In today’s journal post, we take some time to learn about Erin Strawn, Schaefer’s newest Staff Accountant.
What’s something you love to do?
I love to take any book (preferably fiction) and read outside at a park or a coffee shop or cafe for hours.
Where’s your favorite place?
My back porch.
What do you love about the job?
I love the people. Also, I love using a skill I know (accounting) in an environment that is creative and fun.
If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do professionally?
I would be a book editor.
What is the last thing you binge-watched?
A Norwegian show on Netflix called Ragnarök.
What’s your favorite book?
It’s so hard to pick just one…. Either A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken, or Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?
Parks and Recreation. I want to be best friends with Leslie Knope and Donna Meagle.
Are you a listener or a talker?
A listener who has learned to talk.
If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ice cream.
If there weren’t any more computers, what would be your new occupation?
I think I would like to be a gardener at the FW Botanic Gardens.
What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?
My husband took me skydiving for my 25th birthday. It was the most terrifying and exhilarating experience I’ve ever had.
What’s your favorite children’s story?
All of the Winnie the Pooh stories.
If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?
Either going on a walk with my husband and our dog, Max, or working on some sort of home crafting project.
Any words of advice?
Don’t be afraid to take some risks. You’ll regret trying something and failing MUCH less than never trying at all.
Why Schaefer?
I was drawn to Schaefer initially by the culture. I could tell that the leadership cares about their people, and this was very apparent to me even before I was hired. I love working for a company that takes pride in its work, values its clients, and creates an environment for its employees to thrive. Also, the proximity to Magnolia is super fun!
While the spring break season is consistently successful, Telluride Ski and Golf Resort needed ways to entice travelers to visit during off periods leading up to peak season. To do so, they developed a discounted lift ticket and partnered with Schaefer and local retail locations to get the word out. While similar campaigns had experienced previous success in markets within driving distance to the resort, Dallas Fort Worth, a flight-first market, needed a unique strategy and market push to get in front of the right audience and convince them to convert.
A Nimble, Focused Strategic Partnership
With spring break rapidly approaching, we moved quickly and efficiently to launch the campaign in market at the optimal time. Our team offered strategic direction to their in-house creative team to be most cost-effective and focus our efforts on media strategy and getting into market in a very quick time frame. Telluride offered the discounted tickets through ski shops throughout DFW, so our digital strategy focused on driving foot traffic into the retail stores to ultimately sell the lift tickets.
Creating a Digital Strategy Aimed at In-Person Conversions
Because there was no online portal for selling discounted lift tickets, our campaign focused on building awareness and driving audiences to local ski shop partners to purchase tickets. With minimal time available before launch, our team created a streamlined media strategy that pushed audiences to a landing page where they could learn more about the retailers offering discounted ski lift tickets. The strategy incorporated paid social and display ads targeted through strategic geofencing, contextual targeting and retargeting with content related to skiing, outdoors and travel. We determined that tourists are the primary market interested in and available to book last minute trips, and targeted users that had a propensity to travel and an interest in skiing and resorts. Ultimately, our team created an effective digital strategy that engaged leads and moved them to brick-and-mortar retailers to purchase their tickets.
Results:
Campaigns contributed to 181 total passes sold in-store and over $85,000 in total revenue for an overall ROI of 13:1.
Sold 181 tickets in 14 days.
Telluride sold 4X the number of ticket sales during our campaign compared to the previous period.
The Telluride “5 Day Special” landing page received over 6.9K pageviews over the course of the campaign.
Almost 11% of landing sessions were “engaged sessions” (691), where users spent more time on the page or bought tickets.
With new leadership in place the Fort Worth Chamber sought to revitalize the market’s perception within the Fort Worth business community and beyond. Schaefer was selected as their agency partner to lead them in developing and communicating the Chamber’s renewed energy and focus. The primary strategic imperatives were to both sustain the support of local businesses, while also expanding the Chamber’s economic development efforts beyond Fort Worth.
