Schaefer Advertising Co.

Case Studies

Situation Analysis

Alcon Vision Care operates in a highly competitive, innovation-driven category where differentiation often defaults to product claims and clinical data. At major industry meetings like the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), brands compete for attention in an environment saturated with booths, promotions and transactional interactions. When presented with a standard “Cash Cab” sponsorship opportunity, the risk was clear: a novelty activation that would entertain but fail to meaningfully advance brand perception.

Schaefer recognized an opportunity to elevate this tactic into something more strategic and transform a passive sponsorship into an active demonstration of Alcon’s customer-first philosophy. The challenge was to break through the noise of a crowded, distraction-heavy conference environment and reposition Alcon as a brand that listens, engages and co-creates with optometrists.

To succeed, the program needed to leverage physical media not just for visibility, but as a catalyst for authentic dialogue — turning a fleeting transportation moment into a memorable, insight-generating brand experience that extended beyond the show floor.

Goals

Schaefer grounded the program in a key behavioral insight: optometrists value peer exchange and candid dialogue but are often constrained by time and the formal nature of conference environments. Traditional booth interactions rarely foster authentic, unguarded conversations.

We also identified that AAO attendees navigate dense schedules, moving constantly between sessions, hotels and networking events, making transit moments an underutilized but high-value engagement opportunity.

Planning focused on maximizing this “in-between” time. Rather than treating the cab as a simple branding vehicle, we designed it as a mobile conversation platform. Pre-event research informed a multi-channel buildup strategy, including geo-targeted media, display advertising and a reservation-based system to create exclusivity and anticipation.

Creative and operational planning prioritized scalability, content capture and compliance, ensuring conversations could be repurposed post-event. The result was a fully integrated program that extended beyond a single activation. From the outset, we designed this program to evolve into a repeatable, year-long engagement platform across major industry meetings.

Target Audience

The primary audience was U.S.-based optometrists attending major industry congresses, particularly AAO — clinicians who balance patient care, practice management and ongoing education.

This audience is highly knowledgeable, time-constrained and often skeptical of overt marketing. They value practical insights, peer validation and brands that demonstrate a genuine understanding of their day-to-day challenges.

Secondarily, the program reached broader eye care professionals through shared content, including optometric staff and industry stakeholders engaging via social channels post-event.

Importantly, the audience context was dynamic: professionals in transit, often distracted, navigating busy schedules. This required messaging and design that could capture attention instantly while also rewarding deeper engagement for those who opted in.

By meeting optometrists outside the traditional booth environment in a more relaxed, conversational setting we were able to engage them as individuals rather than targets, aligning with their preference for authentic, unscripted interaction.

Campaign Objectives

The program was designed to achieve both perceptual and behavioral outcomes:

  • Reposition Alcon as a brand that actively listens to and collaborates with optometrists, rather than simply marketing to them
  • Drive engagement through participation in the Eye Cab experience, both via reservations and spontaneous interest
  • Generate actionable insights from real conversations with practitioners
  • Extend impact beyond the event through captured content shared across digital and social channels
  • Create a scalable platform that could be deployed across multiple industry meetings

From a media perspective, the objective was to maximize the value of a physical, OOH-like asset (the cab) by transforming it into a multi-touchpoint experience — before, during and after the event.

Success would be measured not only by participation and traffic, but by the program’s ability to stand out in a crowded environment and spark sustained conversation within the optometry community.

Strategic Insight

The breakthrough insight was simple but powerful: the most meaningful conversations with optometrists don’t happen in booths. They happen in motion, in the margins of their day.

Transit time represents a rare moment when practitioners are physically captive but mentally open. They’re removed from clinical responsibilities and more willing to engage authentically.

By reframing transportation as an opportunity for dialogue, Schaefer transformed a passive media placement into an active listening platform. The familiar “Cash Cab” format lowered barriers to participation, while the reimagined “Eye Cab” concept aligned the experience directly with Alcon’s category and purpose.

