Schaefer Advertising Co.

The path to greater brand awareness begins with “better” messaging

Differentiating products with a consistent messaging platform

Situation

Argon Medical Devices faced a challenge that is not uncommon among large and diverse manufacturers: Their core audience of surgeons and clinical staff knew the names of their more successful product lines (such as Skater™, Option™ and Cleaner™), but had little awareness of their corporate brand. This made expansion and cross-selling across their 2,000-product portfolio more difficult.

This was particularly true of their soft tissue biopsy division which, as their largest U.S. division, accounted for a significant portion of the total soft tissue biopsy market. However, the biopsy market had remained stagnant as a category and Argon and Schaefer saw an opportunity to differentiate the lead product, BioPince^TM, by selling against an emotional benefit for the interventional radiologist. Schaefer leapt at the challenge to set the biopsy division apart from the crowd — while providing a consistent platform that would support the various biopsy products and areas of specialization including lung, kidney, liver and breast.

Goals

Differentiate the Argon biopsy division from competitors
Provide a consistent platform to support the various biopsy products
Create a campaign to allow Argon to demonstrate the versatility of its soft tissue biopsy portfolio across multiple organs

Strategy

The agency developed a breakthrough campaign around a simple insight — interventional radiologists need to get in, out and achieve a clean sample for accurate analysis. Minimal disruption, maximum confidence is the goal.

While a feature-heavy product-selling message was table stakes in this market, no one had really
tapped into what a device really delivered — confidence that comes from a better sample.

Solution

Working closely with the soft tissue biopsy team, Schaefer developed a messaging platform that elevated the brand above product attributes, and tied into the corporate Argon tagline, “The Pursuit Of Better.” Using the theme of “Sample Better,” we developed a campaign designed to “cut through the clutter” – in this case, the endless barrage of look-alike devices that exemplified the category’s advertising.

Images drawn from the popular “Jenga” game were used to represent the delicate balance and precise execution required to obtain optimum biopsy samples. The “Sample Better” theme also carried a dual message: It implied the superior quality of the Argon products, but also spoke to the cares and concerns of radiologists, for whom better sampling meant fewer patient call-backs, as well as easier and more accurate diagnosis.

Results

By developing this flexible and relevant platform, the Argon soft tissue biopsy division was able to:

Establish a consistent positioning that will stand the test of time
Strike a balance between a consistent platform and customizable messaging
Cut through the clutter of “product/feature” advertising
Provide an extendable platform that all biopsy product lines can embrace
Leverage all product and division communications to create greater awareness and recognition of the Argon name.

Summary

The messaging for the Argon soft tissue biopsy division is a prime example of Schaefer’s commitment to delivering solutions that work harder and provide extended value. By creating a “better” message, Schaefer was able to establish a foundation for the biopsy division could easily adapt for their own products and audiences. As a result, the various team members were free to operate somewhat autonomously, while still reinforcing the overall Argon brand. This approach also freed them from an endless cycle of product/benefit advertising and enabled them to launch and support products with a campaign that would continue to build brand awareness with each and every future execution.

March 31, 2023

Designed to inspire

2022 in review

We’re grateful to bookend a year of hard work and dedication with more than one win at the ADDYs . While this doesn’t include all the work we enjoyed working on in 2022, it does represent a wide range of industries and brands near and far. More importantly, we love that it celebrates so many of our amazing clients, teammates and all the new ways brands inspire and connect to the world.

2022/23 Season Title Illustrations

Gold ADDY Award and Best of Traditional | Client: Texas Ballet Theater

Zoo Ball – The Wild Ones Invitation

Gold ADDY Award | Client: Fort Worth Zoo

Season Poster Campaign

Silver ADDY Award | Client: Texas Ballet Theater

MIZ Website

Silver ADDY Award | Client: MIZ

Bennett Partners Website

Silver ADDY Award | Client: Bennett Partners

The New Zoo Microsite

Silver ADDY Award | Client: Fort Worth Zoo

Aklief Social Campaign

Silver ADDY Award | Client: Galderma

The New Zoo Video Series

Silver ADDY Award | Client: Fort Worth Zoo

To view the full video series, visit The New Zoo website.