A Refreshed Position focused on New Energy, New Business
Each of our brand initiatives begins with a critical analysis of an organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and differentiators. For the Fort Worth Chamber, we identified the opportunity to capitalize on the legacy of the organization while creating a more defined and contemporary position that was current with today’s business climate. For the refresh, we saw an opportunity to stay true to who we are as a city and people, and root the Chamber’s new identity in the trailblazing spirit that has always defined Fort Worth.
We needed to reposition the Fort Worth Chamber from the outdated organization many perceived it to be to the vibrant connector, advocate and driver of economic development they are today. Tapping into the exuberant energy of the Chamber’s new leadership, we focused on positioning the brand as an energetic organization that provides new business opportunities to trailblazers and entrepreneurs alike.
A Trailblazing Identity
Through our archetyping process, the agency established the organization as a Hero persona, defined by strength, courage, commitment, and a drive to move things forward. Using the Hero archetype as a foundation, our creative team explored a multitude of solutions for the new Chamber brand. In keeping with our process of immersion, the team explored other related and competitive organizational brands, the history of Fort Worth and the Chamber to inspire the recommended design solutions.
A key objective in creating the new brand identity was to build a flexible system that could be used across platforms and multiple team members. The new identity has been seamlessly incorporated into the marketing efforts of the Chamber’s internal team and provides a malleable brand kit that they can use for years to come.
Check out our case study to learn more about the refreshed Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce identity.
Introducing The New Frontier of Business in Fort Worth
To introduce the refreshed and refocused Fort Worth Chamber, we leveraged the creativity of the new brand identity and launched the “This is the New Frontier” campaign. The campaign was a fresh way to communicate the future of the Chamber and its role in Fort Worth’s economic development to existing members and new business prospects. We wanted to create a campaign that was uniquely Fort Worth and nodded to the legacy and history of the Chamber, while highlighting the exciting new opportunities that our city offers moving into the future.
To focus on the energy of the new Chamber, we captured authentic video footage and photography using real Chamber members. The tone of the assets are impactful, positive and motivational and highlights the frontier of the future on which the Chamber sits and actively cultivates. The final campaign is aspirational and confident and communicates that Fort Worth is a place where people roll up their sleeves and get to work. To launch the campaign, we used a targeted media strategy consisting of automated direct email, paid social, paid search and community influencers leveraging the rich assets we captured in the video production and photo shoot.
Results:
This campaign aimed at promoting the Fort Worth Chamber’s launch into the regional market and their renewed emphasis on driving and supporting business growth in the city. It led to an increase in lead generation, memberships and interest in partnerships with the Chamber.
1.9 Million Media Impressions
5.3K Paid Search
246.6K Paid Social
1.2M Display
396.5K External Email
Web Traffic Growth
46% Increase in Direct Traffic
64% Increase in User Engagement
19.5% CTR from Paid Search – 5x the industry average
230 Form Fills in 74 Days
66% Increase in Contact Us Submission
34% Increase in Membership Inquiries
Schaefer Advertising is a valued strategic partner of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. When we embarked on a complete overhaul of our brand, they provided subject matter expertise, thought leadership, and made the process an enjoyable one – no small feat! I would highly recommend Ken, Sara and the entire Schaefer team for any organization whose stakeholders demand excellence and a legacy brand in the Fort Worth community.
Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
Hi! I’m Siera. I graduated from Georgia Tech, but I am not an engineer. I wanted to be a biology major, but I was terrible at chemistry, despite the fact that my dad is a chemist. We had a guest speaker in one of my college courses, Lisa Galanti a leader of a local Atlanta ad agency, and her presentation convinced me that advertising was the career path for me. She helped me get my first internship, and I have been on the agency side of things ever since.
What’s something you love to do?
