Request for Qualifications (RFQ): Community Branding Services

Destination, Economic Development & Quality of Life Focus

Download the RFQ

 

Introduction

Project Overview

We are seeking an experienced branding agency to research, develop and refine the brand identity of Oklahoma City (OKC) as a destination and quality of life brand that embodies the underdog spirit. As a challenger brand, we aim to differentiate ourselves in a competitive market, capturing the imagination of modern, experience-driven audiences who are drawn to authentic, bold and unconventional narratives.

This project will unify and define the Oklahoma City brand. We seek a “north star” OKC brand that our entire business and hospitality community can rally around. This initiative focuses on Oklahoma City as a whole, not one organization’s brand, but we do anticipate the work to also guide our destination management, economic development and even city planning so we can align resources and decisions toward shared values and priorities.

As a city and region that’s growing in a number of ways, we are investing in this process now so that our updated community brand can be leveraged nationally and internationally. This includes OKC being the staging site for Canoe Slalom and Softball competitions in the LA28 Olympic Games, as well as other national and international sporting events, conventions and celebrations (e.g. Route 66 Centennial and International Canoe Federation World Championships in 2026).

We seek a cohesive, forward-thinking identity that reflects a unified vision for the region. The selected agency will create a brand system that aligns our community under one powerful, unified message that resonates across distinct audiences such as:

  • OKC Residents
  • Economic development or business leaders and decision makers
  • National and international leisure visitors
  • Convention and Sports Event planners

We believe a brand is our collective story and shared values. All of us contribute to Oklahoma City’s brand and will shape it as the city continues to evolve. We seek to articulate our city’s unique story and develop brand elements that provide an intentional and inclusive platform for storytelling.

 

About Us

The Greater OKC Chamber is the vision-setting organization for the region. In some cities, the body of work this organization leads would represent three or more entities. We work in a variety of verticals such as economic development, public policy and advocacy; target business sector development - film, life science, aerospace; education and workforce development; and criminal justice reform. The Greater OKC Chamber is a membership organization. Visit OKC is also a division within the Greater OKC Chamber working to advance economic growth and vitality for Oklahoma City through innovative branding, inspiring travel and welcoming the world to explore our diverse stories, flavors and experiences.

Each stakeholder and organization have their own mission and ways we measure success, but ultimately, we recognize that unified branding matters for impacting perceptions of Oklahoma City. Our efforts drive messaging and branding for OKC, proactively telling our city’s story and impacting perceptions. The more unified that message can be, the more it resonates and builds awareness. The importance of this goes beyond our body of work as an organization and has a broader impact across many industries and businesses in the region. If we don’t direct the narrative of OKC, others will fill in the void and it may not be in OKC’s best interest.

We embrace a disruptive approach, fostering a brand identity that challenges expectations, inspires adventure and invites people to engage with the destination in unexpected ways. Our unified approach to refining OKC’s brand focuses on showcasing OKC’s attributes to appeal to visitors while also attracting new talent and businesses to the region.

This isn’t about an organizational brand. We seek clarity and unity around Oklahoma City as a vibrant and growing community. To better understand OKC’s renaissance, we encourage responding agencies to view the following videos which capture the essence of OKC’s spirt:

OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti’s remarks here (around 5-minute mark).

OKC Mayor David Holt’s 2025 State of the City Address

Current Visit Oklahoma City brand guide

OKC Backgrounder

 

Project Objectives

  • Develop a compelling city brand identity and visual language.
  • Align our branding with our challenger positioning — bold, authentic, driven, welcoming and innovative.
  • Engage stakeholders to increase buy-in during branding process.
  • Create a scalable branding system applicable across digital, print, and experiential touchpoints.
  • Consider how this OKC brand could align with organizational sub-brands within a family of brands under a unified message and identity system. These could include the Greater OKC Chamber and Visit Oklahoma City, among others. 
  • Conduct comprehensive research, including stakeholder input, competitive analysis (destination and economic development), plus a peer set assessment to inform strategy.
    • Visitor profiles and a resident/visitor perception study will be provided to the awarded agency. This research is currently being fielded.
    • Please outline any additional recommendations for benchmarking brand health or related research strategy.

 

Scope of Work

The selected agency will lead the end-to-end development of our brand identity and positioning. The scope includes:

Brand Strategy

  • Brand positioning: Clarify what sets us apart as a challenger brand.
  • Audience definition: Identify and segment core audiences and their psychographic profiles.
  • In-depth research:
    • Comprehensive stakeholder analysis and engagement (e.g. Chamber and Visit OKC boards, staff, elected officials, civic leaders, residents, etc.)
    • Competitive analysis: Assess the positioning of competitors and market trends.
    • Peer set and aspirational brand analysis: Evaluate brands within adjacent or aspirational categories to identify strategic opportunities.
    • Perception research: Conduct qualitative and quantitative research to understand how our brand is currently perceived and uncover gaps and opportunities.
  • Brand story and voice: Craft a narrative that resonates with aspirational audiences.
  • Brand architecture: Develop a strategy for the family of brands to align under a cohesive narrative and unified message, ensuring integration of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and Visit Oklahoma City brands over time.