More than a Classroom – 360 Videos

Silver ADDY Award | Client: HSC

March 29, 2023

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:

During the first 8 months of the campaign, we created an anchor site that served multiple economic development organizations with one source.

88% of total site traffic driven by paid media
- 44% derived from prospecting emails delivered to corporate decision-makers, site selection consultants and other key decision makers in select target outer markets
98% increase in new site traffic from key markets and industries
- 55K new visitors
- Significant engagement achieved in Los Angeles, Chicago and Raleigh-Durham markets, which were key target markets within the initiative
As a result of this increase in traffic to our website, Fort Worth continues to receive organic recognition as a top place in the U.S. to start a business. This is a direct result of the growth in widespread awareness for Fort Worth as a great place to live, work and do business.
According to Bisnow, Fort Worth has more than $2 billion in projects under development marking a huge milestone in the economic development of the city.

By the end of Year 1, we developed strategic partnerships with key economic development influencers in the region and positively impacted corporate relocation and expansion for the city of Fort Worth, drawing business from two key industries — Aerospace and Defense, and Mobility Innovation.

March 27, 2023

Spilling the tea on 1773

Meet Rachel Connell

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas. I grew up in Southlake, TX. I am a middle child with two sisters — we are an all girl household, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! I graduated from Baylor in May 2022, and wanted to move back home to DFW. I have an Aussie Doodle puppy named Oia (pronounced “ee-yah”) after the town in Santorini, Greece with all the beautiful blue domed buildings. Although my family thought her name was cute, we do semi-regret naming her something Greek because most people don’t know how to say it!

What’s something you love to do?

Music has always been a big part of my life! I love singing, playing the piano and guitar, and collecting vinyl records– I have around 50 currently. I am also an avid concert goer on weekends and enjoy country dancing when I can.

What’s your favorite place?

Glacier National Park.

What do you love about the job?

I love that I’m able to be a part of people’s career development.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?

Yellowstone.

What’s your favorite book?

There’s too many to choose! But I do love picking up new historical books.

If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?

Either New Girl or The Nanny just so I could have Fran’s wardrobe.

Are you a listener or a talker?

Listener.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hands down, chocolate chip cookies.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?

A whitewater rafting guide.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?

I swam a foot away from a whale shark in the ocean. They are HUGE, but thankfully don’t mind people that much.

What’s your favorite children’s story?

The Magic Tree House series.

If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?

I’d use it to finally become a morning person and take some time to ease into a peaceful morning.

Any words of advice?

Always pay it forward!

Why Schaefer?

The culture. It’s unbeatable!

March 23, 2023

Rambling all the live long day

Meet Payton Luster

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.

So far, I have lived in 3 different states and 7 different cities. I was born in Colorado and my whole family lives there, but I grew up in Texas (I refuse to admit I’m a Texan though). I majored in Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin, and loved football game days and spending the summers at Barton Springs. When I graduated, I wanted to move to Fort Worth to be closer to my family.

What’s something you love to do?

I love attending fitness classes in the area like cycling and yoga. On the weekends, I love to go to the Coyote Drive-In and hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

What’s your favorite place?

My grandparents’ ranch in Colorado Springs–it’s beautiful in the winter!

What do you love about the job?

I love being a storyteller and creating work that people actually engage with. Everything you have been persuaded to learn more about or buy, a copywriter came up with the message that made it stand out. To do that kind of work is pretty amazing to me.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?

Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

What’s your favorite book?

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?

How I Met Your Mother —I would love to figure out my life in New York with my closest friends.

Are you a listener or a talker?

I can be both. I’m a listener in big group settings, and slowly become a talker to smaller groups of people.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

My mom’s green chili enchiladas.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?

Screenwriter.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?

My second time snowboarding, I went down a black diamond. I did cry in the moment, but it was a fun time.

What’s your favorite children’s story?

