Schaefer Advertising Co.

Museum enthusiast and champion of encouragement

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
I am the youngest of three siblings and grew up among cowboys and musicians, living a dreamy Texas lifestyle. It was a never-ending stream of country music events and lots of rodeos growing up. For as long as I can remember I loved art but also had a bend towards business – when I was looking for a profession advertising seemed to be the perfect fit!

What’s something you love to do?
I get a lot of fulfillment out of encouraging people and championing others. I also really enjoy trying new recipes and cooking with friends. I just recently made a healthy twist on butternut squash stuffed pasta! I am constantly experimenting to transform complex, delicious recipes to be healthier and easier to make. I also really enjoy gardening – the whole process is important and in order to get what you really want you can’t skip or rush things. It’s simple yet profound.

What’s your favorite place?
When I was 20 I visited Cinque Terre in Italy. I have never been the same. It’s the best, there is truly no comparison.

What do you love about the job?
I love how many people I get to interact with every day. I rub shoulders with brilliant and skilled individuals. Everyone at Schaefer is really talented and they’re exceptional at their specific disciplines. I get to learn a lot from them!

If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do professionally?
Mostly likely I would want to do some sort of management consulting. Working with business to develop their people and processes would be a lot of fun.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?
Hallmark Christmas movies. The horrible thing is that I don’t know the names of these movies. They’re just movies that you put on – some are cheesy, some are romantic, some are funny – and you just have them on. Without fail they all fall in love in the end, they all have insane Christmas decorations that no realistic home has, but they are just feel good kind of movies.

What’s your favorite book?
The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Henri Houwen. This book is based on the famous painting by Rembrandt that is in St Petersburg. It tells the story from each character’s perspective and is truly fascinating. I am a real nerd!

If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?
I feel like my high school was Friday Night Lights, so I kind of already have lived in that!

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?
I think it would be really fun to be a tour guide. I would get to explore each place by myself, come up with the perfect itinerary, then share it with people. That would be the perfect computer-less job.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?
Paragliding – it wasn’t super scary, but it’s definitely the scariest thing I’ve done for fun.

What’s your favorite children’s story?
Nancy Drew, all of the Nancy Drew series is so good. She is the original girl boss that always solved the mysteries. It seemed like she somehow stumbled into all of these mysteries and was always fearless in the face of fear!

If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?
If I had an extra hour of free time every day, I would probably go to different museums to find all of my favorite pieces of art. Right now, my favorite local museum is the Modern Art Museum because it often has unique exhibits. My favorite non-local museum is the Louvre in Paris – it’s so fantastic. It’s the most “in-awe” I’ve ever been at a museum. I feel like no amount of time there is enough!

Why Schaefer?
Ken made a really strong first impression on me as a businessperson and a man involved in the community. I saw an opportunity that fit my strengths, but would also grow me in a lot of ways that would prepare me for anything in the future. Also, I really liked the distinct company culture that I saw interviewing and knew I wanted to be on the team.

Any words of advice?
Fear of failing will keep you from trying. Don’t be afraid to fail.

January 21, 2020

Unlocking limitless potential

There is no limit, no maximum and no end to what can be achieved by simply opening the door to potential. This type of potential—the kind that’s filled with possibility—runs abundantly inside the halls of the Key School. It pours itself into its surroundings to empower teachers, parents, students and even the very ground on which they stand.

The Situation:

The educational environment of the Key Center for Learning Differences caters to the unique identity of each student and focuses on them as an individual, rather than their learning difference. They are building a new central campus on a 14-acre property in Fort Worth. It will provide easy access to all of Tarrant County with room to grow their program for generations.

Since 1966 the Key School has served students of Tarrant County with learning differences like Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD. In 2018 they expanded their services to include specific training for educators and support for families with struggling students. All three programs are now housed within the Key Center for Learning Differences. As a brand, they needed tell their story more effectively and highlight the monumental impact they have in the lives of the children they serve, their families and our community as they bring their vision for their organization to life.