This approach allowed Alcon to demonstrate — not just claim — its commitment to customer insight, turning real conversations into both content and proof of intent.

Ultimately, the strategy leveraged physical space not just for visibility, but for connection, making the medium itself an integral part of the message.

Creative Execution

The “Eye Cab” brought the strategy to life through a bold, immersive physical experience. A fully wrapped Tesla, designed with iconic, high-contrast yellow cab-inspired graphics, ensured immediate recognition and memorability in busy urban conference settings.

Inside, the experience blended entertainment with purpose: an engaging driver/emcee guided optometrists through lighthearted, Alcon-themed trivia while prompting authentic conversation about their professional experiences, challenges and needs.

Pre-event, targeted display and geo-fenced media built anticipation and drove reservations through a dedicated landing page. At the event, tactile elements including custom stickers, branded cookies, branded water and the premium vehicle experience all enhanced memorability.

Every interaction was captured (with consent) to fuel post-event storytelling across social channels, extending the life of the activation.

The result was a seamless integration of OOH, experiential and digital media where the physical environment served as both stage and storytelling engine.

Response/Results

The Eye Cab program generated both immediate engagement and lasting impact.

  • 30,000+ site visits driven by the pre-event media campaign
  • 100% reservation fill rate, with rides selling out across major shows
  • Significant on-site buzz, with widespread anecdotal feedback and organic word-of-mouth among attendees

Beyond these metrics, the program fundamentally shifted perception. Attendees didn’t just see Alcon — they experienced its commitment to listening firsthand.

The success of the initial activation led to expansion into a year-long, multi-event program, reinforcing consistency and deepening engagement across the optometry community.

Captured video content extended reach beyond attendees, amplifying authentic voices and insights through social channels.

Most importantly, the program delivered on its core objective: transforming a one-off sponsorship into a scalable platform that differentiated Alcon as a true partner to its customers.

Situation

Each year, Vision Source Exchange brings together thousands of independent eye care practitioners for one of the most influential conferences in the industry. For a global eye care leader presenting on the mainstage, this is a high-stakes opportunity to reframe how Vision Source members perceive their relationship with the brand. The goal: shift from “premium vendor” to “innovative partner.”

The vision for the mainstage video was ambitious. Cinematic. Heroic. A movie-trailer-meets-optometry production that would stop a room full of providers in their tracks and make them feel genuinely equipped and inspired.

There was just one problem: the timeline was compressed, the budget was constrained, and the production ambitions were anything but.

Goals

  • Produce a polished, premium-quality conference video that felt worthy of a global brand’s mainstage presence
  • Deliver on a creative concept that called for multiple locations, custom environments, specific talent, and a cinematic tone
  • Compress a traditionally lengthy production and approval process into a fraction of the typical timeline
  • Align stakeholders across multiple internal teams around a bold, unfamiliar creative direction

Approach

Rather than scale down the vision, we found a smarter way to bring it to life.

Green screen as the production backbone.

Nearly the entire video was shot in a controlled green screen environment. This gave us the flexibility to build “The Forge” — the video’s central command-center setting — entirely in post, without the cost or logistics of a real location build. It also meant we could deliver more than a conference room dressed with props. Instead we created a world that felt cinematic and intentional.

AI-generated environments and branded customization.

We used AI to design and render the immersive Forge environment. Multiple screens, branded interface graphics, and custom visual details were all built using AI-assisted tools giving us the kind of production design that would typically require a significant art department budget. Branded customizations were woven throughout the background, reinforcing the client’s visual identity and elevating what could have been a generic environment.

AI-assisted cityscape for the intro and outro.

The script called for recognizable skyline imagery to ground the video in a real conference city. Licensing prominent real-world landmarks carries both cost and legal complexity that challenges an already compressed schedule. We used AI to generate a stylized, cinematic cityscape that captured the spirit of the location without triggering rights issues or clearance delays.