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?

I would definitely indulge in some self-care like reading and journaling.

Any words of advice?

My dad has always told me, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” It may be something you hear in sports, but I feel like it applies to everything in life.

Why Schaefer?

I was looking for a work culture that loved to nurture talent and helped recent college graduates hone their skills. It was really important to me that I work at a place where I was surrounded by extremely talented people that cared about each other. And Schaefer lives up to that.

March 3, 2023

Overcoming obstacles with an emotional appeal

How humanizing a “free screening” offer helped a client achieve 95% of their 3-year goal — in just 8 months.

Situation

Healthcare inequity is perhaps the most pressing social issue facing the medical community today. To help combat unequal access to care, and make up screening ground lost to COVID-19, Moncrief Cancer Institute partnered with Schaefer to help encourage underserved and uninsured members of the community to sign up for a free cancer screening.

Goals

Craft messaging and materials that would drive cancer screenings among the target patients (3rd-grade reading level)
Develop tactics that would reach the audience throughout their day-to-day movements
Leverage the screening to build brand awareness among the underserved community

Strategy

While the offer of a free cancer screening may seem like an easy sell, the initiative faced several challenges: members of the targeted, underserved audience were often hard to reach. Many were skeptical of receiving healthcare services, for fear that they would reveal conditions that are terminal, untreatable, or expensive to treat. Many also suspected that a “free screening” might come with hidden costs or fees. And, to address health literacy, all materials needed to be flexible enough to reach our various audiences in the media channels they use every day, and in their preferred language.

Schaefer knew we needed to develop a campaign that was driven by a straight-forward invitation for people to call in and see if they qualify for the free screening. However, knowing that many members of our demographic would be more likely to do something for their family rather than for themselves, we delivered a secondary message that leveraged this emotional connection.

Solution

The creative for the campaign tapped into a core motivation for the audience and featured screening patients who proudly showed “I Voted”-like stickers, proclaiming that they did it for their kids, their families, their spouses, or their friends. The end effect was a message that communicated that a screening isn’t just something you do for yourself; you do it for the people you love.

This solution helped accomplish two very important things: It turned a straightforward offer into an emotional appeal, which drove engagement. And it also helped the campaign speak more effectively with our key demographic – primarily patients over the age of 40, across a diverse array of tight-knit communities.

Moncrief Cancer Institute Website Layout

Results

Ambitious goals were set for the campaign—and an avalanche of responses followed:

Generated 1,000+ online appointments and 4,600+ calls to schedule—or 95% of the total 3-year goal—in the first 8 months of the campaign
Drove more than 16,000 visits to the screening landing page
More than 8,800 clinical services were provided to nearly 6,000 individuals in the first year

The tremendous success led to a decision to raise Year 2 program goals and allowed the client to secure additional on-the-ground resources to reach more people in the community.

Summary

By humanizing their appeal to an underserved audience, Moncrief Cancer Institute was able to move one step closer to alleviating healthcare inequity. In the process, they generated brand awareness and community goodwill — a very healthy outcome for both themselves and the communities they serve.

February 20, 2023

Earning an A+ in brand differentiation

Lead Generation 101

Today, consumers want easier and more convenient access to care—including options that let them choose online scheduling and virtual visits. While 65% of the general public are interested in communicating with physicians through digital channels, this demand is even greater among younger patients: 92% of Gen Z say that care provided via telehealth is the same as—or even better than—in-office visits.

For TimelyMD, a virtual health and wellness provider focused solely on the higher education market, this creates an anticipation of increased competition from other providers seeking to capitalize on this demand. Their two most pressing challenges: proactively cement their market penetration, and to improve lead generation and response from their core audience. Schaefer Advertising was tasked with accomplishing both.

Goals

Increase lead generation
Defend TimelyMD’s niche as the leading telemedicine provider for higher education
Communicate key brand differentiators to campus decision-makers
Sustain brand equity and awareness

Textbook targeted messaging

Most telemedicine providers use a “one size fits all” approach to virtual health and wellness. TimelyMD, however, designed their service offering specifically for higher education students. Because of this, we were able to laser-focus our messaging to a select group of administrative decision makers at 5,000 colleges and universities.