I love to read and travel to really scenic destinations. My husband and I went to Tuscany and it’s definitely one of the most beautiful places that we’ve visited. We stayed at a winery where I was able to sit and read overlooking a valley with a glass of wine, incredible.
What’s your favorite place?
My favorite place is the library – I really love the library – the smell, the quiet and of course the books. I love books – not audiobooks, or e-books, but physical books.
What do you love about the job?
I like solving problems for brands – I like solving people’s problems, generally speaking. I’ve been fascinated with branding since I was young and love being able to find creative solutions to brand’s biggest (or smallest) challenges.
If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do professionally?
I’d be a photographer so that I could travel and photograph. I went to a performing arts high school, and was a ballet dancer for 17 years. Creativity is a part of me. Growing up, I took photography classes and I just loved it. I find the dark room and developing film very therapeutic.
What is the last thing you binge-watched?
I am ashamed to admit I watch a lot of TV. My biggest binge watch was Law & Order: SVU – all 490 episodes. On this trip, I’ve been binge-watching “Girlboss,” and I’m re-binging “the Handmaid’s Tale” right now.
What’s your favorite book?
“Pride & Prejudice.”
If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?
“Parks and Rec.” I see a lot of myself in Leslie Knope and I find it really funny. I’m not nearly as enthusiastic as Leslie, but I think I have as much drive as she does.
Are you a listener or a talker?
Listener. I’m very introverted. As a kid, I was really quiet in social settings and wouldn’t talk a lot, but it was because I was observing and taking everything in. Afterwards, I would tell my parents about all of the things I had heard and seen, and they would be surprised about the number of things that I saw that they didn’t notice.
If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tacos – because you put anything in a taco.
What’s the scariest thing you’ve done for fun?
We went whale-watching in Vancouver right before the pandemic. It doesn’t sound scary, but I’m terrified of whales. We were in more of a little motorized raft than a large boat, so it was pretty scary for me.
What’s your favorite children’s story?
“Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse,”because she wears red boots, and I had red cowboy boots growing up, so I thought that we were the same.
If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?
Sitting in the sun with my Labradors, probably reading or drinking a glass of wine.
Why Schaefer?
I chose Schaefer because of the people. Everyone that I spoke with seemed like good humans, which you think would be the norm in most organizations, but it’s not. Throughout the interview process, every interaction I had was positive. The people here are fantastic.
Mobility and innovation districts are places where pioneers make critical advancements in logistics and supply chain modernization. It’s also a place where technology breakthroughs are developed that can affect billions of people. They are critical to advancing how consumer and commercial operations move forward to improve lives everywhere. The challenge with innovation districts is communicating a tangible concept that resonates with valuable audiences and encourages entrepreneurs, scientists and business leaders to utilize the district’s capability.
We partnered with the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone to create a flexible identity package that communicates all the intangible benefits this testing ecosystem can provide mobility visionaries and their teams.
Making Intangible Value Tangible
We partnered with the MIZ team and entered into extensive discovery sessions to better understand where MIZ stands in the market and how we can highlight their value proposition and boost awareness of the one-of-a-kind opportunity that the MIZ offers mobility innovators. In marketing the MIZ, our first charge was to articulate the opportunity that the MIZ offers to technology innovators by creating a vision for something that did not yet exist.
Through this discovery the Schaefer team identified that the AllianceTexas MIZ was a genuinely unique blend of people, places and things, structured in a manner unlike any other innovation zones. We leveraged this differentiation into a defining position and archetype to inform the subsequent brand identity and campaign creative development. This allowed us to tangibly define the value that the MIZ brings to entrepreneurs and innovators that elect to use their district and capabilities. Ultimately, this helps the MIZ advocate for new businesses and create long term partnerships with innovative companies that bring jobs to North Texas and innovation to the mobility industry.
