target markets and drive awareness (literally). The geographic reach has included select high-priority feeder markets. Like all tactics, we continuously evaluate performance — it has been a useful tool, but as with every tactic, we’re open to fresh thinking about whether/how to include it moving forward.
What have you executed to date on Meta, Google, YouTube, and TikTok? Or have those just been discussion points?
- We actively execute campaigns across Meta, Google, and YouTube — these platforms are a regular part of our paid media mix. TikTok has been used selectively and is an area where we’re open to testing and evolving our approach. Again — we are very open to seeing how a prospective agency would recommend shaping our channel strategy going forward.
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How is the Partner Program structured, and what role would the selected agency play?
- Partner Program enrollment and management is handled by the DMC team. The agency will support through creative production, marketing execution, and reporting. We also welcome agency input on potential benefit updates (marketing tactics) before the Partner Program enrollment launches in November.