Rising to the Challenge: Exceeding Ambitious Goals for TBT’s The Nutcracker
Texas Ballet Theater set higher-than-ever ticket goals for their 2024 performance of The Nutcracker, creating an exciting challenge for us at Schaefer. With increased expectations compared to the prior year, our task was clear: exceed these ambitious targets. Adding to the complexity, fewer pre-Christmas performances were scheduled, making it more difficult to hit our goals during the critical early sales period. Despite these challenges, we knew that The Nutcracker ticket sales are vital for funding TBT’s year-round productions, and rose to the occasion.
Optimizing Strategy for Maximum Impact
We crafted a strategic plan that balanced tried-and-true tactics with new optimizations to drive results. By targeting the right audience through paid search, social media, display, TV, and email, we ensured that every marketing dollar worked harder. Our focus was on refining audience segmentation and utilizing retargeting strategies, especially with urgency-driven messaging designed to boost conversions. We also placed a strong emphasis on media optimization, ensuring that our tactics captured valuable prospects. With creative content across social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, we aimed to maximize engagement and reach the right people at the right time.
Transforming Media Strategy into Unmatched Results
Our media strategy paid off in a big way. Paid search, the star of our campaign, generated an impressive $730K in revenue with a stellar return on ad spend (ROAS) of 13:1. Social media efforts made a significant impact as well, driving over 7.3 million impressions and 77,000 clicks with a 1.86% click-through rate. On TikTok and Facebook, ads resonated with the audience, while display and streaming video ads kept engagement high. Email and text campaigns also played a crucial role in pushing conversions, achieving a remarkable 18.28% CTR for text messages and a solid 13.94% for emails. Through strategic optimization and a combination of media channels, we created a seamless experience that kept sales momentum strong, even in the face of the slower start.
Delivering Historic Success: The Nutcracker Exceeds all Expectations
The results were nothing short of remarkable. We exceeded our revenue goals by 19%, with total tickets purchased near 52,000 (120% to goal). Not only did we surpass our original ticket sales targets for both Fort Worth and Dallas, but we also delivered the highest sales for The Nutcracker in TBT’s history. This campaign not only demonstrated our ability to rise to the challenge but also set a new benchmark for success. With our creative strategy, smart targeting, and optimized media plan, we helped TBT achieve its most successful Nutcracker season ever.
Zoo Ball is the Fort Worth Zoo’s premier fundraising event, bringing donors together for an unforgettable night in support of wildlife conservation. For over a decade, Schaefer has been entrusted with establishing the theme and creating an invitation suite that sets the tone for the event, which includes a save the date, invitation, and auction guide. Every year, Schaefer embraces the opportunity to push creative and production boundaries—ensuring that each year’s invitation surpasses the last.
For 2024, Zoo Ball embraced the energy of Latin nightlife with the theme ¡Bailemos!, a celebration of rhythm, energy, and movement. The challenge was to craft an invitation that didn’t just inform, but immerse, recipients in the event’s vibrancy before they even arrived. The team set out to create a piece that would surprise, delight, and demand attention.
Bringing the Theme to Life Through Design
Rather than a standard invitation, Schaefer envisioned an interactive piece that unfolded like an experience, building intrigue with each layer—just like stepping into a dimly lit nightclub or walking through a forest at dusk. The design needed to be bold yet elegant, moody yet vibrant, immersive yet refined. The black jaguar—mysterious and powerful—became the focal point, symbolizing the intrigue of the night and connecting back to the Zoo’s animals.
To execute this vision, the team developed a multi-layered, tactile print piece using specialty production techniques, custom illustrations, and premium materials. This wasn’t an invitation to simply open—it was meant to be discovered, revealing hidden details as recipients engaged with each element.
A Bold Vision Brought to Life
The final invitation was an experience in itself. A custom-converted envelope introduced the theme with rich illustrations and a soft-touch laminate finish, inviting engagement from the start. Inside, an intricate laser-cut outer shell framed the invitation, offering glimpses of the vivid red interior beneath.
Opening the gatefold invitation, the jaguar’s piercing eyes appeared first through die-cut typography, creating an air of mystery. As recipients unfolded the piece, the full jaguar emerged, surrounded by lush, hand-illustrated foliage in deep blues and greens. Clear foil detailing on the jaguar’s eyes enhanced the dramatic effect, reflecting light as if the animal itself was watching.