Our goal:

The Schaefer team set out to create an emotive video that brings to life the impact that the Key Center for Learning Differences has on students, parents, and our community. We wanted a broad audience of community members to understand what they do and why we so desperately need organizations like this for the future of Fort Worth. They debuted the video at a luncheon announcing their new campus and honoring the late Dr. John Richardson – a legendary doctor and Fort Worth icon that helped shape the medical landscape of Fort Worth for more than 40 years.

Make Life Better

1 in 5 children are living with dyslexia, and only 1 in 3 children living in Tarrant county are reading at their grade level. The Key Center for Learning Differences is doing work that unlocks children from the burden of their learning difficulties and helps them to see that their future is limitless. The children that pass through the halls of the Key Center have the potential to shape the world, and the educators at the Key Center help their students realize that their futures are full of endless possibilities. It was an incredible honor to work with the Key Center team to create this video, and help spread awareness about the crucial work they do to positively impact children across North Texas.

January 16, 2020

More newscaster than mean girl

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in North Richland Hills, but I would always come to Fort Worth whenever I got the chance. I live in Arlington Heights right now so I get to hangout in Fairmount, the Historic District and West 7^th. I’m basically right in the center of everything, it’s the best. I love Fort Worth.

I’m the youngest of five children – I have one sister and three brothers. With all of their spouses and children it’s a crazy blast and I love it, I love being around a lot of crazy passionate people, so it’s good that I work at Schaefer (laughs).

I have a dachshund named Luka (after the Dallas Mavericks player). I’ve been a Mavericks fan for as long as I can remember, and had a dachshund named Dirk growing up, so his name is a nod to the next generation.

What’s something you love to do?
I love cooking, and I’ve loved moving into the city and experiencing all of the fun and weird stuff happening around Fort Worth. Going to big events like the Main Street Arts Festival, finding new restaurants and just experiencing the city is a lot of fun.

What’s your favorite place?
My family’s lake house on Lake Cypress Springs, which is about two hours east of Fort Worth. We attempt some really bad wake surfing – we call ourselves the Mickey Mouse Club of the lake. But it’s really just great everyone being together.

What do you love about the job?
I love that every day is very different. I’m in a unique position in the agency where I get to work with for several wonderful account managers, and I actually get to work with just about every person in the agency. It’s really cool to watch experts do their thing. I really enjoy the research aspect of my job.

If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do professionally?
I’ve always thought it would be really fun to be a newscaster. Every character in pop culture named “Meredith” is either a mean girl or a newscaster, and I’d much rather be a newscaster. Look at The Parent Trap (mean blonde mom named Meredith), Meredith from The Office, or Meredith Grey from Grey’s Anatomy, who isn’t crazy, but is definitely high strung. For newscasters, you obviously have Meredith Land who I grew up with as the Dallas NBC anchor. So yeah, mean girl or newscaster.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?
Boy Meets World on Disney+. I’m basically reliving my childhood everyday after work. It’s so wholesome, and so good. I love that it’s truly a family show – great jokes for adults and kids.

What’s your favorite book?
Most recently, I read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, which I read in like 3 days. It’s so fascinating, I love cooking, so it’s fun to observe a subculture that I knew nothing about. It was awesome to read about him growing up on the line in weird restaurants, and watch restaurants work or fail, and understanding the business side of them as well.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Enchiladas, sour cream chicken enchiladas to be more specific. My trick is to go to Rosa’s and order the kid’s chicken enchilada meal and size up the drink and you save like 4 bucks – it’s amazing.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?
I got lost in Hong Kong and was like “eh, we’re good.” I was studying abroad, and it was myself and four of my friends, and the five of us had gone off to do a beach day, and we were coming back from our beach day, but we realized that we didn’t know the number of the cab company. So, we’re on a remote beach in Hong Kong, and we eventually figured out the cab number and got back to the area where we were going. So, we wandered around for a bit in Hong Kong to find the most affordable Michelin Star restaurant on the eastern hemisphere, and we had amazing dim sum and pork sticky buns. I think we ordered like six helpings of them, every time the server came by we ordered more.

Why Schaefer?
I had a couple of friendly connections at Schaefer, but the biggest reason is that I wanted to work at a place where I was valued, and felt like I could grow. Schaefer is very different than other agencies – for a lot of reasons – from the building to the people, it’s just a different feel.

