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SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom - Samir Kassir Foundation

Call for Tenders: Development of a Social Media Campaign for the 2021 Samir Kassir Award

Tuesday , 22 December 2020

The present call for tenders for service provision is launched as part of the 16th Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press project implemented by the Samir Kassir Foundation and funded by the European Union.

Name of the organization: Samir Kassir Foundation

Address: Sin El Fil, Beirut, Lebanon

Contact email: amhanna@skeyesmedia.org; jshahrour@skeyesmedia.org; nbakhti@skeyesmedia.org

 

Project background:

On June 2, 2005, Samir Kassir, a Franco-Lebanese journalist, writer and academic was assassinated. In the aftermath, the European Union established the "Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press". Since 2006, this award aims at:

  • Promoting freedom of the press in North Africa and Middle East.
  • Encouraging journalists to speak out and investigate
  • Encouraging freedom of opinion and expression

 

The promotion strategy for the Award has been reviewed and adapted over time by the Delegation of the European Union in partnership with the Samir Kassir Foundation to adapt to evolving times and capitalize on new communications tools and technology opportunities, with promotion of the award on social media gradually becoming more prominent. Since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a massive shift to digitization in the way corporate and non-governmental organizations communicate. This has intensified as a direct result of protracted periods of lockdown and the impossibility to organize physical events, including the ceremony of the 15th Samir Kassir Award. Accordingly, the EU Delegation to Lebanon and the Samir Kassir Foundation wish to further adapt the promotion the award increasingly strengthening, modernizing and professionalizing the award’s social media presence, and harnessing digital communication opportunities. The promotion of the Samir Kassir Award accordingly is increasingly challenged by the continuous need to adapt and evolve in the digital sphere and remain in par with new trends and the performance of other relevant campaigns and entities.

 

Object of the contract: The social media campaign for the 16th edition of the Samir Kassir Award will be managed and delivered by a specialized social media and communication agency. The social media agency is to develop and implement a campaign, which will be modern, engaging, and innovative, and be deployed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

 

Key features: The main goals of the social media campaigns are to:

(i)             Secure the highest number of applications from MENA and Gulf journalists to the SK Award competition;

(ii)           Ensure that SK Award is visible and its importance in the media landscape is underscored;

(iii)         Contribute to the increase of the number of female participants; and

(iv)          Raise awareness about human rights and freedom of expression

(v)           Position the EU and SKF as defenders of human rights and freedom of expression in the MENA and Gulf region.

The development and implementation of the campaign will take place in close cooperation with the Samir Kassir Foundation and the EU Delegation in Lebanon.

 

Technical Specifications

 

  1. Social media strategy

Develop a strategy at the beginning of the contract that would include a benchmark analysis, an assessment of SK Award’s online presence and a strategy for its online communication.

The social media strategy will also include the re-use and improvement of the special page for the Award on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/samirkassiraward), which has been “blue-tick certified.” The Facebook page will serve the following goals:

  • Provide practical information about the competition process;
  • Broadcast the webinars, live announcements, the pre-ceremony event with students; and the Award ceremony itself; and
  • Guarantee the highest levels of visibility for the EU as the initiator and supporter of the Award.

The promotion of the award will also take place on the Award’s Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/samir_kassir_award/), making full use of the engagement opportunities that Instagram carries.

The social media campaign will also make use of the existing SKF social media accounts on YouTube and Twitter. YouTube will be used to spread the advertisement and some of the video-based human stories. Yet, the main role of the YouTube account will be to have a comprehensive archive of the video and visual materials produced to promote the Award.

SKF will also leverage its strong presence on Twitter (through its www.twitter.com/SK_Eyes account) to engage in conversations about the Award with users and publish key reminders and visual elements.

The social media agency will ensure that the applicable EU visibility requirements for the award and approved branding are followed and that the visual identity of the SK Award remains consistent across various platforms including traditional media, the website and social media.

 

  1. Content creation

Indicative content creation will be up to 3 posts and/or stories per week, adapted to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and whenever necessary, YouTube, in addition to the live coverage support required during any physical and/or virtual events and other activities organized in the framework of the project.

Content should be developed in English and Arabic. In the case of the latter, Lebanese dialect will be used for informal content and formal Arabic for more official content as will be agreed on a case by case basis with the Samir Kassir Foundation and the EU Delegation to Lebanon.

