Bruster’s PR Case Study

Bruster's Wins Media Attention Year-Round

Local and national PR kept everyone talking about Bruster’s, no matter the weather. 

  • 267M+

    Earned impressions

At a Glance

Client
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
Engagement
PR
Duration
1 Year
Focus
National Ice Cream Month & Non-Dairy Launch

Overview

We kept Bruster’s top-of-mind for ice cream lovers throughout the year.

Combined local and national media relations approach helped Bruster’s Real Ice Cream stand out in a crowded market.  

The campaign focused on increasing visibility in important regional markets while also building awareness around the brand’s national franchise footprint, new product innovation, and broader business updates.

The Proof

A hometown feel and regular media touchpoints throughout the year earned more media stories for Bruster’s Real Ice Cream.

  • 155

    Media mentions

  • 17

    Earned stories for non-dairy line

  • 18

    Earned stories for national ice cream month

The Goal

Increase Bruster’s visibility in key local markets, reinforce its small-town identity despite national franchise growth, and promote new offerings and business updates on a national scale. 

The Challenge

Bruster’s was competing in a market saturated with new ice cream competitors. The team needed to accelerate local mentions, communicate that the brand remained a small-town shop, and balance that message with its status as a nationally recognized franchise. 

The Solution

We implemented a media relations strategy centered on local market coverage, emphasizing that each franchise is independently owned and operated.

Three people holding cups of Bruster's Ice Cream
A person holding a cup of Bruster's Ice Cream with a red spoon

The team activated trade and national media opportunities around Bruster’s non-dairy dessert line, business updates, and a major July push tied to National Ice Cream Month to keep momentum throughout the year.

Edgar Snyder GSTV Case Study

Fueling Trust & Leads with a Smarter Media Mix  

Holdout test proves GSTV reached auto accident victims at the pump.

  • 106%

    Increase in lead volume in target markets

At a Glance

Client
Edgar Snyder & Associates
Engagement
OOH, Display
Format
15-second video ads at gas pumps
Focus
Improve reach to target market

Overview

GSTV helped get them in front of their audience ― frequent drivers ― in their daily lives ― at the gas pump.

As larger, national competitors with big advertising budgets saturated the market across the same traditional media, regional Edgar Snyder & Associates were losing ground.

The Goal

Reach target audience of frequent drivers more directly to drive up leads. 

  • Leads

    With national competition, fewer leads were coming in for motor vehicle accident representation.

  • Targeting

    With third-party cookie deprecation and persistent ad fraud, we needed a new way to reach the right people. 

The Challenge

Competition, ad fraud and cookie deprecation were making it more difficult to reach Edgar Snyder & Associates’ target audience in a cost-effective manner. Traditional media was getting more expensive, impacting their ability to maintain their spot as top choice for motor vehicle accident representation.  

The Solution

Brunner saw an opportunity to do more than just shift spend: it launched a real-world experiment. The team implemented a geo-targeted holdout test across 24 similar markets. In 12 of them, Brunner ran the client’s usual evergreen media plan. But in the other 12, a new media plan was deployed that heavily leveraged GSTV — a media platform that directly reaches people at the pump.

15-second video ads were delivered at gas pumps during fueling, using compelling client testimonials to drive engagement. This high-impact, no-waste environment ensured the law firm’s message was seen exclusively by drivers.  

The Proof

Lead volume substantially increased in the markets that ran the GSTV creative. Meanwhile, in the non-GSTV markets, lead volume actually dropped 12% over the same period. The lift was compelling enough to make GSTV a permanent fixture in the law firm’s media strategy, helping them stay visible, competitive, and connected to the clients they serve right where it counts.

Wesbanco Content Strategy Case Study

Audience-Based Content Strategy Reached New Customers

Audience research, grounded in real life experiences, shaped banking content that mattered to people.

  • 3

    new target audience segmentations

At a Glance

Client
WesBanco
Engagement
Research, Content Strategy
Audiences
Gen Z & Millenials
Focus
Reaching younger adults at the moments that matter most

Overview

We studied Gen Z and millennial banking behavior, identified the life stages and events that mattered most, and used search behavior to set content priorities.

WesBanco wanted a smarter way to speak to people entering new stages of adulthood and making high-stakes money moves. We built the content strategy around real research, not assumptions. 
 
That connected view shaped communications planning, targeting, channel choices, flighting, sequencing, and brand messaging.  

The work gave WesBanco a practical system for showing up when its audience needed financial guidance most with content rooted in the truth of what people were already looking for. 

