Schaefer Advertising Co.

Media

Bringing the conversation to light around depression and suicide so that no one suffers in darkness

In 2014, the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation was created on the principle of bringing the conversation to light around mental health, specifically depression and suicide, after the tragic loss of Jordan Elizabeth Harris. Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States with approximately 1.2 million suicide attempts every year. Yet the stigma around depression and suicide remains. In order to fight these harrowing statistics, Schaefer had the honor of partnering with the JEHF in 2022 to support and promote their second Light the Trail Ride.

Light the Trail Biking

The Ride: A 1,800 mile journey of hope

The Light the Trail Ride is a cross country biking excursion that is supported by riders and donors who wish to pledge their time and support to bring awareness and reduce the stigma of depression and suicide. It is the cornerstone effort of the JEHF and the ride strives to encourage supporters to share their stories and give others all over the country a safe place to speak about their experiences with mental health. Between the two rides in 2017 and 2022, The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation has raised significant funding and awareness around the gravity of this topic and been able to support continued research focused on treating depression, suicide prevention training, creating resources and facilitating education opportunities. 

Couple of cyclists for light the trail
L: Charlie Howlett, Deb Zinderler (Z2 Marketing) and Cory Zimmerman (Z2 Marketing)
R: Tom & Ellen Harris, Founders of the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation

Schaefer had the privilege of serving as the marketing partner of LTTR to promote their second ride in 2022. They came to us with a challenge in lack of awareness and support of the their efforts, and we were able to work together through strategic planning, digital asset development and collateral material creation to re-launch the Ride because it aligns with our values as an agency and we were able to share our expertise and skillset. In addition, Schaefer saw the opportunity to bring this crucial event to life in the eyes of more people through a documentary film and trailer. Available budget was an obstacle, however Schaefer was compelled to support this initiative and solicited a like minded partner out of Milwaukee, WI called Z2 Marketing who was willing to provide supporting video production services in exchange for involvement with this powerful initiative. Schaefer was able to donate the remainder of investment to continue bringing the Light the Trail mission to life. What followed was the production of a documentary that captures the riders along their journey in addition to their own personal, compelling stories. This video further advances the mission of Light the Trail and the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, and Schaefer’s goal through these collective efforts was to walk alongside this inspirational team to make their event a success and champion their cause.

Cycling Group light the trail

User experience and activation of the #Ride4 effort

Another key motivator around the effort is the promotion and honor of the #Ride4’s of each rider and the community at large. This is a unique way that the riders and the foundation overall can bring the stories forward of loved ones whos lives have been tragically taken as a result of suicide. Schaefer had a unique opportunity to strategize the best way to promote the submission of Ride4’s and prioritize their position on the website to encourage form fills and subsequent promotion of these empowering tributes on the LTT social media pages. 

Cycling Group light the trail

Schaefer implemented numerous functional and user experience updates to create a more seamless tool to promote and accept donations in advance of the ride, as well as encourage Ride4 submission and sponsorship form fill. In addition to these optimizations, Schaefer also streamlined the Foundation’s existing CRM to further encourage passionate individuals to get involved with the next Ride and the Foundation overall. 

Light the Trail Website mockup

Elevating the user experience and showcasing excellence

In addition to digital services, it was important to the client that Schaefer provide traditional marketing services that properly married the digital presence with the real life iteration of the brand and its mission. The Schaefer Account Service and Creative team worked closely alongside the Foundation’s team to ensure a delivery of marketing support materials that communicated the very real impact that mental health has on people and manifested this in printed one pager material, bike shop promotional flyers, and a rebuild of the LTT primary logo for 2022 that would support ongoing efforts for the team internally as they navigated the route in real time.

Light the trail mobile campaign

Overall, the sentiment behind this impactful project is the direct alignment with Schaefer’s mission and ultimate goal to Make Life Better. It’s at the core of what we do and a foundational piece of how we interact with and serve our clients, our partners, and our colleagues inside and outside of work. The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation and the Light the Trail initiative are a real life embodiment of this mission and we’re proud to call them partners in work that truly matters, and to have played a small part in making this event a success.

Light the Trail map

Get involved or share your story

Whether you participate in a future Light the Trail Ride, make a donation, or share a story, you are helping bring the conversation around mental illness and suicide awareness to light and bringing us one step closer to living in a world where suicide is never the choice.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, help is available. Please dial 988 for support via the suicide prevention hotline.

