Schaefer Advertising Co.

Unfolding the Unexpected: A Zoo Ball Invitation That Dances to Life

Transforming Tradition into a New Experience

Zoo Ball is the Fort Worth Zoo’s premier fundraising event, bringing donors together for an unforgettable night in support of wildlife conservation. For over a decade, Schaefer has been entrusted with establishing the theme and creating an invitation suite that sets the tone for the event, which includes a save the date, invitation, and auction guide. Every year, Schaefer embraces the opportunity to push creative and production boundaries—ensuring that each year’s invitation surpasses the last.

For 2024, Zoo Ball embraced the energy of Latin nightlife with the theme ¡Bailemos!, a celebration of rhythm, energy, and movement. The challenge was to craft an invitation that didn’t just inform, but immerse, recipients in the event’s vibrancy before they even arrived. The team set out to create a piece that would surprise, delight, and demand attention.

Bringing the Theme to Life Through Design

Rather than a standard invitation, Schaefer envisioned an interactive piece that unfolded like an experience, building intrigue with each layer—just like stepping into a dimly lit nightclub or walking through a forest at dusk. The design needed to be bold yet elegant, moody yet vibrant, immersive yet refined. The black jaguar—mysterious and powerful—became the focal point, symbolizing the intrigue of the night and connecting back to the Zoo’s animals.

To execute this vision, the team developed a multi-layered, tactile print piece using specialty production techniques, custom illustrations, and premium materials. This wasn’t an invitation to simply open—it was meant to be discovered, revealing hidden details as recipients engaged with each element.

A Bold Vision Brought to Life

The final invitation was an experience in itself. A custom-converted envelope introduced the theme with rich illustrations and a soft-touch laminate finish, inviting engagement from the start. Inside, an intricate laser-cut outer shell framed the invitation, offering glimpses of the vivid red interior beneath.

Opening the gatefold invitation, the jaguar’s piercing eyes appeared first through die-cut typography, creating an air of mystery. As recipients unfolded the piece, the full jaguar emerged, surrounded by lush, hand-illustrated foliage in deep blues and greens. Clear foil detailing on the jaguar’s eyes enhanced the dramatic effect, reflecting light as if the animal itself was watching.

Meticulous attention to production ensured the invitation felt as premium as it looked. Schaefer collaborated with expert print partners to perfect paper stocks, die cuts, and layering techniques, using Neenah Classic Crest linen paper and laser die-cut detailing to create a high-end experience that was as stunning to hold as it was to see.

Beyond an Invitation—An Unforgettable Experience

From the moment recipients received it, the invitation sparked intrigue and excitement, mirroring the energy of ¡Bailemos!. The layered unfolding process and striking red interior left a lasting impact, making the invitation more than just an announcement, it became a keepsake. Schaefer’s dedication to precision, storytelling, and craftsmanship ensures that each year’s invitation is more ambitious than the last. Schaefer continues to push the limits of creativity and execution, proving that an invitation can be an experience in itself.

February 7, 2025

A New Era in Immersion: Launching the Jane & John Justin Omni Theater

Bringing a Historic Fort Worth Attraction into the Future

The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History unveiled its newly transformed Jane & John Justin Foundation Omni Theater in December 2024, featuring the world’s largest LED dome ever installed in a museum. This state-of-the-art theater boasts an 8K LED display, offering unparalleled visual clarity and a truly immersive experience. The challenge? Generating excitement and ticket sales for a venue that was still under construction, making it difficult to showcase its groundbreaking features to potential visitors. The Museum enlisted Schaefer’s expertise to craft a compelling campaign that would not only captivate audiences, but drive ticket sales ahead of the grand opening.

Fort Worth Museum of Science & History Omni Theater

A Full-Service Approach to a Flawless Launch

From strategic vision to effective execution, Schaefer provided:

Strategy: Developing a go-to-market plan that ensured maximum awareness, engagement, and conversions.
Creative: Concept development, art direction, copywriting, and design to capture the Omni’s brand new, immersive experience.
Media: Media planning, buying, execution, and real-time analytics to optimize performance throughout the campaign.