AI voice over.

The client had a very specific sonic vision for the VO: a premium, cinematic “hero trailer” voice with warmth, authority, and the right pacing to carry the emotional arc of the piece. Traditional casting simply couldn’t guarantee that specific caliber of delivery within the timeline. We turned to AI voice generation, iterating until we had exactly the tone and energy the concept demanded.

AI-powered storyboarding to accelerate alignment.

One of the more quietly significant challenges on this project was internal stakeholder alignment. The creative concept was bold and unfamiliar — a hero-inspired heroic narrative with a custom-built sci-fi command center isn’t something everyone can visualize from a script and a mood board. We used AI to develop detailed, photorealistic storyboard frames that showed the client exactly what the video would look and feel like before a single camera was turned on. For stakeholders who don’t live in the creative world day-to-day, seeing is believing. Those visuals transformed what could have been a slow, iterative approval process into a confident green light.

Results

The video debuted on the Vision Source Exchange mainstage and delivered exactly what the concept promised: a cinematic, cohesive brand moment that positioned the client as a forward-thinking innovation partner. The production met the client’s creative vision without exceeding budget parameters, and it was delivered on a timeline that would have been impossible under a traditional production model.

More importantly, it demonstrated something the industry is still learning: that AI isn’t a shortcut that compromises quality. When applied strategically, it’s a tool that makes ambitious creative possible at the speed and scale that real-world marketing demands.

Want to talk about what’s possible on your next production? Let’s forge something together.

Situation

In a category defined by clinical credibility and cold, white-coat confidence, a global eye care leader faced a deeply human problem: nobody was listening.

Independent optometrists — the doctors most critical to driving contact lens prescriptions — were tuning out. Brands were showing up with shiny new launches and aggressive messaging, and the perception was spreading that this client, despite a portfolio with genuinely best-in-class technology, had gone quiet on innovation. Meanwhile, the very platform designed to transform how practices managed patient reorders — a digital tool proven to improve satisfaction and drive revenue — was being underutilized simply because busy staff didn’t have time to be sold to.

The annual IDOC Connection conference represented a high-stakes opportunity to change all of that. Three thousand independent optometrists. One room. A shot to shift the narrative.

The temptation was obvious: lead with data, stack the deck with stats, reassert authority. But authority wasn’t what the audience needed. They needed to feel seen.

Goals

  • Re-earn trust from ECPs who had begun drifting toward competitors, particularly among members prescribing less than a third of their contact lens volume through the brand’s portfolio.
  • Reignite enthusiasm for a flagship daily lens — a proven product whose comfort technology remained unmatched, but whose time in market was being used against it.
  • Drive meaningful adoption of a digital ordering platform that could genuinely transform practice profitability, but had struggled to break through the daily noise of a busy optometry office.

Success was measured in action: booth engagement, education session attendance, and ultimately, the willingness to buy.

Approach

At Schaefer, we believe humanizing is a strategic choice. One of the most human things a brand can do is make people laugh.

We know laughter is how people lower their guard, open their minds, and actually receive new information. Humor is trust, compressed. It says: we know what you’re dealing with, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.

So instead of producing another polished, authoritative product film, we made a mockumentary.

Focus Group of the Future dropped an entirely mismatched cast of characters into a fluorescent-lit conference room and asked them a deceptively simple question: what does the future of eye care look like? The group proceeded to hilariously, authentically, and thoroughly answer that question without ever once being asked to sit through a product presentation.

Confessional cuts. Awkward pauses. A moderator slowly losing control of the room. Props with running jokes. A character who keeps shouting product names through soundproof glass. Every laugh was engineered to land a message. 

Every scene was structured around a real audience objection or ECP insight pulled directly from strategic research. The film turned hard truths into the story. Because the insight at the heart of the campaign was creating awareness that the future your patients are asking for already exists, and you’re the one who gets to give it to them.