Messaging Full-Scale Innovation
We crafted “Innovation from the Ground Up” as a key message to clearly position the opportunity of the innovation zone. It nods to the full-scale capabilities of the MIZ and communicates it as a place where mobility innovators can push the boundaries of now to discover what’s next and do it all—ideation to implementation—at the MIZ.
Deploying a Detailed Digital Activation
We launched the updated identity with the “Innovation from the Ground Up” campaign, which introduced the MIZ as the premier, pioneering testing, scaling and commercialization ecosystem. The campaign solved three key communications requirements: promoting the MIZ brand, communicating the surface capabilities, and promoting the airspace utility. This reflects the total MIZ ecosystem and communicates it as a flexible, utilitarian space that is open for business across the mobility industry.
We developed a multichannel digital marketing plan to launch the “Innovation from the Ground Up” campaign, utilizing paid media, native and sponsored content, email drip campaign and display banners. For paid ad placements, we strategically chose publications that resonated with our target audiences in the logistics, aviation and entrepreneurship industries. The campaign also engaged prospects directly through a targeted email campaign, which encouraged website form fills to contact the MIZ to use their testing ecosystem. Ultimately, the digital strategy is successfully creating extensive brand awareness and driving both engagement and conversions from high value prospects which has yielded new business partnerships for the MIZ.
Early Results:
300% increase in form fills MoM since beginning of campaign
82% increase in Contact Us form fills
Display impressions increased nearly 200% MoM resulting in 141% more clicks
Golf is a timeless sport that brings people together to enjoy camaraderie and pristine, cultivated greens. But, what happens when you add luxury travel and experiences into a premium golf membership? You get Icon Golf – an esteemed golf and travel membership that takes players around the world. Icon needed to revamp their brand to generate more memberships, so they partnered with the Schaefer team to refocus their sales efforts with a full-scale, multichannel digital campaign and a new website.
In 2020, Icon invested in increasing their sales from 250 memberships to 1000. So, they partnered with Schaefer to revamp their brand, generate more memberships, and focus their sales efforts with a full-scale, multichannel digital campaign and a new website to meet their very aggressive goal.
Goals
Grow Icon Golf membership database from 250 to 1,000 in 18 months.
Refresh the brand identity
Develop a content marketing strategy
Build a CRM to streamline lead generation and membership management
Improve online user experience
Prioritize sales efforts
Roles
Strategy
Creative
Digital
Branding
Positioning
Client Services
Partnering to Develop a Structured, Integrated Sales Process
We began our relationship with Icon Golf on the ground level as they were initiating the formal development of a structured sales team. This allowed Schaefer to partner directly with the Icon team to merge sales and marketing efforts. Icon’s previous marketing efforts were primarily functioning by word-of-mouth and leveraging connections with existing club members within their portfolio. While this approach was successful, there was an opportunity to expand their sales efforts through digital automation to reach a wider audience.
We started by evaluating each medium against our overall goals and the need to fill the funnel with awareness initiatives and convert interested prospects into members. We found that paid search and streaming audio and video proved successful for building awareness, and third party publication emails allowed us to hit a very targeted audience that was ready to convert.
A Refreshed Creative Platform
We recognized an opportunity to reinvigorate their creative platform to better communicate the unique benefits that an Icon membership provides. Icon Golf offers members full privileges with an expertly curated collection of private golf clubs as well as luxurious member experiences and fully planned quests to exotic locales. So, Icon Golf is much more than a golf membership – it’s a full-package of golf and travel – and communicating that was the central challenge of updating their creative.
When creating the updated creative platform, we focused on the luxury aesthetic and benefits of an Icon Golf membership. We wanted the design and language to reflect the elevated perks and nature of the membership, all while highlighting the relationship-focused aspect of joining Icon Golf. The camaraderie between Icon members is a key strategic imperative, so we had to make that central in the updated creative deck.
We created the concept “Legendary is Within Reach” as our primary branded language alluding to the potential for legendary moments with legendary people, on and off the course.