Creating a Vision for an Unseen Experience

We were challenged with making viewers feel the thrill of the Omni Theater before they could experience it in person. Using AI-generated imagery, we crafted visuals that transported audiences into the other worlds. Paired with compelling headlines like “Don’t Just Watch. Discover.,” we built anticipation and excitement in the market.

Fort Worth Omni Theater Instagram Stories

Blending Digital Precision with Emotional Storytelling

Through a carefully orchestrated media mix, targeting DFW and outer drive-markets in Texas, we generated strong awareness before ticket sales launched in November. Our full funnel approach combined paid search, social, and targeted publication partnerships in the arts, culture, and family entertainment space to create excitement and drive ticket sales prior to the opening.

Big Impact, Bigger Results

In just over a month, we drove $168,249 in online ticket sales.
Of the total revenue, 39% was driven directly from paid media.
We surpassed Paid Search benchmarks, with 24% higher CTR and a $1.25 lower CPC than the industry standard.
Paid Social generated 4 million impressions, driving massive awareness for the duration of the 4-month campaign.
Publication e-blasts drove open rates as high as 62%, click-through rates up to 20%, and 26K+ clicks across media placements.

Fort Worth Museum of Science & History Omni Theater Social Carousels

More Than Marketing—Creating a Movement

At Schaefer, we don’t just market attractions—we create anticipation, showcase experiences, and drive results. The success of the Jane & John Justin Omni Theater launch proves that a strong blend of storytelling, media strategy, and bold creative can turn any challenge into a success.

January 13, 2025

Members Zoo More

A Cornerstone of the Fort Worth Zoo

Membership is one of the backbones of the Fort Worth Zoo—fueling conservation efforts, enriching guest experiences, and ensuring the Zoo remains a world-class attraction. But driving membership growth isn’t just about listing perks; it’s about creating an emotional connection that makes people want to be part of something bigger.

At the start of 2024, Schaefer Advertising launched new creative for the Membership campaign designed to increase awareness, drive engagement, and boost both new memberships and renewals. With ambitious goals and a highly competitive digital landscape, the challenge was clear: how do we communicate the full value of a membership in a way that is concise, eye-catching, and actionable?

Compelling Creative Built for Every Platform

To captivate potential members, we developed a simple yet powerful creative concept: Members Zoo More. This central idea wasn’t just a tagline—it was a clever turn of phrase that encapsulated all the incredible benefits of membership in a way that was fresh, fun, and deeply engaging. Across different channels, we brought the message to life:

Members Zoo More for friends – emphasizing guest passes and memory making.
Members Zoo More across the U.S. – showcasing benefits you can find at other zoos nationwide.
Members Zoo More for conservation – reinforcing the direct impact members have on wildlife conservation.

The campaign was designed to be as dynamic as the Zoo itself, using bold colors, playful typography, and stunning imagery that immersed audiences in the marvel of membership. But great creative is only half the battle. To ensure maximum reach and impact, we deployed a full-funnel media strategy, spanning:

Paid search
Paid social
Streaming video
Display
Email marketing
Print and out-of-home
Publication-sponsored content

We also took a strategic, always-on approach—adjusting our flighting throughout the year based on seasonal trends, to reach potential members when they were most likely to convert.

Stronger Engagement, More Members, Bigger Impact

The campaign delivered measurable, year-over-year (YoY) success:

287% increase in page sessions
198% increase in new users
8.1 million impressions from paid social (61% increase YoY)
4% increase YoY in total members
6% increase YoY in total membership revenue

Perhaps the most telling stat? New users to the Zoo’s membership page skyrocketed from 452 in December 2023 to 4,454 in January 2024. A clear indicator that our fresh creative and strategic media approach was hitting the mark.