Any words of advice?
Something we always say in account service is “if you get through your entire day and don’t scratch anything off of your to-do list, you still had a productive day.” You can start the day with expectations and a list of things to do, but it’s impossible to predict what the day will throw at you. It’s always about managing the project that’s currently in front of you.

December 20, 2019

The gift of presence

Meaningful moments happen face-to-face, not when scrolling through your Instagram feed, or diving into the latest trending topic on Twitter. Unfortunately, facilitating those moments can be incredibly difficult – for everybody. Luckily, the holiday season gives us a chance to take a break from our regular routines to reset with the people that we love most and enjoy priceless time together. This year, as you’re making your way to your parent’s place, or visiting family in far-off places, we want to encourage you to bring something to the table beyond just your phone and create meaningful memories with your loved ones.

“Be Present” Schaefer Playing Cards

Every year, the Schaefer team creates a Christmas card to help celebrate the season and share some holiday cheer. But, the thing about cheer is that it’s an infectious feeling that can’t be contained into one card. In the spirit of spreading cheer, we approached the 2019 Christmas card asking ourselves “how can we make a card shareable?” So, we created a deck of playing cards that encourage people to gather their family and friends and play some card games together.

Inside The Package

Each box of cards comes in a small package that is marked with a Schaefer acorn sticker. Inside the package is an insert that explains the intent of our playing cards: to be fully present in the moments you share with your loved ones. The reverse side of the insert contains the rules and instructions on how to play four classic card games: Crazy Eights, Slap Jack, Squirrel, and Rolling Stone.
The box of cards is adorned with the classic Schaefer squirrel, which is also shaped into the letter “S.” The back of the deck instructs people to “Be Present,” and encourages them to take the cards wherever they travel this holiday season.

The cards themselves have been designed to represent different personalities found inside the halls if Schaefer Advertising. You’ll find the detailed designer checking her fountain pen for ink; the meticulous production manager measuring projects with his many rulers; the Jack of accounts, staying in constant contact with the client; the developer magically riding his unicycle and balancing his laptop upon his knees amidst a flurry of flying papers; and you’ll also spot the art director conceptualizing the next great idea, creating light and energy with his fingertips.

Each of these archetypes are loose interpretations of some of the very real people that make Schaefer the magical place that it is today.

Making Life Better

At Schaefer, we come to work every day and use fun as a tool to explore new creative ideas and create compelling strategies; as a way to connect with our co-workers, break down barriers and discover the best ideas together. We aim to make life better every single day, and we hope that we can use our work to bring joy to others and facilitate more meaningful moments between people. This holiday season, we’re using our Christmas cards to encourage you to put away your phone, gather your loved ones around a table and give them the gift of your presence.

Happy Holidays,
– The Schaefer Team

November 19, 2019

Part-time pet butler, full-time breakfast enthusiast

Katy Rosser is a digital specialist rockstar at Schaefer, where she manages digital search and social ad campaigns for clients across verticals. Before arriving at Schaefer, Katy worked at a local agency as a digital strategist where she helped clients define their social media strategies and cultivate qualified leads. We took some time to sit down with Katy and pick her brain about the Royal Family, internet blackholes, and her obsession with helicopters.

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
I love Fort Worth – born and raised in Cleburne, so I’ve grown up being in Fort Worth a lot. I am a TCU grad, and I bleed purple. I just love TCU, I get so swoony just thinking about it. I miss how easy it was to get into sporting events as a student, and I really miss cheering from the student section. My favorite experience at TCU was the summer I spent studying in London with my film pals. I’m obsessed with the Queen, so it was really cool to be there to see “Trooping the Colour,” the Queen’s birthday celebration.

What’s something you love to do?
I love to get into Internet blackholes. I keep falling into helicopters for some reason, I really like helicopters. I’m fascinated by flying in general, actually. I’m really enjoying listening to Dax Shepherd’s Armchair Expert podcast. It’s fun to listen to celebrities discuss their lives and hear some of their genuine, vulnerable human truths. It makes me feel like no one really has it all figured out – people are complex, and I love learning about them.