A New, Optimized Website
The central piece of Icon’s rebrand was optimizing their website to generate more qualified leads. Previous to our relationship,the Icon Golf website was split into two different URLs – Icon.Golf and IconGolf.com to satisfy internal marketing objectives. However, this split up their traffic and made consolidating valuable lead information more difficult. So, we combined their properties into one streamlined website. To increase the site’s performance, we implemented key SEO and content updates targeted at their primary audiences.
Our team also redeveloped the site with crucial user experience updates to improve site accessibility and usability aimed at generating form fills from qualified leads. To improve usability, we simply added header and footer navigations to improve the overall user experience. In addition, we employed site tagging to capture key user behavior metrics in order to continue to drive future data-driven site optimization opportunities. Finally, we placed CTAs throughout prominent areas of the website so that users could always and easily make direct contact with the reps at Icon Golf. The final result is a website that supports Icon’s strategic marketing goals by generating more engagement and qualified leads.
Creating a Centralized Lead Strategy
To continue to round out the lead generation strategy, we implemented a CRM strategy to accurately target lists of valuable, interested leads with compelling emails. We connected key data sources – the Icon website, MailChimp, and Salesforce as well as other lead collection points to ensure that our data automatically fed into the sales process and reduced the work the sales team needed to do to generate more memberships.
We created a variety of emails around the central message “Legendary is Within Reach” that ultimately guided leads to complete a form fill and capture valuable data for converting more leads.
To round out the digital strategy for Icon, we created a multi-channel paid media strategy that targeted valuable audiences in paid search, paid social media, display banners and email. In addition, we cultivated strategic partnerships with golf publications and outlets to secure high-value placements in front of the most highly qualified audience.
Results
In 2021, Icon Golf had their best year ever, setting a record month for membership sales in December.
Reached 85% of their new membership goal in under 9 months
Last Click Attribution:
31 new memberships driven directly by campaign paid media
$450k in revenue
Total annual revenue surpassed 1.7 Million, resulting in a strong ROAS of 7:1
Our client TimelyMD approached Schaefer needing a new website that would help sell their telehealth services. After beginning the project, we discovered an opportunity to refine their market position to thrive and earn unimaginable results.
Goals:
Create a website with a modern look that performed better to aid in the sales process
Demonstrate to higher-ed clients how TimelyMD can aid in student retention
Appeal to decision-makers in higher education and attract students and providers
Taking a Clear Stance in Remote Healthcare
In the world of remote healthcare, most brands take a broad approach and treat general audiences. To help TimelyMD rise above their competition, we sought to differentiate the brand from the rest of their competitors. After intense discovery and research with the client, we discovered that no brand in the remote healthcare space is focused on treating the entire student – mentally and physically. TimelyMD offers mental healthcare in addition to their primary healthcare services, whereas most remote healthcare companies don’t provide comprehensive care that covers overall health.
To reinforce their commitment to student-focused telehealth, TimelyMD partnered with colleges and universities and worked with them on how best to serve their students during the Covid-19 pandemic. This willingness to partner with colleges and universities has been critical to their recent surge in growth and success and represents yet another key brand differentiator for TimelyMD.
Communicating a Focused Position
A refined position is only as good as the messaging that communicates it to the world. To illustrate the benefits of TimelyMD, we sought to amplify the brand name and their goal of supporting the health and wellness of students so they can focus on what matters—thriving.
Ultimately, we decided to pursue the concept “Time to Thrive” to demonstrate that TimelyMD helps students thrive in their physical and mental health while they’re at school. This represents a stark shift in the generic telehealth space, where most brands are marketing images of sickly students looking at their phones rather than enjoying their health. We wanted to reinforce that TimelyMD’s care leads to happier, healthier students, which creates thriving colleges and universities.