Crafting a distinctive brand and web presence for Bennett Partners

At Schaefer, we embarked on a meaningful partnership with Bennett Partners, an esteemed architecture, interiors, and planning firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by their unwavering dedication to responsible preservation and urban design, Bennett Partners strives to create sustainable spaces that enhance and sustain communities. What began as an initiative to enhance their website and showcase their award-winning work evolved into a comprehensive brand refresh, a testament to our shared commitment.

Bennet Partners logo

Navigating transitions and embracing a thoughtful ethos

Recognizing Bennett Partners’ esteemed reputation and shared mission to improve lives within the Fort Worth community, we embarked on a collaborative journey with their team of award-winning designers. This partnership provided a unique opportunity to collaborate with like-minded creatives who valued a strategic approach. Following the departure of a former partner, our goal was to develop a new brand identity that authentically reflected Bennett Partners’ thoughtful ethos, starting with a strategic renaming process.

Bennett Partners logo

Our recommendation was to preserve the equity of the original name, Bennett Benner Partners, by preserving the namesake Bennett as a prominent element. Thus, the name Bennett Partners was chosen, capturing the essence of a collective of passionate partners united by their mission and dedication to thoughtful design.

Benner Partners mobile

From typography to tone: crafting an approachable identity

We meticulously crafted a comprehensive system of logos and a versatile color palette, offering both flexibility and consistency. Our brand design centered around sophistication, simplicity, and purpose, harmonizing seamlessly with Bennett Partners’ core values. The logo showcases a modern, customized typeface that enhances the letterforms, set in lowercase to reflect the brand’s friendly and approachable nature. The secondary logo variation was refined to include “architecture, interiors, planning,” providing clarity about the services offered. Our expanded color palette embraces softer, thoughtful, and intricate color variations, featuring shades of blue and orange that distinguish Bennett Partners within the industry. These colors effortlessly integrate into diverse project plans and graphics. Additionally, we established a comprehensive brand toolkit, empowering Bennett Partners to effectively convey their unique identity.

website before and after

Elevating the user experience and showcasing excellence

Following the brand refresh, Bennett Partners sought a website redesign that would seamlessly showcase their exceptional work, engage users, and mirror their commitment to responsible architecture and community impact. Frustrated by their previous website’s inability to communicate their core values and meet their business needs, the objective of the new website was clear: effectively communicate their mission, prioritize their team members, and empower them to effortlessly showcase new projects. The final website encompasses key elements such as a visually striking portfolio, improved organization and categorization, seamless content management, responsive design, and personalized employee pages. Our team at Schaefer delivered a fully customized website with a clean and flexible modular system, enhancing navigation and user interaction to improve their online presence and reinforce their position as an industry leader.

Bennett Partners web images

Results

The partnership between Schaefer and Bennett Partners led to a successful transformation of their brand and website, capturing their expertise and unwavering commitment to responsible architecture. Through the reimagined brand identity, Bennett Partners’ captivating story resonates, attracting new business opportunities within their region. By collaborating closely with our team, Bennett Partners achieved a brand and website presence that authentically reflects their excellence in architecture and design, solidifying their position as a leading firm within the industry.

Amplifying Perot Jain’s impact with the perfect balance of strategy, design, and technology

Perot Jain, a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage capital funding, is intentional about investing in innovative companies that are developing disruptive, best-in-class solutions. Founded by the collaboration of Ross Perot, Jr. and Anurag Jain, Perot Jain focuses on funding leading-edge companies in the mobility innovation, healthcare, and real estate sectors. With a long history of entrepreneurial success and a strong infrastructure in place, Perot Jain sought to convey their unique approach to venture capital. Unlike other firms, their investment support goes beyond capital and extends to mentorship, access, and alliances within the Perot and Jain family of companies, including Access Healthcare, Hillwood, and the Mobility Innovation Zone. It became evident they needed to enhance their brand identity, create a distinct positioning, and develop a new website that would effectively communicate their unique value proposition.

Through their relationship with Hillwood and the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, Perot Jain had already established a rapport with Schaefer, leading them to choose the agency for this significant brand transformation initiative. With a shared vision, Perot Jain and Schaefer embarked on a journey to redefine the venture capital firm’s brand strategy, positioning, and visual identity, ultimately showcasing their commitment to investing in and mentoring disruptive companies that have the potential to shape the future.