An omni-channel campaign was developed that spoke to our audience on a deeper, more empathetic level by addressing the specific needs of students and universities. Using the umbrella theme of “Wellness Is Now In Session,” we delivered sub-messages that pointed out how TimelyMD had a proven track record of improving and enhancing programs at nearly 250 institutions by enabling them to:

Offer 24/7 access for students, on and off campus
Fill the gaps in their existing wellness programs by treating more than 120 conditions
Tap into a network of providers and mental health professionals as diverse as their student body
Further their initiatives to promote healthcare inequity by providing access for all

Helping universities help students

At the heart of the effort was an end-to-end campaign that used digital, video, email and social media to lead prospects to an updated, re-designed website. On the website, they were met with a variety of targeted messages, each designed to optimize lead conversion and steer them toward a product demo request.

Along the way, we humanized the brand’s message by reinforcing TimelyMD’s empathy toward the urgent, growing need for easy access to campus wellness programs: Last year, 41% of higher education students reported major or moderate depression, and 13% reported suicide ideation. 63% of students say that campus therapy helped them stay enrolled, while 64% of those who dropped out claimed that mental health issues played a role in their decision. In short, it was a case of targeted messaging, delivered through an understanding and empathetic voice. By humanizing TimelyMD’s mission to deliver the care students need, we were able to reach our audience on both a rational and emotional level.

Results

With this humanized approach, Schaefer was able to help TimelyMD generate more leads and effectively differentiate them from the other telehealth services.

Even as the telehealth market grows more competitive, decision makers at colleges and universities across the U.S. are growing more aware that TimelyMD is the leader who specializes in their world, and who has a proven understanding of the physical, psychological and emotional needs of today’s students.

Performance Snapshot

Surpassed campaign click and lead goals for campaign (112% and 100% respectively)
Over 80K new users driven to the splash page
Search campaigns performed 4x industry benchmarks
Social campaigns performed 2x industry benchmarks
E-mail campaign open rates were 2x industry benchmark

By taking an emotional and empathetic approach to the issues faced by students and campus care professionals, Schaefer was able to drive solid, measurable results for TimelyMD. It’s a textbook example of how humanizing healthcare isn’t just about creating good feelings; it’s also good business.

February 3, 2023

Saddle up for Zoo Ball

Here’s to the Wild Ones

Zoo Ball is the Fort Worth Zoo’s largest fundraising event of the year. Guests come together for a notoriously good time in support of wildlife conservation programs, locally and around the world. As one of Fort Worth’s most anticipated social events returned to the community’s calendar, Zoo Ball demanded an invitation worthy of the occasion.

In one of his last performances before retirement, country music legend and prolific songwriter, Robert Earl Keen, would take the stage and set the tone for the kind of affair Fort Worth does best – Texas outlaw.

What’s in an Invitation?

Zoo Ball is a great opportunity to bring people together in celebration of the Zoo’s ongoing commitment to wildlife conservation. And the invitation is the first step in attracting donors in our philanthropic community to attend and participate in the Zoo’s charitable efforts.

Goals

Generate buzz among new attendees and past guests
Communicate important event details
Create a memorable invitation that plays well beyond the event
Raise dollars to fund wildlife conservation and education programs

Rounding Up The Best

Schaefer’s creative team was off to the races and curated a Texas Outlaw concept that reached into the hearts of the philanthropic community and beyond. To set the tone for the event, our team developed an event theme moodboard. This visual representation of country elements included western saloons and cowboys allowing us to explore new ways to engage with the guests leading up to the event.

We gathered all our ideas together and set off on crafting the Save the Date package, Commemorative invitation, and Auction guide.

Save The Date & Invitation Suite

To unite the objectives and theme of the event, we developed a logo and paired it with a rugged, yet sophisticated color palette including shades of gold and black. Complementing the palette was a suite of custom illustrations featuring native Texas species of plants, animals, and the infamous Texas outlaw.