At Schaefer, we don’t just create ads—we craft campaigns that move the needle. By combining bold, audience-driven creative with a media strategy designed for impact, we helped the Fort Worth Zoo turn awareness into action. The Members Zoo More campaign is proof that when storytelling meets strategy, the results speak for themselves.

January 6, 2025

History begins in the future

Situation: City branding is important

Famous for its trailblazing history, Fort Worth still embraces its reputation as a “City of Opportunity.” Quickly becoming an epicenter of growth and innovation, Fort Worth offers an inviting community, talented workforce, and incredibly low cost of living, attracting people and corporations from all over the world looking to move or expand into one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.

The goal of every city on the rise is to attract new business and talent while strengthening the industries already established. To accomplish that, the City of Fort Worth Economic Development team selected Schaefer as the agency of record for a three-year partnership to create the city’s first-ever economic development and business attraction initiative. The partnership is part of the city’s five-year strategic plan and plays a key role in positioning Fort Worth as a place of purpose where businesses and people can leverage the city’s incredible potential to create the future they want to see.

Goals:

Establish a story that connects Fort Worth’s heritage with its future
Develop a multi-phase, multi-year campaign to drive awareness and attract new business
Highlight Fort Worth’s economic incentives and competitive edge in business, culture and community
Reach key business decision-makers to advance economic development
Elevate Fort Worth on a national and international stage
Foster collaborative conversations between key stakeholders in the public and private sector

We started with a question: what makes Fort Worth and its people so unique? The answer was simple. A pioneering spirit that dated back to the 1800s and still stood strong today. As the first-ever economic development campaign for the city, Schaefer was in a unique position to lead strategy from inception.

We recognized the importance of storytelling in establishing the city’s position in the eyes of our target audiences. A good story would amplify the message, build credibility, create a strong sense of community and offer nuggets of authenticity and purpose that truly make Fort Worth stand out.

Known as the point where the west begins, Fort Worth has always promised possibility, innovation and prosperity. Unlike some of the larger, competitive cities, opportunity isn’t a new promise, it’s woven into the very fabric of Fort Worth. To communicate that, we built messaging around the idea that no matter what you’re looking for — relocation, expansion, opportunity – it can successfully begin in Fort Worth.

Building equity through identity

In order to build equity, Fort Worth Economic Development first needed an identity. We leveraged their voice, tone and values to create an independent identity that was flexible enough to work alongside the city’s existing branding, and strong enough to communicate the impact of their initiatives.

Schaefer then crafted a multi-faceted campaign that unified strategy, creative and media to promote Fort Worth’s business advantages among corporate decision-makers, site selection consultants and local business owners. The campaign further cemented Fort Worth as a city of growth and opportunity, while highlighting its competitive edge as a leader in innovation who works hard to meet the needs of the businesses who chose Fort Worth.

Solution: Fueling growth and connections online

Revamping the website to reflect the new brand campaign was vital to communicate key messaging. As the central platform that business leaders, stakeholders and prospective residents visit to find relevant information about the city, the website confirmed Fort Worth’s proven economic landscape with tangible proof points our audience would find attractive.

With this in mind, we included demographics, workforce statistics and other data points that leverage Fort Worth’s resources against competitor cities. A strategic mix of traditional and digital media, including paid search targeted prospects helped drive traffic back to the website. Knowing our target audience sets and strategically placing ads in places they frequented (in person and online) expanded Fort Worth’s presence on the list of key business destinations in the US.

After 8 months in market, our team identified a list of top engaged companies. The insights we gathered included a list of prospects from target industry sectors with the potential to increase the size of the labor force and generate millions in economic output for the city of Fort Worth. These key insights have helped us to strengthen our marketing approach in more specifically targeting like prospects.

Results

Overall Impact:

31.5+ million impressions delivered, driving substantial visibility across key target markets, including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and New Jersey, yielding a very strong engagement rate of 38%.