What’s your favorite place?
I went to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe last year, which is an immersive museum experience in an old bowling alley that’s been converted into a house. A young boy who lived in the house has gone missing, and when exploring the different rooms of the house, you uncover new universes in each room as you try to find the missing little boy. It was really fun but kinda difficult to follow the story. 10 out of 10 would recommend though.

What do you love about the job?
I love that it’s never constant. It’s always changing and challenging me to adapt and perform in new ways. You have to be able to get into the mindset of other people to figure out what they would like, or react to – which is awesome because I enjoy people. It’s fun to study consumers across verticals because their wants and needs change, person to person.

If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do?
I really wanted to be a US Coastguard rescue swimmer, but I’m small – so that’s out. That or a pilot, of any sort of aircraft, really. Or UFOs.

What is the last thing you’ve binged watched?
The Haunting of Hill House. Fantastic show on Netflix, very binge-worthy. Honestly, I’m not into scary things, but the storyline makes this “spooky” show a lot less scary. It has some great story-telling.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I could eat eggs, bacon, and pancakes three times a day for the rest of my life. I had it a lot growing up, it’s really comforting. I’m a big breakfast gal.

Why Schaefer?
Honestly, everyone is so genuine and they want the best for their employees and their clients. Just from looking at the website, I was able to figure out that they care about each other, and they work to make people feel welcomed. I think Schaefer aligns with my morals, and who I strive to be as a person – authentic, enthusiastic and free to be yourself. I feel like I’m welcomed and encouraged to be myself every day, and everyone is. I always use the word “home,” when I think of Schaefer. I mean, it’s in an old apartment building or home structure, so it literally feels like home.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?
Pet butler. Whether that be walking, pet-sitting, or whatever, I’ll do it. For all animals, too, exotic pets, whatever. It’s like the best version of baby-sitting, and “pet butler” sounds super fancy.

Any words of advice?
My favorite little thing to keep in mind is something I heard on a podcast somewhere: “it’s important to find something to fall in love with for every person you meet.” Whether they’re grumpy or cheery, it inspires me to try to find empathy and helps me to be kind and considerate with people.

November 5, 2019

Man about Fort Worth

Brett Yanoski is a renaissance man that is constantly searching for the next great thing in music, food, technology, and culture at large. He’s a 2012 TCU grad, and at Schaefer, he is a Senior Front-End Developer where he works with brands across multiple verticals building digital experiences that leave a lasting impression. We sat down with Brett to discuss music, dish about his favorite food in Fort Worth, and pick his brain about his favorite pieces of technology.

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
I like video games, technology, music and traveling. When not working, I’m expanding my palette exploring new cuisine, cocktails, craft beers and wine.

What are some of your favorite eateries around Fort Worth?
Joe T. Garcia’s, Rodeo Goat, Salsa Limón, Cané Rosso, Fixture, and Spice.

What’s something you love to do?
I love playing video games. I started with the Nintendo 64 and have been a fan ever since.

What are your favorite games of all time?
Some of my favorite games include Battlefield 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Left for Dead, and Red Dead Redemption.

What’s your favorite place?
My favorite place is Napa Valley because it’s beautiful out there and has great wine. My favorite vineyard is actually an old castle called Castello di Amorosa, which specializes in producing Italian-style wine.

What do you love about the job?
I love solving creative problems because of the satisfaction that comes with identifying a solution that works effectively, and the joy and relief it brings others. It’s really cool to finish a project and hear about how my work has improved business or made life better.

If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do?
I’d love to run a successful video game podcast and play video games all day (laughs), or travel the world and learn about people’s stories. I have a dream of interviewing game developers and discovering the obstacles they faced when creating the game. I enjoy digesting the creative process behind imagining a new world and bringing it to life.

What is the last thing you’ve binged watched?
I recently binged all of the Marvel movies and the final seasons of The Big Bang Theory. I watched all of Marvel so I could secure my nerd card, and I just like Big Bang – it’s a good show with very relatable characters.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tacos. Any kind of tacos, I don’t discriminate.