The Proof

The content and brand marketing framework informed communications planning, targeting recommendations, and channel recommendations. It also identified three target audience segmentations based on research and opportunity, a life event content production calendar for the year, and videos, social posts, blog posts, and landing pages. 

  • 1

    Year lift event content calendar

  • 38

    Content topics developed

The Goal

WesBanco wanted to prioritize its marketing around people in early adulthood who needed guidance for major life events, while building a clearer content and brand strategy for the bank. They needed a platform they could build from that would support their goals and their customers’ goals over time.

The Challenge

The bank’s customer base was getting older and they wanted to expand and stay relevant. Gen Z and Millennial audiences had different life experiences and banking needs than the bank’s existing Gen X and Baby Boomer customers.

WesBanco needed to understand which life moments to prioritize, how they may differ for these new generations, and how to turn that into a content plan informed by search behavior and business priorities. 

  • New Audience

    WesBanco wanted to expand to a younger audience, but they needed to know what mattered to them first. 

  • Endurance

    The content needed to be relevant and evergreen ― not a flash in the pan, but something that would drive continued growth. 

The Solution

  1. Third-party Research

    Conducted third-party research on Gen Z and millennials in banking to understand what their goals and pain points were, and what banking features they looked for.

  2. Life Stages

    Defined and ranked the life stages and events most relevant to these audiences and where and how they overlapped with WesBanco products and business priorities.  

  3. Search Behavior

    Used online search behavior to shape content priorities and inform campaign messaging, channel selection, flighting, sequencing, and planning.  

  4. Audience Segmentations

    Developed a structured set of audience segmentations and a yearlong content calendar the team could build from, which included the initial 38 content topics brought to life across multiple formats.

WesBanco Paid Social Case Study

Wesbanco’s Gen Z TikTok Content Test

Audience-First financial literacy content for TikTok engaged a new generation for a 150-year-old regional bank. 

  • 5.6M+

    impressions

  • 13K

    website clicks

At a Glance

Client
WesBanco
Engagement
Paid Social
Platform
TikTok
Duration
4 Months
Focus
Engage Gen Z with Financial Literacy

Overview

WesBanco needed a new kind of social content and a new platform.

Gen Z wanted to build their financial literacy through guidance from trusted experts.

TikTok was untested by the brand, but it was where their audience was getting answers – they needed to be present. 

The team researched topics and produced the content in our in-house studio, launch a successful four-month media test buy on TikTok. 

The Goal

Increase brand awareness among Gen Z consumers by creating educational content that would help them learn, manage, and stay disciplined on their financial journey. 

A grid of checks that are on top of cards with an envelope under the cards

The Challenge

WesBanco needed a new way to reach Gen Z consumers. TikTok was a new, untested channel for the brand, and they needed to know it was effective and the right fit.

The content created needed to resonate with Gen Z while being relevant, educational, and aligned with the bank’s goals.

The Solution

Videos no one wants have no staying power. We needed to capture the attention of a new audience, and that meant understanding what mattered to them. We researched online search behavior, SEO keywords, and banking trends to identify the financial content topics Gen Z wanted to hear about and aligned these with WesBanco’s priorities to produce the educational content in our in-house studio.

The Proof

The campaign worked because it was grounded in data. After delivering so strongly, TikTok was added as a consistent channel in WesBanco’s ongoing marketing plan. 

5.6M+
impressions
13K
website clicks

Goodwill of North Georgia Website

A Website Goodwill of North Georgia Could Count On

Goodwill of North Georgia had website traffic. What it needed was a design that activated that traffic for their mission. 

  • +32%

    YoY growth in CTA engagement

  • +48%

    YoY growth in find a location

  • +13%

    YoY growth in job searches

At a Glance

Client
Goodwill of North Georgia
Engagement
UX & Web Design, We Development
Project
Website Redesign and CMS Modernization 
Focus
Improve backend functionality and frontend performance

Overview

The new site did more for visitors and asked less of the team keeping it running.

Goodwill of North Georgia had a website that brought traffic, but not enough value. For a nonprofit, that gap has a real cost: time, people, and budget pulled away from the mission. 
 
Brunner took a holistic view and rebuilt the experience from the ground up, not just the surface.

The Goal

Give Goodwill of North Georgia a website that does more than attract visitors, one that was easier to manage, more useful to the people it served, and more aligned with the organization’s mission. 