Email Marketing Success:

1.25+ million emails were sent, contributing nearly 40% of total traffic during the campaign’s lifetime.
56% average engagement rate across email campaigns.
31,000 unique clicks generated.
14% Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR), far exceeding the industry average of 2.5%.

Digital Advertising Results:

Paid Search:
- Delivered a 7.5% CTR, surpassing industry benchmarks.
Programmatic Display:
- Achieved a 0.4% CTR, well above the industry average of 0.05%.

Business Outcome:

Based on these exceptional results, City Leadership approved a 50% year-over-year budget increase for a three-year campaign extension.

Fort Worth continues to receive organic recognition as a top place in the U.S. for starting a business. This is a direct result of the growing widespread awareness of Fort Worth as a great place to live, work, and do business.
Texas ranks as the best workforce in the United States for its highly educated population, high concentration of STEM workers, and robust career education pipeline. – CNBC
DFW ranks as a top U.S. market for new and expanding facilities. – Site Selection
Fort Worth ranks as the #1 Large City in Texas to start a business. It’s also the #7 Best Large City in the United States to start a business based on office-space affordability, labor costs, and five-year business survival rates. – WalletHub

According to Bisnow, Fort Worth has more than $2 billion in projects under development, marking a major milestone in the city’s economic development.

December 3, 2024

Igniting Progress: How Texas A&M–Fort Worth Became a Catalyst for Innovation

With its new downtown Fort Worth campus, the Texas A&M University System set out to create a lasting legacy of innovation, workforce development, and economic transformation. Schaefer was tasked with creating a campaign that not only communicated this ambitious vision but also inspired a diverse audience of donors, influencers, and industry leaders to take action. The result? A dynamic campaign and communications platform that became the spark that became the spark to ignite progress in North Texas.

Front Spread of the Texas A&M Publication

Challenge

The Texas A&M–Fort Worth campus initiative was more than just another university project. It represented a bold vision to integrate education, industry, and entrepreneurship under one roof, creating an innovation hub in the heart of one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.

However, this ambitious vision presented a significant challenge: how do you communicate such a multifaceted initiative to a broad audience, ranging from loyal Aggie alumni to non-affiliated donors, corporate sponsors, and community leaders? Each audience needed a tailored message that spoke to their values while maintaining a unified narrative about the campus’s transformative potential.

Solution

Schaefer helped position this launch and developed a messaging platform and key stone collateral anchored by the theme and a keystone brochure anchored by the theme: “Progress Requires a Spark.” This concept was designed to convey the new campus as a catalyst for transformative change—where education fuels innovation, industry drives economic growth, and collaboration propels Fort Worth into a prosperous future.

This approach positions Texas A&M–Fort Worth as a “once-in-a-lifetime catalyst” that would reshape the local and national economic landscape, making it clear that supporting this initiative was not just an opportunity but a responsibility.

The collateral material was designed not just as an informational piece but as a catalyst for action, inspiring recipients to see themselves as part of Fort Worth’s bright future.

Photo Spread of the Texas A&M Fort Worth Publication

Results

The campaign’s impact was immediate and measurable:

Catalyzing Donations:
- In February 2024, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation committed a $2.5 million grant to support engineering programs at Texas A&M–Fort Worth.
- In May 2024, the Amon G. Carter Foundation committed $10.75 million to support the construction and development of the Texas A&M–Fort Worth campus.
- The Potishman Foundation committed $2 million to the project, a testament to the campaign’s ability to inspire high-level donor engagement.
Community Engagement: The collateral material became a central piece in conversations with local influencers and corporate sponsors, generating excitement and aligning stakeholders around a shared vision.
Momentum for the Future: The campaign laid a strong foundation for continued fundraising efforts, positioning Texas A&M–Fort Worth as a game-changing initiative for North Texas.

Conclusion

The Texas A&M–Fort Worth campaign is a prime example of the power of storytelling to inspire action. By crafting a narrative that was equal parts ambitious and accessible, Schaefer helped turn a bold vision into a tangible reality.