Such content includes, but is not limited to: Captions/ Messages/ Hashtags/ Designed visuals/ Photographs/ Copyrighted stock photos/ Copyrighted music/ Infographics/ Animated GIFs/ Videos/ Animations / Contests/quizzes/ Q&As/ Live tweeting/ Facebook live/ Instagram live/ Instagram stories/ Stories from the field/ IGTV format/ Instagram Live Duo/ engagement in stories, etc.

 

While developing content, the contractor should keep in mind the following: 

  • Create emotional associations: create emotional associations to the award and its intent, with a particular focus on human rights promotion and particularly press freedom. The content should also highlight the association of the EU with the award and EU commitment to freedom of expression and press freedom. The use of personal and human stories, i.e. from past winners, human rights activists and other relevant personalities is welcome as part of the campaign.
  • Target key stakeholders: target potential candidates of the award as well as the general public. Keep in mind other relevant target audiences including the media, civil society and university students ensuring the development of a multi-messaging and multi-audiences strategy. The purpose of the promotion via social media and media is not only to secure applications by journalists to the Award but also to raise awareness on human rights, freedom of expression and press freedom. People living in the Middle East and North Africa region are a key target of the campaign. This aspect should be taken into account when developing the strategy and in content development.
  • Key messages are to be developed as part of the communication strategy in close collaboration with the EU Delegation. Human Rights is a priority theme of EU public engagement in Lebanon. The key messages should include informational messages on the award nature and process as well as key advocacy messages highlighting EU support to human rights, freedom of expression, press freedom, among others. The key messages should be catchy and adapted for both large and specific audiences. The messages must be approved by the EU Delegation and the Samir Kassir Foundation before their use in any communication activity under the project.

 

  1. Community management

Build, grow, manage and engage with the SK Award’s online community on a regular basis. The contractor will be asked to:

  • Develop and publish the abovementioned content on the various platforms once approved, taking into consideration each platform’s unique characteristics, potential and limitations and diversifying the content across all social media platforms.
  • Advise SKF members on the manner in which to tackle private or direct messages, comments and posts by users.
  • Update the accounts info, profile and cover photos, whenever deemed necessary (with prior approval by SKF and the EU Delegation).

 

  1. Monthly posts calendar

A monthly calendar of posts in Excel should be proposed 10 days before the beginning of each month for review and approval. SKF and the EU Delegation may provide feedback on the calendar and require adjustments or replacement of content as applicable.

 

  1. Media planning and buying

A monthly media plan should be proposed with the monthly posts calendar, to help SKF in boosting and promoting specific content. The media plan should take into account the relevancy of the posts, the target audience and the optimal platforms to boost them. It should include social media ads on SK Award and SKF accounts (Facebook and Instagram for now). Targeted online ads on relevant platforms should also be considered, such as Google ads and social ads placed on local websites. Additional on-line communication tools may also be proposed by the contractor and will be discussed and agreed on in close collaboration with the Samir Kassir Foundation and the EU Delegation during the implementation period.

Costs associated with media planning and buying should be covered by the budget. 

 

  1. Performance measurement

A bimonthly performance measurement report should be shared with SKF and the EU Delegation and would include social media analytics and both quantitative and qualitative assessments considering:

  • Reach, impressions, views and engagement on posts and ads;
  • Figures on posts and ads reach such as gender, age and geography;
  • Best performing content with rationale/qualitative analysis;
  • Least performing content with rationale/qualitative analysis;
  • Figures on the accounts and pages;
  • Recommendations to improve the SK Award’s presence and grow its online community in the upcoming months.

 

Tender assessment criteria

  • Experience in working with media outlets, nongovernmental organizations and/or civil society organizations reflected in the proposal
  • A proposal which illustrates – and a track record in – a tailored and innovative approach to social media communication projects
  • A willingness to display flexibility, rapidity to adjust and accommodate feedback, and perseverance in providing support

The most economically attractive offer assessed in accordance with the quality and creativity of the proposal by the tenderer will be chosen.

 

Delivery deadline: January 10, 2021

Applications and proposals will be submitted entirely in English. 

The monetary unit used will be the US dollar. For further information, please contact us.

 

Sending of the proposals

-   Proposals must be sent before January 10, 2021 to the following email addresses: amhanna@skeyesmedia.org; jshahrour@skeyesmedia.org; nbakhti@skeyesmedia.org 

-   References of the company

-   Similar projects / portfolio

 

Payment conditions

30% upon signature of the contract.

70% upon final delivery of services.

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