In a category where content is often forgettable the moment an attendee leaves the session, we built something that could travel without losing its energy or its point. We helped our client honor the science and care by making it accessible and human. 

Results

Humor in healthcare isn’t always a risk. When patients are overwhelmed, when doctors are burned out, when staff are stretched thin, the brands that show up with joy — real, earned, strategically deployed joy — are the ones people remember. And the ones people trust.

The future of eye care, it turns out, looks a lot like a conference room with bad muffins, a rep who can’t stop shouting through glass, and a fifteen-year-old who is absolutely not emotionally ready to touch his own eye.

And that’s exactly the point. Ready to make your audience feel something? Let’s talk.

20 Years in Motion

Premier Trailer Leasing, one of the nation’s leading trailer leasing providers, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025 with an internal leadership conference centered around the theme Changing the Game.

Designed to celebrate two decades of growth, innovation, and service while reinforcing Premier’s culture of integrity and care, the conference became an opportunity to create a more engaging internal brand experience for employees across the organization. Schaefer partnered with Premier to develop the event logo and visual direction, which expanded into a broader creative system used throughout the conference to build excitement, consistency, and participation among attendees.

Bringing the Theme to Life

The objective was to translate the Changing the Game theme into a creative direction that felt memorable, intentional, and unmistakably Premier. The challenge was not simply to make the conference “look like a video game,” but to create an experience that reinforced Premier’s momentum as a company while celebrating the people who helped shape its first 20 years.

Schaefer anchored the creative in a nostalgic ‘90s gaming aesthetic, using pixel-inspired typography, arcade-style visuals, and retro references to communicate energy, leadership, and forward movement. The nostalgic cues created an immediate sense of familiarity and fun, helping employees connect with the conference theme in a way that felt approachable rather than overly corporate.

The concept extended beyond the logo into a scalable identity system that included a defined headline typeface, color palette, and flexible design assets for presentations, signage, badges, and event materials. The system also expanded into custom pixel-style speaker portraits and motion-inspired visuals that added personality and consistency across conference touchpoints.

Game-Changing Results 

The final conference branding gave Premier a creative system that felt fresh, engaging, and deeply connected to the company’s culture and values. More than a collection of event graphics, the work created a shared visual language that employees could interact with throughout the conference experience.

By combining strategic messaging with a playful but intentional creative approach, Schaefer helped Premier celebrate an important milestone while reinforcing the mindset behind the Changing the Game theme: leadership requires stepping up, making decisions, and continuing to move the organization forward.

The project also demonstrated how thoughtful conference branding can extend beyond decoration to create meaningful moments of engagement — giving brands permission to show up in new ways while still feeling authentic to who they are.

PTL Leadership Conference Panel

An Untapped Opportunity

Mainstay Farm is a 70-acre family-focused attraction in Cleburne, just outside Fort Worth. Known as the “Biggest Backyard in Texas,” the farm draws visitors each year for seasonal festivals and dozens of outdoor attractions.

But beyond the daily fun, Mainstay also offers several spaces that are perfect for private gatherings—corporate events, birthday parties, reunions, and more. Until now, that side of the business hadn’t been actively promoted.

Mainstay partnered with Schaefer to introduce its event rental offering to the market and to position the farm as a unique venue for memorable gatherings.

A Plan Takes Root

With no prior promotion for event rentals, the goal was first to build awareness and introduce the offering to the audiences most likely to book.

Schaefer developed a go-to-market plan that positioned Mainstay Farm as a refreshing alternative to traditional venues. The creative needed to feel slightly more elevated than typical ticket promotions—especially for the premium VIP space—while still staying true to the brand’s fun, family-focused personality.

Bringing It to Life

Upon solidifying the creative direction for the campaign, the team developed cohesive creative across paid social, paid search, display banners, email, and publication placements. Each tactic reinforced the same message and drove both social and corporate audiences to the landing page, creating a consistent path from discovery to interest.