Building a Functional Multipurpose Platform
We began this project with the goal of building a functional website that performed better with an improved look and user experience. Before diving into web design, we sought first to understand who the primary audiences were and how they would use the site. Our research revealed that the primary users were school administrators, decision-makers, medical officers, and students. Each uses the TimelyMD site differently, so we had to balance their unique user experiences in the new website to satisfy strategic objectives for each. We designed different pages for each of the specific audiences that use the TimelyMD website to better connect with those users and satisfy their queries.
To improve the site’s functionality and user experience, we simplified the navigation and created more calls-to-action and displayed them prominently on each page. The simplified navigation and clear CTAs help focus the user’s journey into a desired action and made contacting the staff at TimelyMD far simpler. We also introduced better filtering capabilities to make it easier for any user to find the information they need more effectively. The final result is a website that is easy to navigate for different users and one that is more effective at delivering the right content and connecting users to the staff at TimelyMD.
Results
Created a new website
Created new messaging
Guided the client to successful, student-facing digital targeting
Established visual style
Organized their site so three distinct audiences could navigate with ease
As a high-end, mixed-use development, Clearfork needed a naming structure for the five different multi-family projects. Through the brand positioning process, we uncovered the importance of the land to the Edwards family. Through in-depth interviews with family members, we heard stories that painted a vivid picture of how the family interacted with the ranch land for generations.
A Meaningful Name
One story in particular told how, as a young boy, one of the now elder statesman of the Edwards family would rest in the shade with the ranch hands when they would take a break from working the cattle. The ranch hands were surrogate fathers and big brothers to the Edwards boys and played a large role in shaping their young minds and teaching them a respect for the land. The idea was born to name the multi-family developments after these ranch hands. The first, is The Kelton.
Brand Mark and Creative Suite
The brand mark needed to match the sophistication of the Clearfork area, but remain as approachable and welcoming as the Kelton. We wanted to tie the mark back to the history of the land, and the symbol of an open gate was a universal and welcoming sign of hospitality. The resulting mark feels authentic to the family and their history, but is modern enough to attract the right people to these luxury condos.
Positioning the Kelton in Fort Worth
We also designed the website with the goal of giving people an idea of what surrounded this space. Up until its launch this was a largely unknown and unexplored area of Fort Worth, so we needed to connect people to the culture that surrounded it and the vision for what was being built up around it. To illustrate the soul of the Kelton, we photographed key parts of the city that helped paint a picture of the lifestyle they wanted to portray at Clearfork and The Kelton.
A Brand Rooted in Authenticity
Brought the Kelton brand to life with a new creative suite
Let’s start by getting to know you a little better. Tell us about yourself.
I moved around a lot growing up, so I was always around different people and environments. It was tough having to leave my friends and make new ones in school, but I think that has somehow contributed to me being a bit more open-minded and forced me to seek to understand people.
What’s something you love to do?
In a nutshell, I enjoy learning new things and immersing myself in different challenges in the things that I do. Things like researching and deconstructing a skateboard trick so I can learn it quickly, trying a trick over a different obstacle, finding new tools to make working on my car easier, learning new guitar chords, the list goes on and on.
What’s your favorite place?
Denver – I love the scenery, the people and the atmosphere.
What do you love about the job?
I love that you get challenged in many different aspects throughout the day.
If you could do anything besides what you are doing now, what would you do professionally?
If I can’t design, then I’d go back to shooting photography full-time.
What is the last thing you binge-watched?
Stranger Things 3 – it’s been a while since I’ve watched TV though.
What’s your favorite book?
“Feck Perfunction” by James Victore. It touches on many topics, but embracing your peculiar traits and getting rid of your inner perfectionist as a creative were the two that really resonated with me. I also enjoy Victore’s writing style—very raw, direct and concise.
If you could live in any sitcom, which would it be?
Parks & Rec because of the many hilarious personalities.
Are you a listener or a talker?
I’m a textbook introvert, so definitely a listener in most situations. However, I’m often mistaken as an extrovert since I’ve learned to break the mold over the years, but I still need time to recharge.