Meticulous attention to production ensured the invitation felt as premium as it looked. Schaefer collaborated with expert print partners to perfect paper stocks, die cuts, and layering techniques, using Neenah Classic Crest linen paper and laser die-cut detailing to create a high-end experience that was as stunning to hold as it was to see.
Beyond an Invitation—An Unforgettable Experience
From the moment recipients received it, the invitation sparked intrigue and excitement, mirroring the energy of ¡Bailemos!. The layered unfolding process and striking red interior left a lasting impact, making the invitation more than just an announcement, it became a keepsake. Schaefer’s dedication to precision, storytelling, and craftsmanship ensures that each year’s invitation is more ambitious than the last. Schaefer continues to push the limits of creativity and execution, proving that an invitation can be an experience in itself.
Membership is one of the backbones of the Fort Worth Zoo—fueling conservation efforts, enriching guest experiences, and ensuring the Zoo remains a world-class attraction. But driving membership growth isn’t just about listing perks; it’s about creating an emotional connection that makes people want to be part of something bigger.
At the start of 2024, Schaefer Advertising launched new creative for the Membership campaign designed to increase awareness, drive engagement, and boost both new memberships and renewals. With ambitious goals and a highly competitive digital landscape, the challenge was clear: how do we communicate the full value of a membership in a way that is concise, eye-catching, and actionable?
Compelling Creative Built for Every Platform
To captivate potential members, we developed a simple yet powerful creative concept: Members Zoo More. This central idea wasn’t just a tagline—it was a clever turn of phrase that encapsulated all the incredible benefits of membership in a way that was fresh, fun, and deeply engaging. Across different channels, we brought the message to life:
Members Zoo More for friends – emphasizing guest passes and memory making.
Members Zoo More across the U.S. – showcasing benefits you can find at other zoos nationwide.
Members Zoo More for conservation – reinforcing the direct impact members have on wildlife conservation.
The campaign was designed to be as dynamic as the Zoo itself, using bold colors, playful typography, and stunning imagery that immersed audiences in the marvel of membership. But great creative is only half the battle. To ensure maximum reach and impact, we deployed a full-funnel media strategy, spanning:
Paid search
Paid social
Streaming video
Display
Email marketing
Print and out-of-home
Publication-sponsored content
We also took a strategic, always-on approach—adjusting our flighting throughout the year based on seasonal trends, to reach potential members when they were most likely to convert.
Stronger Engagement, More Members, Bigger Impact
The campaign delivered measurable, year-over-year (YoY) success:
287% increase in page sessions
198% increase in new users
8.1 million impressions from paid social (61% increase YoY)
4% increase YoY in total members
6% increase YoY in total membership revenue
Perhaps the most telling stat? New users to the Zoo’s membership page skyrocketed from 452 in December 2023 to 4,454 in January 2024. A clear indicator that our fresh creative and strategic media approach was hitting the mark.
At Schaefer, we don’t just create ads—we craft campaigns that move the needle. By combining bold, audience-driven creative with a media strategy designed for impact, we helped the Fort Worth Zoo turn awareness into action. The Members Zoo More campaign is proof that when storytelling meets strategy, the results speak for themselves.
Famous for its trailblazing history, Fort Worth still embraces its reputation as a “City of Opportunity.” Quickly becoming an epicenter of growth and innovation, Fort Worth offers an inviting community, talented workforce, and incredibly low cost of living, attracting people and corporations from all over the world looking to move or expand into one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.
The goal of every city on the rise is to attract new business and talent while strengthening the industries already established. To accomplish that, the City of Fort Worth Economic Development team selected Schaefer as the agency of record for a three-year partnership to create the city’s first-ever economic development and business attraction initiative. The partnership is part of the city’s five-year strategic plan and plays a key role in positioning Fort Worth as a place of purpose where businesses and people can leverage the city’s incredible potential to create the future they want to see.
Goals:
Establish a story that connects Fort Worth’s heritage with its future
Develop a multi-phase, multi-year campaign to drive awareness and attract new business
Highlight Fort Worth’s economic incentives and competitive edge in business, culture and community
Reach key business decision-makers to advance economic development
Elevate Fort Worth on a national and international stage
Foster collaborative conversations between key stakeholders in the public and private sector
We started with a question: what makes Fort Worth and its people so unique? The answer was simple. A pioneering spirit that dated back to the 1800s and still stood strong today. As the first-ever economic development campaign for the city, Schaefer was in a unique position to lead strategy from inception.