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From mission to position: uncovering Perot Jain’s unique differentiators

Schaefer initiated a full brand strategy initiative, delving into Perot Jain’s organizational mission and identifying their unique positioning compared to other VC firms. Collaboratively, the team identified the key values and advantages that set Perot Jain apart: collaboration, authenticity, a straightforward approach, leadership, entrepreneurial success, strong infrastructure, and partnerships/alliances. This thorough understanding formed the basis for a strategy that would effectively communicate Perot Jain’s strengths and resonate with their target audience. The strategy aimed to convey success stories and the current portfolio, positioning Perot Jain as an organization focused on investing in innovative companies aligned with their parent organizations’ business goals.

Building on the strategic foundation, Schaefer developed a brand archetype recommendation, selecting the Hero archetype. This choice aligned with Perot Jain’s commitment to investing in and mentoring innovative companies that aim to improve their industries and the world. This archetype dovetailed seamlessly into the positioning recommendation, Transformational, and a powerful positioning statement that highlighted the art and science of experienced entrepreneurialism, emphasizing Perot Jain’s role in driving transformative change.

Uniting Perot Jain’s positioning with a captivating brand identity and website

To visually represent the brand, Schaefer designed a logo and brand identity that perfectly balanced the Perot and Jain family names. The logo mark, a harmonious integration of ‘P’ and ‘J,’ symbolized the partnership between Perot Jain and the companies they support. The customized letterforms, with their subtly rounded edges, reinforced the logo mark and evoked a sense of balance and synergy. The animated version of the logo added dynamism and represented movement within the brand. 

Perot Jain logos

With the positioning and brand identity as a solid foundation, the website was crafted to build the brand’s presence online. The website’s information architecture (IA) was thoughtfully developed to feature Perot Jain’s portfolio of companies, leveraging the legacy of Perot and Jain ventures and driving a holistic conversation. The modular page structure empowered Perot Jain to easily expand and update content, ensuring long-term scalability and independence. The comprehensive portfolio system showcased Perot Jain’s wide-ranging investments, offering a clear demonstration of their expertise. The visually captivating website, with its compelling imagery, videos, and clean typography, wowed potential clients and instilled trust and credibility. The website’s design, catering to both desktop and mobile experiences seamlessly, ultimately provided a modern and future-ready platform.

Investing that Transforms - Perot Jain

Results: driving success and solidifying market presence

The results of this brand transformation were significant. Perot Jain’s new brand identity positioned them as a global competitor, attracting potential customers and garnering increased visibility among relevant venture capital partners. Perot Jain now has a solid foundation for all future communications, driving continued success in attracting high-quality deals and fostering partnerships that align with their growth goals. In essence, Schaefer’s partnership with Perot Jain exemplifies the transformative power of strategic brand positioning and creative excellence. By combining insights, innovative design, and a client-centric approach, Schaefer has enabled Perot Jain to elevate their brand to new heights, solidifying their position as a trailblazing force within the venture capital landscape.

Perot Jain on cell phone

For the TearCare® System, a crucial step in promoting their solution was to become an advocate for change.

Situation

At first glance, dry eye disease (DED) sounds like a mere inconvenience. However, left untreated, this chronic, progressive condition can impact the vision, surgical outcomes and quality of life of millions of patients. Even though meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the most prevalent form of dry eye, in-office procedures to address it are relatively new — and none are reimbursed by insurers. As a result, only patients who can cover the out-of-pocket expense receive treatment.

The TearCare® System is designed to address MGD by evacuating obstructed glands using therapeutic heat and natural blink responses. However, to gain wider adoption, fair reimbursement was needed. The company sought to change reimbursement policies and broaden access to care by raising awareness of the situation. TearCare® tapped Schaefer to lead this effort.

Tearcare magazine ad and staff holding signs

Goals

  • Reiterate the threats associated with MGD
  • Raise broad, industry-wide awareness of current compensation and reimbursement limitations
  • Reach an array of stakeholders with a message of “Fair Access”
  • Rally the market to support reimbursement and accessibility for the benefit of patients, practices and payors
  • Increase awareness of the TearCare® System
Tearcare magazine ad and staff holding megaphones

Strategy

The client was ready to promote the need for change and had allocated resources to do it. However, to truly influence the market, the brand also needed to demonstrate the growing support of this movement from eye care professionals (ECPs), patients, employers and other key constituents.

Solution

To convey this message, Schaefer created a campaign that captured the feel of a public protest or political rally. In each execution, a real ECP, patient or eye care industry figure appeared with a sign that read “MGD Care Is Not Fair For All.”

Using precise targeting, Schaefer reached optometrists, administrators, payors and other audiences with a “protester/spokesperson” relevant to them. Using faces and names that are known throughout the industry helped build momentum over time, and, ultimately, drove awareness over the top. 