The campaign creatively highlights experiences and connection, while emphasizing how the Mainstay team will make the planning seamless and easy on those who choose to book an event at the farm.

A Strong Start

The campaign is still running through 2026, but early results show strong momentum for an offering that has never been promoted before.

Within the first four months:

  • 5.0M impressions drove widespread visibility
  • 28.2K clicks demonstrated strong engagement
  • 11.8K sessions landed on the new event page
  • 10.2K new users discovered the offering for the first time

The campaign successfully introduced Mainstay Farm as a destination for corporate and social events—proving that with the right strategy and creative, even a well-known attraction can unlock entirely new opportunities.

Driving Year-Round Impact

The Kimbell Art Museum partners with Schaefer each year to execute a year-around media strategy designed to support membership growth and ticket sales for two major exhibitions – this year, Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910–1945 and Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection. 

The core challenge was balancing long-term membership acquisition with short-term ticket sales, ensuring each campaign worked in tandem. Schaefer developed an integrated digital media approach that expanded reach, targeted high-intent audiences, and reinforced the value of membership—particularly during exhibition windows when free access served as a key incentive to convert.

Strategic Media That Works Together, Not in Silos

To achieve this, Schaefer developed strategy across paid search, paid social, and programmatic display. The strategy centered on an approach that balanced awareness and conversion tactics, anchored by an always-on membership campaign running continuously alongside exhibition-specific efforts. By leveraging five years of historical performance data, we were able to refine audience targeting and optimize channel mix to reach our goals. 

Turning Engagement into Impact

This strategy delivered strong, measurable results across all key metrics. 

  • Total membership revenue increased by 13% year over year, with media-driven membership revenue rising 9%
  • The Modern Art and Politics campaign generated more than 4 million impressions and achieved a 16.65% click-through rate in paid search
  • Myth and Marble drove 51,000 new landing page users, reflecting a 19% increase from the previous period

Strategy that Scales Results

By aligning always-on and campaign-specific media efforts, Schaefer not only maximized efficiency but also drove meaningful growth for the Kimbell’s initiatives in 2025. The differentiator lies in a deep understanding of audience behavior and the ability to strategically plan media—ensuring every dollar is optimized to deliver measurable, lasting impact.

A Fan-Favorite Event, Reimagined

The Fort Worth Zoo partners with Schaefer each year to bring fresh energy to its annual Zoo Run—an event that has consistently sold out the past two years. The challenge this year wasn’t just driving registrations, but pacing demand strategically to ensure the event didn’t sell out too early, while continuing to build excitement and expand its audience. Schaefer developed a campaign that maintained the playful, nostalgic tone participants had come to love – paired with a refined media strategy based on learnings from previous years.

Fort Worth Zoo Run Social Campaign

Designed to Evolve

Schaefer led strategic planning, concept development, copywriting, design, and full-funnel media execution across out-of-home, paid search, paid social, email, text, streaming video, and local publications. The goal was to guide audiences seamlessly from awareness to registration while leveraging insights from prior campaigns to refine timing, targeting, and channel strategy. By combining creative development with data-driven media planning, the team ensured various media touchpoints contributed to both engagement and conversion.

Fort Worth Zoo Run Social Campaign

Nostalgia Meets New Energy

The creative approach built upon the vintage, retro-inspired aesthetic that resonated strongly in 2025, evolving it with brighter colors and a more dynamic visual identity. The campaign highlighted the Zoo’s baby elephant, Lady Bird, alongside other fan-favorite animals, using illustrated elements to create a sense of personality and connection. Playful details such as sticker-style patches featuring phrases like “Lady Bird Fan Club” and “Fort Worth Zoo Athletic Co.” added a layer of charm and collectibility, reinforcing the event’s fun, community-driven spirit while expanding its visual appeal.