We recognized the importance of storytelling in establishing the city’s position in the eyes of our target audiences. A good story would amplify the message, build credibility, create a strong sense of community and offer nuggets of authenticity and purpose that truly make Fort Worth stand out.
Known as the point where the west begins, Fort Worth has always promised possibility, innovation and prosperity. Unlike some of the larger, competitive cities, opportunity isn’t a new promise, it’s woven into the very fabric of Fort Worth. To communicate that, we built messaging around the idea that no matter what you’re looking for — relocation, expansion, opportunity – it can successfully begin in Fort Worth.
Building equity through identity
In order to build equity, Fort Worth Economic Development first needed an identity. We leveraged their voice, tone and values to create an independent identity that was flexible enough to work alongside the city’s existing branding, and strong enough to communicate the impact of their initiatives.
Schaefer then crafted a multi-faceted campaign that unified strategy, creative and media to promote Fort Worth’s business advantages among corporate decision-makers, site selection consultants and local business owners. The campaign further cemented Fort Worth as a city of growth and opportunity, while highlighting its competitive edge as a leader in innovation who works hard to meet the needs of the businesses who chose Fort Worth.
Solution: Fueling growth and connections online
Revamping the website to reflect the new brand campaign was vital to communicate key messaging. As the central platform that business leaders, stakeholders and prospective residents visit to find relevant information about the city, the website confirmed Fort Worth’s proven economic landscape with tangible proof points our audience would find attractive.
With this in mind, we included demographics, workforce statistics and other data points that leverage Fort Worth’s resources against competitor cities. A strategic mix of traditional and digital media, including paid search targeted prospects helped drive traffic back to the website. Knowing our target audience sets and strategically placing ads in places they frequented (in person and online) expanded Fort Worth’s presence on the list of key business destinations in the US.
After 8 months in market, our team identified a list of top engaged companies. The insights we gathered included a list of prospects from target industry sectors with the potential to increase the size of the labor force and generate millions in economic output for the city of Fort Worth. These key insights have helped us to strengthen our marketing approach in more specifically targeting like prospects.
Results
Overall Impact:
31.5+ million impressions delivered, driving substantial visibility across key target markets, including Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and New Jersey, yielding a very strong engagement rate of 38%.
Email Marketing Success:
1.25+ million emails were sent, contributing nearly 40% of total traffic during the campaign’s lifetime.
56% average engagement rate across email campaigns.
31,000 unique clicks generated.
14% Click-to-Open Rate (CTOR), far exceeding the industry average of 2.5%.
Digital Advertising Results:
Paid Search:
Delivered a 7.5% CTR, surpassing industry benchmarks.
Programmatic Display:
Achieved a 0.4% CTR, well above the industry average of 0.05%.
Business Outcome:
Based on these exceptional results, City Leadership approved a 50% year-over-year budget increase for a three-year campaign extension.
Fort Worth continues to receive organic recognition as a top place in the U.S. for starting a business. This is a direct result of the growing widespread awareness of Fort Worth as a great place to live, work, and do business.
Texas ranks as the best workforce in the United States for its highly educated population, high concentration of STEM workers, and robust career education pipeline. – CNBC
DFW ranks as a top U.S. market for new and expanding facilities. – Site Selection
Fort Worth ranks as the #1 Large City in Texas to start a business. It’s also the #7 Best Large City in the United States to start a business based on office-space affordability, labor costs, and five-year business survival rates. – WalletHub
According to Bisnow, Fort Worth has more than $2 billion in projects under development, marking a major milestone in the city’s economic development.
Menninger Clinic, a nationally ranked mental health facility, first asked Schaefer to help develop a patient-facing campaign. However, business conditions quickly shifted and the team agreed the best strategic approach was to target HCPs. This provider audience needed to understand Menninger’s complex service offering and its value as an in- or out-patient treatment facility for mental health services. Schaefer stepped in to concisely communicate and highlight the factors that differentiated Menninger among a broad audience of mental health professionals and referrers.