Tearcare ads

Results

By cutting through the clutter of standard medical device advertising, the campaign achieved a high degree of visibility and effectiveness. Within the first few months, the brand realized noticeable results, including:

  • 31K new users to the mytearcare.com site
  • 228 new requests for information on the TearCare® System from qualified users

More importantly, the industry is becoming aware of the need to recognize MGD as a reimbursable procedure — which is a crucial first step to change.

Summary

In this campaign, we effectively humanized a client’s treatment. Rather than promoting features and benefits of a specific solution, we showed the basic need for access to care — and the simple lack of fairness of not covering a widespread condition. We made the cause personal by featuring people our audiences knew — and who unquestionably held the best interests of patients and ECPs as a top priority.

How we helped NCODA translate membership benefits into an actionable message —
and surpass goals by 3X.

trade show

Situation

NCODA is an organization that provides resources, events and educational opportunities that enable oncologists, oncology pharmacists, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare students to connect and collaborate for optimal cancer patient outcomes. However, low awareness was keeping the organization from realizing its full potential as an information hub for HCPs seeking unbiased information on innovative oral and IV cancer treatments, as well as career-building tips to keep them engaged in this vital specialty.

Initially, Schaefer Advertising was enlisted to help drive awareness of the organization and its full suite of benefits. As the campaign progressed, internal business priorities shifted from awareness to membership growth. Schaefer partnered with NCODA to determine how to best adapt the current in-market campaign to aligning with the goal of growing the organization’s base through new member sign ups.

doctors

Goals

  • Expand awareness of the organization, its mission and its extensive array of
    member benefits
  • Distill an extensive and complex array of member benefits into a succinct,
    motivating message
  • Adapt to changing priorities by shifting the campaign focus from brand awareness
    to new memberships
  • Drive new memberships through paid media

Strategy

To drive awareness, Schaefer initially developed a strategy that helped humanize the organization by speaking directly to the membership about the difference that interaction and collaboration can make. The aim was to communicate that by joining NCODA, you’re collaborating and connecting with the best minds in the industry – and helping further advances in cancer care. The message was delivered through an omni-channel campaign — a first for the client.

name tags

Solution

Schaefer delivered a campaign and helped control creative costs by photographing actual NCODA members who were attending a scheduled conference. By using actual members, we were able to communicate in a realistic and convincing manner how NCODA helped members benefit by staying connected and tuned in to the latest developments in oncology.

When the business priorities changed the focus of the campaign from awareness to membership enrollment, our media efforts easily adapted to the new direction; it was a matter of moving an already interested audience toward signing up. The Schaefer team responded with speed and agility, making seamless changes to the existing digital assets. We then quickly set a tangible new member goal using estimates based on our experience with average costs per acquisition (CPA).

The revised media strategy was launched — and quickly surpassed expectations.

doctors

Results

All clients have finite resources. For NCODA, the limitations of total media dollars were more pronounced than usual. This challenge was something Schaefer was ready and able to overcome. As a result, building a symbiotic creative and media strategy was key to expanding the brand’s awareness and significantly exceed membership goals in record time.

  • Exceeded paid media membership projections by 3X
  • Surpassed assisted conversion goal
  • Attracted new users to the NCODA website through paid media
  • 74% of all member enrollment page views were generated from paid media

Summary

Schaefer met the initial task of distilling a very robust array of benefits into an easy-to-digest creative and media strategy. But when the strategy shifted to membership, we illustrated our ability to provide significant real bottom-line value. Our agility and flexibility enabled us to quickly re-tool our approach, then develop a media strategy that exceeded all projections. Working within a limited budget, the agency was able to leverage the client’s marketing dollars as effectively as possible. In the end, we clearly illustrated the type of ROI that could be generated by a smart, results-oriented campaign.

May 16, 2023

Texas’ best weekend

Texas' Best Experience Advertising

The Charles Schwab Challenge is one of the longest-running PGA TOUR invitational tournaments. The highly-anticipated event brings together top golfers from around the world to compete at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The historic course and club has hosted the event every Memorial Day Weekend since 1946, making the Charles Schwab Challenge one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR year after year.

cell phone with ad

Rising to the challenge

Coming off a global pandemic, 2022 was a year of transition for the Charles Schwab Challenge. People were still embracing intimate gatherings and with the tournament being played without fans one year and with limited attendance the next, the tradition of attending the Charles Schwab Challenge wasn’t top of mind for many fans. Additionally, 2022 ushered in a new pricing model for the tournament and increased revenue goals that required a shifted approach to marketing from awareness-based to conversion-focused.