The new campus stands as a beacon of progress for Fort Worth and beyond, proving that with the right spark, anything is possible. As Texas A&M–Fort Worth continues to take shape, it will undoubtedly become a cornerstone of innovation, education, and economic growth for generations to come.

November 26, 2024

Generating Top-Of-Mind Awareness for a Mental Health Leader

Situation

Menninger Clinic, a nationally ranked mental health facility, first asked Schaefer to help develop a patient-facing campaign. However, business conditions quickly shifted and the team agreed the best strategic approach was to target HCPs. This provider audience needed to understand Menninger’s complex service offering and its value as an in- or out-patient treatment facility for mental health services. Schaefer stepped in to concisely communicate and highlight the factors that differentiated Menninger among a broad audience of mental health professionals and referrers.

Goals

Develop a simplified and streamlined brand messaging that resonates with professionals
Cut through the clutter of a crowded communications landscape
Drive awareness and website traffic and, ultimately, requests for information

Strategy

Focusing on the big picture and keeping long-term objectives in mind, Schaefer formulated creative that promoted Menninger’s ‘path for every patient’ in the complex field of mental health. Messaging centered on the nuances and differentiating factors of the client’s service offering.

From there, our team crafted an eight-month media strategy designed to maximize the client’s budget and resources and reach a new audience of providers.

Solution

The campaign integrated digital, online, print, display, and social media elements to reach key audiences that were most likely to convert. The use of highly targeted media – such as electronic medical record (EMR) display ads that reached providers at a point of engagement when referring would be top of mind and media that targeted prescribers of specific medications – ensured that Menninger would get through to the right people.

In addition, the creative humanized a very complex and critical subject matter, building a messaging platform that also supported Menninger’s long-term growth and evolution goals.

The effort launched during Mental Health Awareness month to leverage the audience’s heightened interest in mental health issues and solutions.

Results

Almost immediately after launch, the campaign met or exceeded all performance goals. Over the duration of this 11- month campaign, our efforts generated:

Over 62,000 unique new users
Engaged over 197,000 targeted providers
Drove 191 direct primary conversions

The rapid and directly attributable results stand as proof that the campaign delivered a relevant message to the right audience.

Summary

Our work for Menninger illustrates the importance of understanding the messages that will best resonate with the target audience. It is a clear demonstration of the importance of getting the right message to the right people at the right time – when they are highly receptive and most likely to respond.

October 18, 2024

Elevating Luxury Golf Experiences Through Strategic Web Design

Icon Golf is a premier luxury golf and travel club that offers its members exclusive access to some of the world’s most prestigious courses and destinations. With a focus on camaraderie and unparalleled experiences, Icon Golf provides a white-glove touch that transcends traditional golf memberships. The organization prides itself on creating a community where members can enjoy the finest in golf, travel, and connect with like-minded individuals.

Despite its exceptional offerings, Icon Golf faced challenges in effectively communicating its unique value to potential members. The existing website needed an update that improved UX and better aligned with the luxury aesthetic the brand embodies. Additionally, the absence of a member portal created a segmented experience for both prospective and existing members. Icon Golf partnered with Schaefer to develop a comprehensive digital solution that would enhance membership sales and streamline internal operations.

Goals

Develop a clear positioning strategy
Improve web navigation, responsiveness, and intuitiveness
Update the design to align with the luxury and sophistication of the brand
Unify the member experience through a member portal
Streamline the conversion funnel by integrating CRM platforms and Hubspot

Approach

Schaefer designed a visually stunning website that instantly connects visitors with the brand’s lifestyle and identity. We began by formulating a clear positioning statement that emphasized Icon Golf’s unique selling proposition, highlighting the camaraderie and exclusive experiences offered. This foundational messaging was crafted to resonate with the target audience and integrated across all communications for a synergistic effect.