Goals
Develop a simplified and streamlined brand messaging that resonates with professionals
Cut through the clutter of a crowded communications landscape
Drive awareness and website traffic and, ultimately, requests for information
Strategy
Focusing on the big picture and keeping long-term objectives in mind, Schaefer formulated creative that promoted Menninger’s ‘path for every patient’ in the complex field of mental health. Messaging centered on the nuances and differentiating factors of the client’s service offering.
From there, our team crafted an eight-month media strategy designed to maximize the client’s budget and resources and reach a new audience of providers.
Solution
The campaign integrated digital, online, print, display, and social media elements to reach key audiences that were most likely to convert. The use of highly targeted media – such as electronic medical record (EMR) display ads that reached providers at a point of engagement when referring would be top of mind and media that targeted prescribers of specific medications – ensured that Menninger would get through to the right people.
In addition, the creative humanized a very complex and critical subject matter, building a messaging platform that also supported Menninger’s long-term growth and evolution goals.
The effort launched during Mental Health Awareness month to leverage the audience’s heightened interest in mental health issues and solutions.
Results
Almost immediately after launch, the campaign met or exceeded all performance goals. Over the duration of this 11- month campaign, our efforts generated:
Over 62,000 unique new users
Engaged over 197,000 targeted providers
Drove 191 direct primary conversions
The rapid and directly attributable results stand as proof that the campaign delivered a relevant message to the right audience.
Summary
Our work for Menninger illustrates the importance of understanding the messages that will best resonate with the target audience. It is a clear demonstration of the importance of getting the right message to the right people at the right time – when they are highly receptive and most likely to respond.
Icon Golf is a premier luxury golf and travel club that offers its members exclusive access to some of the world’s most prestigious courses and destinations. With a focus on camaraderie and unparalleled experiences, Icon Golf provides a white-glove touch that transcends traditional golf memberships. The organization prides itself on creating a community where members can enjoy the finest in golf, travel, and connect with like-minded individuals.
Despite its exceptional offerings, Icon Golf faced challenges in effectively communicating its unique value to potential members. The existing website needed an update that improved UX and better aligned with the luxury aesthetic the brand embodies. Additionally, the absence of a member portal created a segmented experience for both prospective and existing members. Icon Golf partnered with Schaefer to develop a comprehensive digital solution that would enhance membership sales and streamline internal operations.
Goals
Develop a clear positioning strategy
Improve web navigation, responsiveness, and intuitiveness
Update the design to align with the luxury and sophistication of the brand
Unify the member experience through a member portal
Streamline the conversion funnel by integrating CRM platforms and Hubspot
Approach
Schaefer designed a visually stunning website that instantly connects visitors with the brand’s lifestyle and identity. We began by formulating a clear positioning statement that emphasized Icon Golf’s unique selling proposition, highlighting the camaraderie and exclusive experiences offered. This foundational messaging was crafted to resonate with the target audience and integrated across all communications for a synergistic effect.
As the primary gateway for potential members, the site was developed with intuitive navigation and responsiveness across all devices, ensuring shorter paths to essential information and a better user experience. The dark color palette and sleek typography elevate the brand’s luxe feel, while high-quality imagery showcases the more intangible benefits of membership, like adventure and connection. Engaging visuals further focus on Icon Golf’s four key offerings, piquing curiosity and encouraging deeper exploration.
To unify the user experience, we equipped the website with a robust member portal platform. This enhancement allows for seamless interaction, improved communication, and personalized content for members.
On the backend, we improved internal operations by integrating the website with Icon Golf’s CRM system, HubSpot. This update streamlined the sales funnel, automated prospecting efforts, and improved internal efficiencies.
Results
The new website’s intuitive design and navigation led to longer visit durations and higher engagement rates, effectively communicating the brand’s value proposition to potential and current members.
66.9% increase in sessions
68.3% increase in engaged sessions
62.8% increase in new users
By integrating the website with HubSpot and the new member portal, we were able to streamline internal processes and reduce the time and cost spent on manual updates, allowing the Icon Golf team to focus on enhancing member experiences.
Christ Chapel Bible Church (CCBC) is one of Fort Worth’s largest communities, connecting members across four campuses, more than ten ministries, and an extensive list of programming and events throughout the week. Looking to strengthen its relationship with members and new visitors, CCBC wanted to update its website to manage its diverse set of offerings, improve usability and make it easier for everyone to find what they’re looking for and get involved.