Charlees Schwab Challenge Pole Banner Ad

An integrated campaign that drives conversion

Before partnering with Schaefer, the tournament utilized more traditional mediums to promote the event to a general North Texas audience. But as we prepared for the 2022 tournament, Schaefer recommended a more granular approach to targeting individual ticket buyers by splitting the audience to focus on two primary markets — avid golfers and social attendees. The goal was to create a more integrated campaign that not only got people excited about the tournament, but spoke directly to each audience’s particular area of interest wherever and whenever their needs arise. By leveraging a more individualized approach to messaging and targeting across tactics such as paid search, retargeting, geofencing, and paid social, we were able to capitalize on the buying period leading up to the event and increase opportunities for conversion.

Email marketing for charles schwab challenge

Creative that can adapt to audience needs

If we had to achieve one thing to make this campaign successful, it was adaptability. A robust media strategy meant the creative needed to scale across a wide variety of mediums, from high-level awareness spaces like streaming TV to high-intent micro moments in the customer journey. That meant keeping design elements functional. So we opted for an abstract reference to course topography. The organic shapes allowed us to create compelling composites that featured the most important textures of the experience — environment, competition, and up-close views of the PGA TOUR’s best players. 

Since we were targeting two audience sets, it was important that the messaging be specific yet modular. The line, Texas’ Best, extended across both target audiences while communicating the notoriety and pride North Texans have for the Colonial tournament. It also worked well with new player announcements. 

Collage of Charles Schwab Challenge Advertising

The tournament field greatly impacts ticket sales. Top-ranked players and fan favorites draw big crowds, but player commitments can finalize weeks and sometimes days before the tournament. To improve performance, we build every concept to accommodate on-demand optimizations and leveraged that flexibility to announce new player commitments, some finalizing in the eleventh hour of the campaign. In the final weeks leading up to the event, we saw a big uptick in action, selling 80% of tickets in the last 30 days.

Results

Moving the tournament from more traditional mediums to a digital-first, multi-audience campaign allowed us to reach people at every touch point – connecting the dots across channels to guide consumers from I-want-to-go to I-want-to-buy. Overall, our campaign strategy outperformed industry paid media standards in Sports and Recreation to produce nearly 14K  in daily ticket sales and $1.2M in revenue. 

Charles Schwab Classic tickets banners

A few top channel results include:

  • Paid Search: 16% CTR, 31% CVR and $3.72 cost-per-conversion
    Industry Average: 8.8% CTR, 5.9% CVR and $31.50 cost-per-conversion
  • Email: 39% open rate out of 575K+ emails delivered to a qualified audience
    Industry Average: 20.5% open rate
  • Display: 0.11% CTR on location-relevant geofencing campaign
    Industry Average: 0.08% CTR

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

Situation

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

moncrief billboard

Goals

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

Strategy

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

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

Moncrief case study social spanish

Solution

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

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

Moncrief Cancer Institute Website Layout

Results

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

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

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

Moncrief case study social

Summary

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

Lead Generation 101

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

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

Goals

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

Textbook targeted messaging

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

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

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

Helping universities help students

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

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

Results

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

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

Performance Snapshot

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

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

October 22, 2022

What lies beneath

An Unbranded Campaign to Educate ECPs on the Benefits of Early Surgical Intervention for Glaucoma

Surgical treatment for glaucoma has dramatically changed in recent years. For decades, eye care providers (ECPs) have known the only way to manage glaucoma is to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP). They also know that many patients struggle with compliance, adherence and the long-term side effects associated with drop therapy. Along with educating ECPs on safer, less invasive sight-preserving surgery, OMNI® needed ECPs to consider patients for surgical intervention earlier than ever before — especially as a stand-alone (outside cataract surgery) procedure. But asking them to make that leap is less effective coming from a brand than a resource. Doctors trust research and clinical studies, so the best approach is sometimes unbranded.

Omni Magazine

Goals

  • Educate ECPs on the benefits of MIGS
  • Advocate for earlier intervention for pseudophakic eyes
  • Highlight the benefit of a stand-alone procedure like the  OMNI® Surgical System

Role

  • Campaign Concept
  • Messaging
  • Illustration 
  • Event Activation

Omni Top Down Illustration
Omni Illustrations

Increasing Referrals Through Provider Education

Unbranded campaigns have many benefits. They raise awareness, provide independent education on disease states and treatment options, drive patients to providers and help providers better identify patients. 