As the primary gateway for potential members, the site was developed with intuitive navigation and responsiveness across all devices, ensuring shorter paths to essential information and a better user experience. The dark color palette and sleek typography elevate the brand’s luxe feel, while high-quality imagery showcases the more intangible benefits of membership, like adventure and connection. Engaging visuals further focus on Icon Golf’s four key offerings, piquing curiosity and encouraging deeper exploration.

To unify the user experience, we equipped the website with a robust member portal platform. This enhancement allows for seamless interaction, improved communication, and personalized content for members.

On the backend, we improved internal operations by integrating the website with Icon Golf’s CRM system, HubSpot. This update streamlined the sales funnel, automated prospecting efforts, and improved internal efficiencies.

Results

The new website’s intuitive design and navigation led to longer visit durations and higher engagement rates, effectively communicating the brand’s value proposition to potential and current members.

66.9% increase in sessions
68.3% increase in engaged sessions
62.8% increase in new users

By integrating the website with HubSpot and the new member portal, we were able to streamline internal processes and reduce the time and cost spent on manual updates, allowing the Icon Golf team to focus on enhancing member experiences.

September 27, 2024

Strengthening a Community Online

Christ Chapel Bible Church (CCBC) is one of Fort Worth’s largest communities, connecting members across four campuses, more than ten ministries, and an extensive list of programming and events throughout the week. Looking to strengthen its relationship with members and new visitors, CCBC wanted to update its website to manage its diverse set of offerings, improve usability and make it easier for everyone to find what they’re looking for and get involved.

Goals

Improve UX to ensure a clear and seamless browsing experience
Organize website architecture to be inviting and informative
Cultivate a sense of community among visitors and across campuses
Simplify content to keep visitors engaged and exploring
Streamline backend usability to empower staff to easily add and edit content that updates dynamically throughout the site

Approach

Schaefer architected a robust website with a strong emphasis on user experience that reflected the CCBC community and served as an open invitation to prospective members across DFW.

Recognizing that community-driven content is at the center of their ministry, we elevated important information like service times, events and popular weekly content. By simplifying the structure of the site, visitors can more easily navigate to the information they’re seeking in fewer clicks. We also integrated Rock RMS, a CMS system that allows for real-time updates to weekly events that populate in multiple places across the site, which was crucial for keeping the community informed with accurate and reliable information.

Beyond Sunday service, CCBC produces and publishes a library of content that speaks to members in every phase of life. From podcasts and videos to long-form articles, CCBC needed a way to simplify and streamline that process on the backend of the site. For existing content, we built a custom API to transfer approximately 550 videos from the legacy website to the church’s new content library. Equipped with an advanced filtering system, the API was able to organize content by subject during migration and allow visitors to find relevant content more quickly.

A smarter system was developed to auto-update content in multiple areas simultaneously, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all platforms. We also created standardized templates that improved team alignment between content contributors and backend developers to maintain clarity and uniformity across different types of content.

Results

Through strategic improvements to the digital experience, CCBC has enhanced its ability to serve its congregation, ensuring every visitor—whether online or in-person—receives a warm welcome and easy access to the resources and information they’re seeking.

The new website led to significant improvements in both traffic and user experience, indicating higher community engagement and reach.

23% increase in traffic
95% increase in engagement

The improved backend significantly reduced the time and effort required by CCBC staff to update content, giving staff more time to focus on ministry and less on administrative tasks. The website has also become a definitive ‘source of truth’ for all church-related information, benefiting all campuses and ministries by providing a single, reliable point of reference.

June 12, 2024

Feast Your Eyes

In the summer of 2023, the Fort Worth Zoo unveiled its highly anticipated Predators of Asia & Africa habitat, a stunning new home for lions, tigers and other apex predators. Partnering with the Zoo, we embarked on a mission to build excitement and drive attendance for this remarkable attraction in advance of the opening and throughout the following year.