As a subtle nod that helped tease performer Robert Earl Keen, we included some of his most famous lyrics throughout the save the date and invitation. Most notably, the event name is abridged from his iconic song, “The Road Goes on Forever.”

Custom Card Deck

When it comes to cards they don’t call it Texas Hold’em for nothing. Leveraging themes of the old west, we created a saloon-inspired, 54-card playing deck that featured Texas animals, like the jaguarundi and armadillo. The deck was created in collaboration with Big Box Little Box, who was able to bring the details and textures that were important to the card and box design to fruition.

Included in the deck were educational facts and illustrations about Texas wildlife, giving guests a unique way to commemorate the event and pay homage to the wild things and wild places we all love.

Results

It was crucial that the invite not get lost in the shuffle of daily mail while also rousing members of the community to think, “I can’t miss that.” The event attracted previous and first-time attendees, with tickets selling out. Not only was the Zoo able to receive impressive support from individuals and local businesses, but the fundraising event raised more than seven-figure sums. The Texas Outlaw theme generated social sharing before, during, and after the event. The annual event offered maximum entertainment that made for wild memories that people are still talking about.

January 30, 2023

Tuning in to karaoke and creativity

Meet Audrey Dao

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Arlington, TX. I went to school at the University of Texas at Arlington where I studied Visual Communications Design and fell in love with advertising. I have an old beagle named Roosevelt and a boyfriend named Zach who I love to karaoke with on the weekends.

What’s something you love to do?

Cooking (and eating) food, karaoke, and being with friends and family.

What’s your favorite place?

The State Fair of Texas.

What do you love about the job?

Being creative with other awesome creatives and creating incredible things.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?

Avatar the Last Airbender.

What’s your favorite book?

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald.

If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?

Abbot Elementary — I love this show and I just feel like I would have so much fun with the cast.

Are you a listener or a talker?

I am a listener when I first meet people, then I slowly become a talker.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Thai food or Vietnamese pho.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?

An illustrator or pottery (I’ve never done pottery but I would like to).

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?

Rode the Tower of Terror at Disney World.

What’s your favorite children’s story?

Winnie the Pooh.

If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?

I would take a nap or do whatever chore I’ve been putting off.

Any words of advice?

Be kind to yourself!

Why Schaefer?

The amazing work that comes from the amazing people who work at Schaefer. I love the creative environment.

For more about Audrey, check her bio.

January 30, 2023

The snow must go on!

Meet Julia Norek

Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Jamison, Pennsylvania with two younger siblings and a dog. I went to college at the University of Georgia and graduated in 2018. I double-majored in Marketing at the business school and PR at the communications school. I played club lacrosse all 4 years. After college, I traveled and worked for about two years before ending up in Denver working full-time in Marketing.

What’s something you love to do?

I coach youth lacrosse and occasionally play in an adult league. I also play in a variety of recreational sports leagues in Denver with friends. I love a good park day or grabbing lunch or a drink with friends. I love reading, baking, pilates; and hiking in the fall and summer and snowboarding in the winter. And trying new things!

What’s your favorite place?

The beach!

What do you love about the job?

The continued challenge and opportunities of learning new systems and implementing them.

What is the last thing you binge-watched?

The Great British Baking Show.

What’s your favorite book?

The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson (or anything by Sarah J. Maas).

If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?

Friends, New Girl, Parks and Rec – I just love the shows.

Are you a listener or a talker?

I think both but I know that’s a cop out lol.

If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Bagels or Thai food.

If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?

Some kind of adventure tourist guide maybe.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?

Bungee jumping!

What’s your favorite children’s story?

Socks for Supper.

If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?

Reading or going for a walk outside.

Any words of advice?

Life’s short, don’t take it too seriously!

Why Schaefer?

The detailed interview process, the description of the position and my understanding of what the position consists of —- but mostly how everyone I met seems to genuinely love working at Schaefer!

For more about Julia, check out her bio.