Request for Proposals
Statement of Purpose
A coalition of California agricultural organizations is seeking a public relations firm to assist in
developing and coordinating the industry‐wide implementation of an inclusive, proactive, and
positive communication plan. The specific elements of the communication plan will be based
on the positioning strategy, message concepts, and communication tools identified in consumer
research funded by the California Agricultural Communications Coalition. The purpose of the
communication plan will be to communicate the value of the agricultural industry to the state
of California and reconnect consumers to the source of their food supply. Additionally, the
communication plan will aim to improve consumer perceptions of California agriculture and
facilitate greater collaboration within the industry.
Background Information
The California Agricultural Communications Coalition is a coalition of more than 90 agricultural
organizations representing the broad spectrum of agricultural commodities in California. The
coalition began as an effort of the Agricultural Advisory Committee to the Commission for
Economic Development, which provides expertise regarding agricultural business in the state,
identifies key challenges to the industry’s growth, and offers recommendations for solutions. In
early 2008, the AAC identified the lack of consistent and unified messages, and an effective
mechanism for delivering those messages, as a major impediment to California agriculture. In
an effort to create a solution to this problem, the AAC organized an inaugural summit in
November 2008 to provide the industry with a forum to discuss greater collaboration in
developing common messaging points, as well as opportunities to enhance the overall
communications efforts of the agricultural sector. Since this summit, a steering committee has
directed the development of specific message concepts that can be incorporated across all
sectors of California agriculture, whic