Goals
Improve UX to ensure a clear and seamless browsing experience
Organize website architecture to be inviting and informative
Cultivate a sense of community among visitors and across campuses
Simplify content to keep visitors engaged and exploring
Streamline backend usability to empower staff to easily add and edit content that updates dynamically throughout the site
Planned Site Architecture
Approach
Schaefer architected a robust website with a strong emphasis on user experience that reflected the CCBC community and served as an open invitation to prospective members across DFW.
Recognizing that community-driven content is at the center of their ministry, we elevated important information like service times, events and popular weekly content. By simplifying the structure of the site, visitors can more easily navigate to the information they’re seeking in fewer clicks. We also integrated Rock RMS, a CMS system that allows for real-time updates to weekly events that populate in multiple places across the site, which was crucial for keeping the community informed with accurate and reliable information.
Content Wireframes
Beyond Sunday service, CCBC produces and publishes a library of content that speaks to members in every phase of life. From podcasts and videos to long-form articles, CCBC needed a way to simplify and streamline that process on the backend of the site. For existing content, we built a custom API to transfer approximately 550 videos from the legacy website to the church’s new content library. Equipped with an advanced filtering system, the API was able to organize content by subject during migration and allow visitors to find relevant content more quickly.
A smarter system was developed to auto-update content in multiple areas simultaneously, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all platforms. We also created standardized templates that improved team alignment between content contributors and backend developers to maintain clarity and uniformity across different types of content.
Results
Through strategic improvements to the digital experience, CCBC has enhanced its ability to serve its congregation, ensuring every visitor—whether online or in-person—receives a warm welcome and easy access to the resources and information they’re seeking.
The new website led to significant improvements in both traffic and user experience, indicating higher community engagement and reach.
23% increase in traffic
95% increase in engagement
The improved backend significantly reduced the time and effort required by CCBC staff to update content, giving staff more time to focus on ministry and less on administrative tasks. The website has also become a definitive ‘source of truth’ for all church-related information, benefiting all campuses and ministries by providing a single, reliable point of reference.
In the summer of 2023, the Fort Worth Zoo unveiled its highly anticipated Predators of Asia & Africa habitat, a stunning new home for lions, tigers and other apex predators. Partnering with the Zoo, we embarked on a mission to build excitement and drive attendance for this remarkable attraction in advance of the opening and throughout the following year.
Situation
Schaefer recommended a comprehensive campaign to promote the Fort Worth Zoo’s new exhibit, aiming to re-engage guests and boost summer attendance. The lions and tigers, which are visitor favorites, had been off-exhibit during construction, and it was crucial to highlight their return alongside the introduction of new species.
Our Approach
We began with a collaborative naming exercise, unifying the two distinct sections of the habitat under one name, Predators of Asia & Africa. This cohesive identity set the stage for our creative strategy. From there, our team developed bold visuals that captured the fierce essence of the animals. The campaign featured striking imagery of lions and tigers, with claw-mark graphics to grab attention and convey the powerful nature of the predators.
The “Feast Your Eyes” headline led the campaign, playing on both the predatory nature of the animals and newly enhanced visibility of the experience This was complemented by headlines such as “The Pride Has Returned” and “On the Prowl Again,” emphasizing the return of the big cats. Equal focus was given to lions and tigers based on years of visitor data showing their popularity. We highlighted these hero animals to capture attention and strategically showcased additional species to convey the habitat’s diversity and breadth. This approach used the hero animals to attract interest and the variety of animals to convince visitors to explore the new exhibit.
We generated excitement with teaser billboards that featured the claw marks and a “Coming Soon” message, quickly followed by the launch of an omnichannel campaign designed to captivate and engage. The Schaefer team employed a full-funnel media strategy, ensuring broad awareness and driving conversions through a mix of paid search, social media, programmatic display and video ads, email, and SMS texts. This comprehensive approach maximized our reach and engagement.
Results
Over one million landing page sessions, indicating high engagement and interest.
28% click-through rate on paid social, showcasing the effectiveness of our targeted ads.
42% year-over-year attendance growth, a testament to the campaign’s success in attracting visitors.
