Feeding the association that feeds Texas

Speaking to the New Membership

Like most professional associations, TRA realized that its next generation of potential members is young … and skeptical of the value of joining an association:

What could TRA do for me, really?

Answering this question formed the core of our strategy. A new TRA website would target the up-and-coming restaurant professionals who are already redefining their industry.

Unfortunately, for far too many agencies, “targeting millennials” means going heavy on visual razzle dazzle, light on substance.

Not us. We’ve been around too long to buy into that nonsense. Instead, we recognize that millennials are highly savvy Internet consumers—able to sniff out meaningless hype in an instant. So, while the visual design of the new website would be tasteful and attractive, it’s primary mission would be to make membership in the TRA a no-brainer.

Website #2: The Marketplace Conference

As we began architecting and designing the TRA website, we also began crafting another website: for their annual conference and expo, TRA Marketplace. Of course, the second website had its own unique strategy.

As the hub for everything related to this huge (and hugely important) event—the second largest restaurant show in the country—the TRA Marketplace site needed to both borrow from TRA’s new visual brand while also creating clear user pathways that turned visitors into registrants.

The result is spectacular: It feels like TRA but it’s clearly an event website all its own. The simplified architecture makes navigation a breeze, while the assortment of content types—e.g., social feeds, testimonials, benefit statements, etc.—manage to speak to TRA’s variety of users.

Both websites were developed atop the same Drupal CMS—an ideal content management solution for TRA staff, who are now empowered to manage both sites in one place. We built the sites modularly—i.e., staff create content once, which is then automatically published in multiple places around the sites.

This approach is saving TRA staff massive amounts of time. And as our partnership grows, we continue to support TRA’s mission with design and digital updates that react to the ever-shifting industry.

Getting the Message Right

There’s no better time to revisit your public messaging than when you’re redesigning your online presence. What good is a big, beautiful new website if it’s filled with the same, outdated, less-than-perfect content? So before we moved a single pixel on the Marketplace’s web design, we first collaborated closely with TRA to craft a comprehensive Messaging Platform.

This document—which includes a positioning statement, why-how-what analysis, benefit claim, audience summaries, example messaging, and much more—now serves as the basis for every message that TRA puts into the world about the Marketplace.

Without a smart Messaging Platform in place, an organization runs the (very real) risk of diluting their brand identity and operating in the dark—unable to say the right things in the right way at the right times.

A Rave Review!

We’re honored to partner with TRA. As one of the largest associations in Texas, their commitment to serving their members is second to none. Helping them influence the future of this enormous industry has been one of our mightiest challenges, and one we look forward to continuing for years to come.

And the Best in Class Award Goes To…

• Interactive Media Council