Objectives

The primary objective of the tender is to select an integrated marketing and communication agency based in Brazil (specifically Sao Paulo) to represent South African Tourism (SAT) in Brazil. The agency will develop and execute strategies to increase brand awareness, drive demand, and facilitate growth in arrivals and spend from the Brazilian market. Key aims include positioning South Africa as a competitive, world-class destination, supporting the reinstatement and growth of direct airlift, and engaging both consumer and trade audiences through innovative, data-driven campaigns.

Scope

The scope of work encompasses:

• Development of comprehensive market insights-based strategies for consumer and trade audiences.
• Creative development, localization, and production of global assets tailored for Brazil.
• Media planning, buying, negotiation, and performance tracking across digital and offline channels.
• Public relations, brand activations, and experiential marketing campaigns.
• Stakeholder, trade, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) engagement and management.
• Trade relations, sales management, and training activities.
• Reputation management, crisis communication, and stakeholder relations.
• Digital and social media campaign conceptualization, execution, monitoring, and reporting.
• Measurement, analytics, and reporting on campaign performance and ROI.
• Operational representation of SAT in Brazil, including attending meetings and executing projects across multiple cities.

Technical Requirements

The agency must meet the following technical criteria:

• Be physically based and operate in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• Have serviced a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) in the past 10 years.
• Demonstrate expertise in marketing and communications strategy, digital marketing, social media, public relations, and media buying.
• Possess creative capabilities including asset localization, content translation, and innovative digital production (including AI-led methods).
• Show proficiency in media negotiation, buying, and impact reporting with audited performance metrics.
• Have capacity to create and manage tools aligned with global strategies and to utilize data analytics for decision-making.
• Be capable of executing projects across multiple Brazilian cities and attending virtual meetings with SAT HQ.
• Maintain a team with proven experience in consumer and trade campaigns, public relations, digital marketing, and trade engagement.

Skills Requirements

The agency's team must possess:

• A Strategy Lead/Account Director with proven experience in integrated brand communication strategies.
• A Creative Lead skilled in content development, localization, and innovative digital production.
• A Digital and Social Lead with expertise in digital campaigns, social media management, and analytics.
• A Public Relations & Media Lead experienced in brand PR, media relations, activations, and crisis management.
• A Travel Trade Lead with experience in trade relations, sales management, training, and trade-focused campaigns.

All key team members must have relevant qualifications, industry recognition, and demonstrated experience in similar projects, preferably within the Brazilian market or with DMOs.

Summary

In summary, the selected agency must deliver a fully integrated, insights-driven marketing and communication strategy tailored for Brazil, supported by creative, media, PR, and trade engagement capabilities. The team must be based in Sao Paulo, possess relevant experience and skills, and demonstrate the ability to operate effectively within the Brazilian market environment to meet SAT’s growth objectives.