Okaloosa County BOCC — March 18, 2014 — Action Item Printout — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: March 18, 2014 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Ed Schroeder SUBJECT: Pocket Ranger app advertising DEPARTMENT: Tourist Development Department BCC DISTRICT: STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Request approval for The Emerald Coast to be showcased as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the Florida State Parks at an annual cost of $15,000, payable in advance. BACKGROUND: State Parks nationwide outdraw all professional sports, theme parks, and National Parks combined with 310 million paid visits. The Florida Park Service is partnering with ParksByNature Network™ and PocketRanger.com to provide visitors and Florida state park enthusiasts with a free smartphone app. This interactive guide gives users access to all state parks and trails with detailed information, amenities, facility maps and directions. Users can plan an outdoor trip by searching for a park by GPS location or activity to find nearby locations to enjoy hiking, camping, boating, birding and more. Advanced GPS and GIS mapping technology allows users to track and record trails, mark waypoints and locate friends within the parks. Users can even cache GPS maps in advance to ensure that navigation remains possible in the event of lost mobile reception. The Emerald Coast has an opportunity to be showcased as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the State of Florida at an annual cost of $15,000. The Emerald Coast will be seen on every page of the Florida Official program in rotation, as well over key Static Pages exclusively, as well as the Prime intro Beaches splash page. The annual fee includes the following exposure to highlight The Emerald Coast as the destination of choice in Florida: • Coastal Beaches Florida- Title Full Page intro Sponsor Splash Page Beaches of Florida. • State Parks Region- Coastal Beaches- Prominent Static Banner R1 area Panhandle Sole Title Sponsor- Beaches and State Parks sections. • Escambia County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Gulf Islands National Seashore, and all county beaches; 45 pages/Static Banner. • Santa Rosa County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Navarre Beach Park; 11 Pages/Static Banner. • Okaloosa County Beaches- Prominent Front Static Banner including Gulf Islands National Seashore and all beaches in Okaloosa County; 27 Pages/Static Banner. • Walton County Beaches- Prominent Static Banner including Miramar Beach; 47 Pages/Static Banner. • Florida State Parks Statewide- Prominent front position rotation banner, all parks statewide- apps Android and Apple and Official State mobile web site. This position is the most visible  banner location seen on the landing page and throughout the apps with the exception of exclusive static banner locations. • Activity Beach Florida State Park Sponsor- Prominent front Static banner -this position is the most visible banner location seen on the State Activity Page when keying in Beaches. • Regional Title Sponsor R1 Panhandle Prominent Front Static Banner -this position is on the map when keying R1 Emerald Coast will represent The Panhandle. • New York State Parks-Prominent front position rotation banner, all parks statewide- apps Android and Apple. This position is the most visible banner location seen on the landing page and throughout the apps with the exception of exclusive static banner locations. The New York exposure is being included as a bonus as New Yorkers are looking for alternatives as a result of Superstorm Sandy’s effects on the New Jersey shore. • 5 Proud Partner Posters for members as Proud Partner Florida State Parks. • Use of Proud Partner Link and logos for website, and printed materials. The In-House Strategic Marketing Plan includes a line item for Last Minutes Deals. To the greatest extent possible, such opportunities will be presented to the TDC for recommendation to the BCC for approval in advance. The TDC Chairman has been briefed on this opportunity and concurs with proceeding with BCC approval. The TDC will be updated on this opportunity at its next meeting on March 27, 2014. The $15K annual fee is due once The Emerald Coast banners are live on the aforementioned pages of the app. When questioned whether the County could pay monthly or quarterly in arrears, the ParksByNature representative advised the exposure is valued at $40K, but is being offered at $15K to get this initial partnership opportunity up and running. Pursuant to Section E.700(2) of the Tourist Development Department Operations and Procedures Manual, no advancement of funds will be issued unless specifically approved by the Board. Pursuant to the State Chief Financial Officer’s Reference Guide for State Expenditures, advance payment may be made if the payment results in savings equal to or greater than the amount earned by investing the funds and paying later or if the payment is essential to the operations of the agency and the goods or services are available only if advance payment is made. OPTIONS: Approve or Disapprove RECOMMENDATION: Approve The Emerald Coast as the signature beach in the Pocket Ranger app for the Florida State Parks at an annual cost of $15,000, payable in advance once The Emerald Coast banners are live on the aforementioned pages of the app. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator