The California Lottery today posted to its Web site a request for proposal for its four-year, $100 million general market advertising account.
The 95-page document, which comes after the lottery issued a draft RFP and solicited feedback from agencies, was accompanied by a letter from lottery CEO Anthony Molica. In the letter, Molica said the final RFP "was constructed with the spirit of showing the advertising community that the California Lottery listened to their concerns and welcomes them to participate in this review." As a result of the feedback received from agencies, Molica noted that the lottery made changes to the RFP timetable, clarified materials needed for submission, and "revised certain terms and conditions."
The lottery is seeking a partner "with strong strategic thinking towards our business; innovative creative that is on strategy and inventive media planning and media buying that can stretch budgets," according to Molica.
Billings are estimated at $25 million annually over the course of four years; the lottery will also have the option to extend the contract for up to two years.
A mandatory conference for bidding agencies is scheduled for Nov. 21 at lottery headquarters in Sacramento, Calif. Agencies are required to announce an intent to bid by Nov. 26. Proposals are due Dec. 15. The lottery is expected to identify a winner on Feb. 25.
This is the third RFP the lottery has issued for its general market account. The review process has stretched on for more than two years. The incumbent is Grey Global Group's Grey in Los Angeles. Omnicom's DDB in Los Angeles and Interpublic Group's Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco and McCann-Erickson in Los Angeles were named the winners in the preceding reviews, but those decisions were overturned following protests from competing agencies.
Does Gov. Arnold have anything to do with this?