If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Burgers 4 life.
If you had an extra hour of free time every day, what would you spend it doing?
I’ve been meaning to make more time to read, so I’d dedicate it to that.
Why Schaefer?
There’s a great balance here of camaraderie and quality work.
Any words of advice?
Always seek to venture outside of your comfort zone, and view obstacles as opportunities in disguise.
Marketing in-person events comes with its own set of challenges, but after the pandemic struck, we were presented with a new range of obstacles to activate the community and generate awareness, excitement, and attendance. For the Kimbell Art Museum, we were tasked with creating a community activation campaign that highlighted Queen Nefertari’s Egypt exhibition and encouraged people to safely enjoy the exhibition in person.
Goals
Create community activation and engagement
Connect the exhibition to people and encourage them to enjoy it in person
Encourage community awareness of the new exhibition
Utilize social media to educate the public and generate buzz for the exhibition
Encouraging Engagement During Uncertain Times
Getting in front of your audience physically during the pandemic can be challenging, but there are creative ways to target and engage the community in the digital space that still leads to conversions. The Kimbell needed a big idea that could break the mold of traditional marketing, and we were up for the challenge!
Instead of relying on traditional marketing methods to encourage in-person attendance, we specifically utilized the digital space to accomplish this, examining new trends, tools, and opportunities to engage our audience virtually. While digital analytics are incredibly valuable, this presented another challenge because the ultimate measurement of success is in-person attendance.
Pivoting for Success
Rather than presenting a hard push to get people to the Nefertari exhibition in person, we decided to bring the exhibition experience to the community in a safe way. We created a series of outdoor installations that teased the exhibition and activated audiences in the safety of outdoor spaces. Our team created 3 different murals and 8 different ground clings that educated people about the Nefertari exhibition and encouraged them to experience it in person. For placement, we leveraged internal relationships to strategically set the murals and ground clings in areas that have high foot traffic and chose locations to help build the Kimbell’s network and local footprint. These installations allowed our audience the chance to walk in Queen Nefertari’s sandals and experience the magic of uncovering a hidden Egyptian ruin.
Leveraging a New Technology
To supplement the installations and ground clings, we sought a way to digitally engage our audience wherever they are and immerse them in Queen Nefertari’s Egypt. We worked with the Kimbell to come up with an engaging digital campaign to shift into the digital space. This was a big step for the Kimbell, since most of their previous campaign activations were created with traditional advertising methods. After careful market observation and extensive digital discovery, we found that more and more destination brands were incorporating augmented reality into their marketing plans.
Augmented reality takes many forms, but at the core of AR is the ability to partially immerse a user in an experience through a digital device like a phone or computer. For the Kimbell, we sought to create an AR campaign that brought Queen Nefertari to life and offered our audience a new way to engage with the exhibition. We created two AR filters that gave people two distinct ways to place them in Queen Nefertari’s Egypt.
The first AR filter we created features Queen Nefertari’s crown – a three-dimensional depiction of a flat hieroglyphic crown that people could wear and enjoy on Instagram and Facebook. The second AR filter features a series of hieroglyphs etched into stone laid behind the user to make it appear as if they had just discovered the ruins.
It was a challenge to take a flat hieroglyphic crown and turn it into an accurate three-dimensional rendering. But, after hours of research, testing, and iteration, we were able to take a piece of Art and turn it into a relatable and engaging piece of technology that was accessible and relevant to audiences everywhere.
Results
Helped the Kimbell effectively reach max capacity of the Nefertari exhibition
More than 1.1M paid media impressions
More than 5 thousand tickets sold
The entire campaign resulted in more than $383k in revenue
AR filter earned 5.7K impressions and 3.6K opens
CTR of 1.71%, above the industry standard of .8%
308 shares of the filter ads
Incorporated new technology into our client’s marketing strategy
Produced and installed wall murals and ground clings