Fort Worth Zoo Run Illustrations

From Start Line to Sold Out

The result was a third consecutive sell-out for Zoo Run and a 32% YoY increase in total campaign impressions—demonstrating not only sustained demand but also the effectiveness of a more refined, strategic approach. By combining evolving creative with smarter media execution, Schaefer helped the Fort Worth Zoo maintain momentum while continuing to grow and engage its audience year over year.

Fort Worth Zoo Run Website

Where Creativity and Strategy Converge

By pairing compelling, audience-driven creative with insights drawn from long-term client partnerships, Schaefer consistently delivers campaigns that meet—and often exceed—performance goals. The Zoo Run campaign proves that when creativity and strategy work hand in hand, even a sold-out event can keep getting better.

Fort Worth Zoo Run Out of Home

When your phone or other smart device breaks, gets lost or needs an upgrade, there’s a good chance Likewize is working behind the scenes to make it right. The company partners with carriers, retailers and insurers around the world to handle the full lifecycle of a device, from protection plans to repairs to trade-ins so their clients can offer customers a seamless experience when technology doesn’t go as planned. It’s a big operation and the brands they work with are some of the biggest on the planet. So when Mobile World Congress came around, showing up quietly wasn’t an option.

Situation

Standing Out at the World’s Noisiest Trade Show

Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is the premier global gathering for the mobile and tech industry, the kind of event where deals are made and reputations are reinforced. For Likewize, MWC 2026 represented an opportunity to expand global partnerships and assert their position as the go-to provider for end-to-end device lifecycle management.

The challenge: MWC is noisy. Thousands of companies compete for the attention of the same B2B decision-makers, including telecom executives, retail leadership, OEMs and insurers, all in the same building at the same time. Likewize needed more than good signage. They needed a coherent, creative presence that could travel across touchpoints and leave an impression.

Likewize handout

Strategy

Start with the Brand and Build 

The strategy was to work within Likewize’s established brand guidelines while pushing the creative to be bold enough to cut through the convention floor clutter. Their official tagline, “Every tech problem made painless,” gave us a strong foundation. Their positioning, framing Likewize as the answer to the questions their partners are already asking, gave us something to build a visual and messaging narrative around.

We recognized that the target audience shared a common mindset across sectors: they value reliability, trust and a partner who can handle complexity without adding to it. Our creative direction needed to reflect this — clean, confident and clear.

Likewize digital boards

Solution

A Creative System Built to Travel

We developed a creative system, not just a look but a visual language designed to work consistently across every surface and touchpoint. The goal was for everything to feel cohesive and originating from a consistent source, whether someone encountered Likewize on the convention floor, in a private meeting room or in their inbox before the show.

The creative leaned into what the brand already does well: clean layouts, bold use of Likewize’s signature pink, strong typography and iconography that communicated their core services without over-explaining. Short, high-impact copy did the heavy lifting. Every element was built to scale from large-format event signage down to a sales team email signature so the brand showed up with the same confidence regardless of context.

We also made sure the Likewize team had what they needed to work the room before and after the event, not just during it. Pre- and post-event communications extended the creative into the places where real partner conversations begin.

Results

One Brand Voice, Every Touchpoint

Schaefer delivered a full suite of creative and communications assets built for production that gave Likewize a consistent, confident presence across every MWC touchpoint. From the moment someone stepped off a Likewize-wrapped Sprinter van to the follow-up email waiting in their inbox, the brand told a cohesive story.

The MWC landing page gave us a clear window into how well the campaign drove interest and action:

Key Metrics
  • 46.02% Engagement Rate
  • 8% Conversion Rate
  • 10 Form Submissions
Impact:
  • Drove strong brand visibility at MWC 2026
  • Generated qualified leads and meeting opportunities
  • Reinforced Likewize as a trusted, end-to-end lifecycle partner
Likewise car wrap

Situation

Cetaphil, a globally recognized skincare brand, underwent a major rebrand to modernize its identity and better connect with everyday consumers. However, this visually-driven evolution presented a unique challenge: how to translate a consumer-centric rebrand into meaningful, science-backed messaging for healthcare professionals (HCPs). Schaefer was tasked with bridging this gap—developing tools that maintained the integrity of the refreshed brand while reinforcing clinical credibility and driving engagement with an expert audience.