Omni Chalk Drawing

For OMNI®, the goal was two-fold. Educate providers on the dramatic benefits of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) as a stand-alone procedure and pull demand from the optometric referral channel earlier. In lockstep with a branded campaign for the OMNI® Surgical System, the two campaigns worked together, growing market share among surgeons and shifting the point of surgical intervention to be earlier for patients with mild to moderate glaucoma patients. 

What Lurks Beneath the Surface 

Glaucoma has been dubbed the “silent thief of sight.” During the early stages of the disease, symptoms often go unnoticed. But the damage caused to eyesight as glaucoma progresses is irreversible, causing permanent vision loss and even blindness. While there is no cure, the best way to manage glaucoma is to consistently and proactively lower pressure within the eye (IOP).

To illustrate the often undetectable signs of glaucoma, we asked ECPs to consider what danger lurks beneath the ocular surface –  representing the disease with a legendary sea creature who is phantom as much as monster. The Kraken lurking beneath an unsuspecting kayaker on the surface mirrors the progression of glaucoma – just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. 

The introduction of MIGS to a critical optometric referral market as an alternative to first-line drops, combined with a branded approach extolling the benefits of the OMNI® Surgical System as a stand-alone intervention,  gives ECPs more impetus to treat their patients with a reliable surgical option that may lower IOP safely and sustainably with minimal recovery time. Better still, is the ability to proactively manage the disease and preserve as much of a patient’s sight as possible. 

Omni Chalk Drawing

Diving Deeper

By reinforcing the benefits of early intervention with vibrant visual language and messaging that encourages open dialogue, they were more likely to research, ask their peers and consider MIGS and products like the OMNI® Surgical System when treating a patient with mild to moderate glaucoma. 

To make a true impact in the industry, we developed and deployed a full omnichannel engagement strategy, leveraging paid, personal/non-personal promotion and earned channels. We brought the conversation where our audience was most likely to seek education – online, on social and among their peers at events such as the American Academy of Optometry. Leveraging each interaction as an opportunity to dive deeper into the research and generate leads.

Omni Chalk Drawing

Results

  • Engaged 50% of the optometric referral market, within 90 days (14,000 engaged users)
  • Generated significant word-of-mouth equity at key trade shows
  • Created demand for branded efforts to fulfill
  • Contributed to the overall brand strategy that moved OMNI from start-up to top-2 devices in 18 months

For too long, medicine has focused on the symptoms of an illness rather than the person experiencing them. Since 1970, the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) has been hard at work, pursuing new and innovative ways to approach the full spectrum of health. And while HSC is one of the nation’s premier graduate medical schools and research centers, the community it serves was still in the dark about all the ground-breaking work they were doing to secure a healthier future for everyone in North Texas. 

HSC needed a campaign to not only strengthen its brand but promote whole health and build a relationship with the community they serve.

Goals

  • Raise awareness
  • Increase brand equity
  • Define what HSC is and does
UNTHSC Campaign Billboard

Owning whole health

As HSC expands its clinical focus to the community, Schaefer helped express its distinctive approach to medicine – shifting the conversation about health in our community from isolated and reactive to whole and inclusive. Complete with proactive ideas, treatments and solutions that have the potential to radically improve people’s lives and the future of medicine as a whole.

UNTHSC Campaign Billboards

As an institute of higher education, HSC fosters an environment that empowers innovative ideas and research, expanding the meaning of care from patient to lifestyle and community. So we reframed the brand around their commitment to improving total health – not just health care – and positioned HSC as a model and leader in the whole health initiative. 

HSC boldly and bravely pursues all paths to health.

UNTHSC Campaign Advertising

An approach to care that connects

HSC’s identity was long tied to its name rather than its impact. In rethinking the brand, we uncovered how their approach to medicine literally connects health to everyday experiences and provides new opportunities for innovation. So we introduced people to a bigger picture of health – one that considered jobs, nutrition, access to public transportation and other influences beyond symptoms that affect a community’s health.

UNTHSC Campaign Signage on Campus

Results

The initial campaign launch covered the city of Fort Worth, securing the HSC brand firmly in local conversation. Between June and August of 2021, we were able to establish HSC’s distinct position and instill a sense of pride and community around whole health.

  • 116,736,316 Impressions  for Traditional + Digital
  • 84,667 Clicks
  • 46,539 New Users to Website
Schaefer Advertising Co. | Ft. Worth, Texas
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