Out of Home Fort Worth Zoo Predators Exhibit

Situation

Schaefer recommended a comprehensive campaign to promote the Fort Worth Zoo’s new exhibit, aiming to re-engage guests and boost summer attendance. The lions and tigers, which are visitor favorites, had been off-exhibit during construction, and it was crucial to highlight their return alongside the introduction of new species.

Predators Exhibit from the Fort Worth Zoo with Schaefer Advertising

Our Approach

We began with a collaborative naming exercise, unifying the two distinct sections of the habitat under one name, Predators of Asia & Africa. This cohesive identity set the stage for our creative strategy. From there, our team developed bold visuals that captured the fierce essence of the animals. The campaign featured striking imagery of lions and tigers, with claw-mark graphics to grab attention and convey the powerful nature of the predators.

Predators Social Media Work by Schaefer Advertising for Fort Worth Zoo

The “Feast Your Eyes” headline led the campaign, playing on both the predatory nature of the animals and newly enhanced visibility of the experience This was complemented by headlines such as “The Pride Has Returned” and “On the Prowl Again,” emphasizing the return of the big cats. Equal focus was given to lions and tigers based on years of visitor data showing their popularity. We highlighted these hero animals to capture attention and strategically showcased additional species to convey the habitat’s diversity and breadth. This approach used the hero animals to attract interest and the variety of animals to convince visitors to explore the new exhibit.

Predators Exhibit Out of Home for the Fort Worth Zoo

We generated excitement with teaser billboards that featured the claw marks and a “Coming Soon” message, quickly followed by the launch of an omnichannel campaign designed to captivate and engage. The Schaefer team employed a full-funnel media strategy, ensuring broad awareness and driving conversions through a mix of paid search, social media, programmatic display and video ads, email, and SMS texts. This comprehensive approach maximized our reach and engagement.

Results

Over one million landing page sessions, indicating high engagement and interest.
28% click-through rate on paid social, showcasing the effectiveness of our targeted ads.
42% year-over-year attendance growth, a testament to the campaign’s success in attracting visitors.

Predators Exhibit at the Fort Worth Zoo Bus Wrap

Our campaign for the Fort Worth Zoo’s Predators of Asia & Africa was a resounding success. By combining strategic creativity with a targeted media approach, we effectively highlighted the return of the Zoo’s beloved big cats and introduced new species, driving significant increases in attendance and revenue, and elevating the Zoo’s profile within the DFW metroplex and beyond. This project not only celebrated the Zoo’s commitment to conservation and education but also reinforced its position as a premier destination for family fun and learning.

June 4, 2024

A Toast to Ken Schaefer

The Fort Worth advertising community recently gathered at Backlot Studios to honor one of its most distinguished figures—our very own Ken Schaefer—recipient of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Fort Worth’s Silver Medal Award. This prestigious award not only recognizes outstanding contributions to the advertising industry but more importantly, a commitment to the greater Fort Worth community.

His journey, which started at notable companies like Ogilvy and Procter & Gamble, have taught him that the importance of a people-first approach in everything from brand strategy to company culture. Under his guidance, Schaefer Advertising has flourished, making significant impacts in the Healthcare, Real Estate, and Attractions, Tourism and Arts sectors.

The event was full of camaraderie and storytelling, with colleagues and friends sharing defining moments that illustrate Ken’s career and more importantly his principles, painting the picture of a leader who is not only a master of his craft but also deeply committed to his faith, family, and community.

In line with Ken’s driving purpose —to make life better—the evening also served a greater purpose; all proceeds from the event were donated to Good Natured, Mayor Parker’s Greenspace Initiative. This move was a fitting tribute to Ken’s dedication to enhancing the community where he lives in and serves.

The Silver Medal Award, established in 1959, is the highest honor the AAF can bestow and recognizes individuals who have not only achieved professional excellence but have actively furthered the industry’s standards and social responsibilities. Ken’s receipt of this award is a testament to his enduring impact on both the advertising world and the broader Fort Worth community.

And we couldn’t be prouder.

Cheers to you, Ken!