Cetaphil Print Branding

Goals

  • Adapt consumer-driven brand elements to resonate with HCP expectations and standards.
  • Preserve and emphasize Cetaphil’s clinical heritage and scientific validity.
  • Create impactful sales tools that effectively communicate key claims without overwhelming.
  • Enhance memorability and in-office usability of leave-behind and sales materials.
Cetaphil Print Branding 2

CTMP Provider Leave Behind

To replace a flat and forgettable 5×7 card, our team engineered an innovative fold-out piece modeled after a flower petal. Each fold highlights one element of Cetaphil’s core C-T-M-P regimen—Cleanse, Treat, Moisturize, Protect—offering providers a dynamic and educational interaction. This redesign not only aligned with the new aesthetic but also added dimension and memorability to in-office conversations.

Cetaphil CTMP Pedal Card

Core Product Line Surprise & Delight Boxes

We curated and distributed 3,500 premium mailers to key HCP influencers, each containing Cetaphil’s three core products. These boxes debuted the new visual identity while spotlighting recent clinical study data that reaffirmed product efficacy. The packaging and accompanying materials were crafted to elicit excitement, reinforce trust, and encourage in-office trials.

Cetaphil Delight Boxes

In-Field Sales Materials

The team diligently redesigned a full suite of in-field sales materials with a refined, unified visual language aligned to the consumer brand. Every piece was carefully rewritten to sharpen core messaging and elevate key claims—removing clutter while preserving clinical rigor. These tools now empower sales reps to deliver clear, confident, and compelling conversations with HCPs.

Cetaphil Product Carriers

Results

  • Reinvigorated provider brand perceptions through engaging designs, clear claims and impactful packaging.
  • Successfully extended a consumer-facing rebrand into the professional healthcare space and created a model for client internal teams and partners to model.
  • Delivered a cohesive HCP toolkit that balanced brand storytelling with clinical depth achieving positive in-field feedback for both clarity and quality.
  • Equipped sales teams with tools that improved confidence and message retention.
  • Enhanced HCP engagement with more interactive and visually compelling materials.

Summary

Cetaphil’s global rebrand provided an opportunity to reimagine its presence across all touchpoints—including those targeting healthcare professionals. Schaefer Advertising rose to the challenge by translating the refreshed brand identity into HCP-relevant communications that elevated both perception and performance. Through thoughtful design, clinical storytelling, and strategic delivery, we helped bridge the gap between style and science—ensuring Cetaphil continues to earn trust on both sides of the counter.

Situation

NEC Co-op Energy competes in a crowded, price-driven Texas market where most consumers see electricity as a commodity. As a member-owned co-op, NEC needed to boost visibility, grow enrollments, and clearly communicate why its community-first model is different. Schaefer was engaged to build an integrated campaign that would drive 3–5% annual member growth and reframe energy in human terms—showing the real value of choosing a co-op.

Goals

  • Increase awareness of NEC Co-op Energy in key growth markets through full-funnel marketing
  • Drive new member sign-ups with a target of 3% annual growth (stretch goal: 4–5%)
  • Deliver audience-specific messaging to address key needs and decision drivers
  • Differentiate NEC through co-op benefits like PowerPerks, Capital Credits, and community impact
NEC Co-op Energy direct mail creative

Strategy

Schaefer developed a comprehensive go-to-market strategy centered around the idea that “Co-op Means More.” The campaign leveraged the inherent value of co-ops — shared ownership, community reinvestment, and financial benefits — and brought those to life through bold creative and human-centered storytelling.