Why Schaefer?
I chose Schaefer for the family-focused culture, and the ability to work on a variety of challenges within different businesses and verticals. I like the strong reputation Schaefer has in Fort Worth, plus, the office is cool and I have some great friends that work here.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?
I would probably work within the event space – something that brings people together, most likely centering around games or live music.

Any words of advice?
I would say be nice to people, do cool stuff, and give a damn.

October 30, 2019

Routine matters. myForte can help.

The Situation

Apps are everywhere and ever-reaching into the little nooks of our lives to improve some aspect of our experience. Want to plan your meals by the cycles of the moon? There’s an app for that. Want to order delivery Thai food without having to speak with someone or exchange cold hard cash? There’s an app for that. Want to have a group light-saber battle with your friends and family and divide the group among Jedi and Sith? You get the idea: from fun to food delivery, apps are diverse and serve a variety of functions. But, there’s a decided lack of apps on the market that support someone in their struggle against acne – until now.

Epiduo^® Forte Gel Helps Teens and Their Dermatologists Manage Acne Treatment

Epiduo® Forte Gel (adapalene and benzoyl peroxide), 0.3%/2.5% is a once-a-day prescription topical acne medication with two active ingredients—adapalene and benzoyl peroxide. The powerful combination works together to treat tough acne and help prevent recurring acne from forming by unclogging pores and killing bacteria. Epiduo® Forte Gel had an existing app on the market called “epi-tracker,” but they were in need of a new set of eyes and a complete application refresh that really engaged users and retained their attention to the app. They wanted something that was user-friendly, and an app that partnered with healthcare providers to bring about better products and services.

When acne patients visit their healthcare providers, there is rarely enough time for the patients to become educated on their acne, or how best to treat it. In addition, it is crucial for acne patients to use products as directed to see a change in their condition. So, our app needed to continue to educate patients about their acne and encourage them to maintain their Epiduo Forte treatment plan to best manage their skincare.

Goals

Drive new myForte app downloads.
Drive consistent user engagement.
Educate acne patients about best practices for their skin care.
Encourage people to use the app daily to achieve desired results.
Make myForte a valuable, reliable resource for acne patients that use Epiduo® Forte Gel.

Approach

Going into the project, we knew that the patients using the myForte app were in a vulnerable state. Living with acne is a very personal battle that can have a powerful, negative impact on those suffering from it. So, we wanted to build an app that supported patients in their pursuit to treat their acne and gave them confidence to take control of their acne.

The Creative

Before kicking off the app, we needed a name. To quote Shakespeare (sorry), “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” While we agree with big Bill, naming a healthcare app can be tricky, mostly because healthcare nomenclature can sometimes be incredibly sterilized and devoid of emotion, but treating acne is not an emotionless battle. We wanted a name that reflected the user’s personal stake in their health and one that empowered them to treat their acne. We ultimately chose “myForte,” which gives the user ownership of their acne and its treatment. It also plays on the word “forte,” which denotes a person’s strength or positive abilities. When added together, “myForte” gives the user confidence that they can treat their acne, and that they’re going to do a great job in the process.

One of the biggest hurdles for those battling acne is staying consistent in their treatment, and regularly applying their medication. So, we built an app that gave patients the resources and reminders they need to stay on track to achieve the best results. We developed daily motivational messages that send users motivational messages to keep them engaged with their acne treatment.

All of the positive reminders and tips are paired with illustrations that take place in natural settings for the teen or young adult patient. The illustrations are inclusive of everyone facing acne. It was important to us that we didn’t bombard users with real acne imagery, which can be discouraging to see all the time.

Additionally, we felt that it was important to give users the ability to track their progress, which helps them see their improvement and gives their dermatologist the ability to observe their journey during follow up visits. We built in a calendar function that helps users track when they applied Epiduo® Forte Gel, but also asks them to record how they feel about their skin each time they interact with app. This way, we’re encouraging users to stay engaged with the app and to take time to reflect on their progress.

The split view function of myForte allows users – and their healthcare providers – the ability to measure the patient’s progress against any picture they’ve taken in the app. This small function is incredibly powerful for helping people track their progress and gives their dermatologist a larger view of their total improvement.