Our campaign for the Fort Worth Zoo’s Predators of Asia & Africa was a resounding success. By combining strategic creativity with a targeted media approach, we effectively highlighted the return of the Zoo’s beloved big cats and introduced new species, driving significant increases in attendance and revenue, and elevating the Zoo’s profile within the DFW metroplex and beyond. This project not only celebrated the Zoo’s commitment to conservation and education but also reinforced its position as a premier destination for family fun and learning.
Zoo Run 2024 marked the event’s 25th anniversary, and it was the perfect moment for a creative campaign to bring the excitement of this beloved event to life. The main goals included driving awareness and filling registration spots, with an underlying objective of surpassing the prior year’s results.
Engaging Audiences with Vibrant Creative and Strategic Media
Schaefer crafted an upbeat and eye-catching campaign with the headline “Zig-Zag Through the Zoo.” The creative design used playful, illustrated animals and neon yellow lines to add a sense of movement and energy. Even more, the creative highlighted the Zoo’s newly returned lions, which were a key feature of the race route. Our media strategy included a full-funnel approach to guide users from learning about the event to signing up. We engaged audiences through a mix of paid search, paid social, email, text messages, streaming video, OOH, and display ads—ensuring we reached them at every stage of their journey.
Record-Breaking Success: A Sell-Out Event and Impressive Growth
Zoo Run SOLD OUT for the first time in its 25-year history!
Registration quantity was 152% to goal, and revenue reached 141% of the goal.
Paid search traffic skyrocketed, driving 5x more clicks than the prior year, with an impressive 44% CTR—a 41% increase.
Social media engagement soared with 3.8 million impressions and more than 142K total post engagements.
Email strategy helped boost engagement with the highest click-through rates seen in years.
Turning a Tradition into a Historic Achievement
Schaefer’s creative vision and strategic approach helped make Zoo Run 2024 a resounding success, not only meeting but exceeding all expectations. By blending bold, fun visuals with highly targeted media, we helped make the 25th anniversary a celebration to remember—turning this beloved event into a sell-out success and solidifying it as one of Fort Worth’s favorite family traditions.
Within the eyecare industry, the idea of interventional glaucoma treatment has been categorized as an elusive myth for years. ViaLase developed a game-changing system designed to leverage two proven technologies to create a new, non-invasive approach to glaucoma. When this new system is approved by regulatory agencies, the myth will finally become a reality. Therefore, our client needed a campaign that would create attention and support a successful launch of the new concept.
Goals
Develop materials needed for a successful brand launch
Develop a highly visible campaign that would cut through the clutter of a crowded market
Rapidly generate brand awareness
Explain the fundamental technology behind the device
Solicit interest and inquiries from qualified leads
Provide meaningful measurements of the campaign results
Strategy
Schaefer Advertising responded with a showstopping, attention-grabbing campaign that used teaser imagery of a Sasquatch, or “BigFoot”, creature to convey that the “mythical creature” was finally here – and real. The sheer uniqueness of the concept was a huge and dramatic departure from the cold, clinical ads embraced by other players in the industry.
Solution
An integrated campaign was launched that included paid search, organic social, email, and digital display on well-known industry publications and websites. Each medium enabled the client to tell its story and document the response rates as viewers clicked through for downloads, demos and landing-page visits.
Results
By leveraging paid search and strategically-chosen publication placements (such as newsletters, e-blasts, ROS banners, and sponsored social posts), the campaign achieved noteworthy results within the first three months of launch.
Website tracking identified 98% new site visits, with an impressive 53% engagement rate
High clickthrough rates
And, most importantly, awareness started with a bang, with healthy responses from an elite and highly-qualified audience of eyecare and glaucoma specialists
Sessions
15,864
New Users
13,771
Pageviews
17,130
Engagement Rate
53.42%
Summary
The launch campaign accomplished its primary goal of driving brand awareness among surgeons for ViaLase and its innovative design. And, in addition to gaining insights into paid search performance, the client began to forge strategic partnerships with leading industry publications. The geographic spread and engagement metrics highlight the campaign’s effectiveness in reaching a qualified audience, setting a strong foundation for future marketing efforts.
Overall, the campaign was another example of Schaefer’s ability to combine solid knowledge of healthcare markets and attention-grabbing creativity to tell a cohesive and relevant brand story.