At the core of this strategy was the defining insight that energy is invisible, providers feel identical, and rate-shopping can be transactional. NEC Co-Op Energy had the opportunity to make electricity feel human by elevating the emotional and financial value of belonging to a co-op community.

Through full-funnel tactics, we engaged audiences across the entire customer journey. Audience segmentation enabled tailored messaging by audience persona. And each persona received a tailored value proposition. For example, Retirees saw messaging about stability and Capital Credit payouts; Young Professionals received PowerPerks and savings-forward messaging; and Small Business Owners saw messaging about reliability and predictable budgeting benefits.

Schaefer implemented a responsive media mix that allowed for real-time optimizations and platform-specific creative enhancements to maximize performance and drive conversion.

NEC Co-op Energy web display creative

Solution

Schaefer repositioned NEC Co-op Energy from a rate-based alternative to a true community partner, highlighting the real value of co-op membership. We launched an integrated campaign that reached consumers at every stage of the funnel with a unified, people-first message.

The campaign activated across paid search, direct response, connected TV, streaming audio, programmatic display, and social platforms to capture both high-intent shoppers and broader awareness audiences in key Texas markets. Email nurture and targeted media ensured each segment—from young professionals to retirees—received relevant, timely messaging.

All channels drove to a streamlined landing page that anchored conversions and supported continuous optimization throughout the campaign.

NEC Co-op Energy landing page creative

Creative Execution

The creative platform — “Co-op Means More” — used a flexible message architecture that made the complex co-op story feel immediate and personal. Built around words that begin with “co,” the campaign highlighted emotional and economic benefits alike: community, connection, collaboration, cost savings, and more.

As a linguistic device, the “co-” was more than a creative flourish; it served as a mnemonic system that reinforced shared ownership, grounded the brand in values of cooperation, and allowed messages to flex by audience while remaining unmistakably tied to the brand’s ethos.

From broadcast-quality CTV spots to thumb-stopping paid social, every asset aimed to make people feel the human side of energy. Visuals featured video and photos of real community members in everyday moments — families, neighbors, teammates — paired with bold headlines like:

  • “Power that pays you back”
  • “Perks that power passion”
  • “Wallet wins, funded by fun”
  • “Co-op means more for you and your community”

Video and static executions were adapted for every channel, ensuring consistency in voice while optimizing for performance. The design system leaned into vibrant colors, co-op iconography, and a warm, friendly tone that stood apart from traditional providers.

NEC Co-op Energy Social Media creative

Outcome

By Q3, the campaign had delivered NEC Co-op Energy’s strongest performance to date — reaching new audiences at scale, increasing engagement across platforms, and driving measurable growth in membership.

From July to September 2025 alone:

  • The campaign generated 16.3 million impressions and 184,000 clicks — a +143% lift in impressions and +588% increase in clicks quarter-over-quarter
  • Paid media drove over 9,100 “Become a Member” CTA clicks via the NEC website
  • 3,570 new member accounts were added in Q3 — the highest performing quarter on record

Performance by channel:

  • Paid Search led all conversion sources, accounting for nearly 20% of total activations
  • Meta campaigns delivered 17K+ clicks, a 29% increase QoQ, with cost-efficient performance across both B2B and B2C targets
  • OTT video achieved a 99.46% completion rate, while streaming audio maintained a 98% completion rate, reflecting high engagement in awareness channels

Since campaign inception in November 2024, NEC Co-op Energy has grown from 59,842 to 62,822 total accounts — reaching 5% annual growth and fulfilling the stretch goal months ahead of schedule.

More importantly, the campaign reframed NEC Co-op Energy’s role in the market, from a utility provider to a community partner, strengthening long-term loyalty and reinforcing the value of the co-op model for modern consumers.

NEC Co-op Energy Out of Home creative
Schaefer Advertising Co. | Ft. Worth, Texas
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