Brand Identity Development

  • Logo design (primary and variations) for the OKC brand.
  • Color palette, typography and iconography.
  • Visual identity system (patterns, photography style, layouts, and graphic assets) that unifies brand touchpoints across audiences (business, visitor, resident).
  • Develop new tagline and/or city nickname (e.g. The Modern Frontier).
  • Voice and tone guidelines.

Branding Exercises

As part of the deliverables, the agency will conduct collaborative workshops and branding exercises that address:

  • Defining the Oklahoma City identity.
  • Crafting a unified brand message that connects all entities within the brand family, including development of a city nickname or tagline to rally around.
  • Allow time and resources for testing brand and messaging elements with key stakeholder groups prior to finalizing. Multiple internal and external rounds of review are to be expected given the broad nature of this brand's usage.

Deliverables

  • Stakeholder research insights report detailing findings from competitive, peer set and perception research.
  • Feedback from creative and message testing ahead of final brand deliverables.
  • Comprehensive brand guidelines and messaging.
  • Logo files and visual assets optimized for web, print and social for the core OKC brand.
  • A pitch presentation or brand narrative for internal and external partner use.
  • Brand rollout recommendations, including mockups showcasing application of the brand across:
    • Collateral (business cards, nametags, letterhead, etc.)
    • Website(s)
    • Social media channels
    • Experiential assets (signage, staff apparel, etc.)
    • Community/influencer engagement
    • Include a 12-month check-in to assess rollout

 

Project Timeline

We anticipate awarding the contract by January 5, 2026, so please build out your timeline with that start date in mind.

Key Dates:

This timeline is subject to change:

  • RFQ release: Sept. 26, 2025
  • Deadline to submit questions or RSVP for Q&A call: Oct. 6 to lvidrine@visitokc.com
  • Q&A call to answer RFQ questions: Oct. 13, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. (Central)
  • Proposal Submission deadline: Oct. 31, 2025 at 3 p.m. (Central)
  • Finalist presentations: Dec. 4 or 5, 2025
  • Agency selection: Dec. 19, 2025
  • Project kick-off: Jan. 5, 2026

 

Agency Requirements

We are seeking a creative and collaborative agency with:

  • Proven experience working with challenger brands, place branding, destinations and/or lifestyle brands.
  • Agencies can partner together or with subcontractors for research, stakeholder engagement, etc., particularly if it demonstrates cost efficiencies using local partners.
  • Demonstrable expertise in developing comprehensive brand strategies and visual identities.
  • Experience conducting in-depth stakeholder research, including competitive analysis, peer set evaluation and perception research.
  • Experience working on brand architecture and systems that incorporate multiple brands under a unified identity.
  • A portfolio showcasing bold, innovative and successful branding solutions. Work samples specific to challenger branding preferred.
  • Experience unifying multiple brands into a cohesive identity system (e.g., city, chamber and destination branding).

 

Proposal Content

Agencies responding to this RFQ should include the following:

Agency Background

  1. Overview of your agency, team and relevant experience.

Approach and Methodology

  1. How will you approach this project with a challenger mindset?

Stakeholder Research Plan

  1. Review of existing research.
  2. Proposed methodology for robust stakeholder, competitive, peer set and perception research.

Case Studies

  1. Examples of previous branding work, particularly for challenger, place brands or projects with brand families.

Proposed Project Plan

  1. Timeline, milestones and deliverables.

Team Structure

  1. Roles of key personnel assigned to the project. Identify any subcontractors.

Budget

  1. Breakdown of fees, including any additional costs for research or production.

Timeline

  1. Proposed schedule for completing the scope of work

References

  1. Contact information for at least four past clients.

 

Budget

Our budget for this project is approximately $250,000-$350,000. Agencies are encouraged to propose realistic and transparent cost structures. Add-on services can be included if additional budget details are included. Please provide a detailed budget for accomplishing the scope of work and deliverables.

 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Alignment with the project vision and challenger brand mindset.
  • Depth of expertise and quality of past work.
  • Creativity, innovation and strategic thinking.
  • Experience in conducting stakeholder research and developing cohesive branding for families of brands.
  • Experience unifying complex multi-brand systems (e.g., chambers, tourism destinations).
  • Clarity of approach, project plan and deliverables.
  • Budget feasibility and transparency.

 

Submission Guidelines

Please submit your proposal as a PDF document by 3 p.m. (Central) on Oct. 31, 2025 to Lindsay Vidrine lvidrine@visitokc.com.

Subject Line: RFQ Submission: Oklahoma City Branding Services

 

Conclusion

We are excited to collaborate with an agency that shares our bold, unconventional spirit and can bring our city brand story to life in a way that authentically differentiates our community and resonates deeply with our audiences. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to your proposal.

 

Download the RFQ

 

This RFQ is for the purpose of soliciting proposals only.