  • Visitor Experience

    Make the site more useful to the people visiting it, whether they were looking for a location, a job, or a way to donate. 

  • Team Empowerment

    Give the GNG team the ability to manage and update the site without relying on developers or outside support. 

The Challenge

The site was bringing in traffic, but it wasn’t creating the value visitors needed. At the same time, the effort required to maintain it was pulling time and resources away from Goodwill of North Georgia’s core work. 

The Solution

Brunner took a holistic view of the website and built a better operating system around it. We refreshed the design, improved the content management system, and gave GNG the ability to update the site without developers or outside support. We also automated key content areas, including real-time event content, so the team could spend less time on upkeep and more on serving the mission. 

An opened laptop in a Goodwill of North Georgia store. Laptop has Goodwill of North Georgia website in the browser.

The Proof

The new website produced clear year-over-year gains in site engagement. It was a sharper experience for visitors and a simpler one for the GNG team to manage.

Goodwill of North Georgia homepage with "Employing People, Improving Lives" mission banner
Goodwill of North Georgia Our Mission and Technology Careers Program pages
Goodwill of North Georgia Career Centers page with training, job seeker, and facility services sections
Goodwill of North Georgia donation guidelines page and success stories/donation pages

ZEP Case Study

ZEP Wins Consumer Attention

Leveraging microinfluencers to reintroduce a professional cleaning brand to consumer audiences through real-life settings.

  • 10.8M

    impressions

  • 716K

    video views

  • 46K

    engagements

At a Glance

Client
Zep
Engagement
Influencer & Paid Social Boost
Focus
Introducing B2B product to B2C audience

Overview

Brunner put pros to the test to showcase ZEP’s product portfolio and efficacy across a range of use cases.

ZEP had spent more than 80 years building a reputation among professional cleaners, but consumer awareness of the brand was nearly nonexistent.  

We used microinfluencers across categories such as landscaping, home remodeling, hosting, and cooking to demonstrate product performance in authentic, everyday scenarios to build consumer awareness and consideration.

The Goal

Shift ZEP from a B2B-centric brand into a consumer-facing brand and build awareness and consideration among new consumer segments. 

The Challenge

ZEP products were well known and trusted in professional cleaning circles but had almost no awareness in the consumer market.

A close-up of a sparkling clean oven rack with the Zep logo and the text "NEXT LEVEL CLEAN".

The brand needed to redefine itself for a broader audience while maintaining credibility and proving product effectiveness in a way that felt authentic and relevant.

The Solution

We put pros to the test. Lifestyle and professional creators in landscaping, home remodeling, AirBnB hosting and cooking demonstrated ZEP products in real-life scenarios to highlight their performance and unique formulations. 369 brand assets were created to support awareness and consideration.

  • 369

    brand assets created to support awareness and consideration

The published content was then amplified through paid media to increase reach and visibility.

The Proof

The campaign delivered 10.8 million impressions, 716,000 video views, and 46,000 engagements. These results indicate strong awareness-building performance and meaningful interaction with ZEP’s new consumer-focused messaging. 

Church’s Jortz90 Wanted the smoke

jortz90 Wanted the Smoke

A Church’s Texas Chicken superfan turned troll and a limited-time-offer redemption arc. 

  • 18%

    TikTok engagement rate

  • 100%

    Conversion of long-term brand detractor to super fan

At a Glance

Client
Church’s Texas Chicken
Engagement
Influencer, Social Media, Video Production
Focus
Turn a detractor into a super fan

Overview

Most agencies see a troll; we saw a Superfan with a redemption arc waiting to happen.  

We don’t just manage feeds; we fuel them ― We don’t just “monitor” social; we live in it. That’s how we found jortz90. 

This wasn’t a “standard” campaign. This was a social sprint fueled by pure grit and creative adrenaline. At the finish was a campaign rooted in community that ignited a movement.

Recognition

Atlanta Ad Club American Advertising Awards, 2026

Gold Addy Social Media (Single Execution)

Atlanta Ad Club American Advertising Awards, 2026

Silver Addy Social Media Campaign

The Goal

Engage the community and drive excitement for the rollout of the LTO Smokehouse Chicken sandwich.  All while bringing one negative commentor back into the fold.

The Challenge

Church’s Texas Chicken was bringing back a cult favorite: Smokehouse Chicken. With a following that craves its return, we needed to dial up the exclusivity of this Limited Time Offer (LTO).

Jortz Instagram messages on scraps of paper

For two years, one fan—@jortz90—had been relentlessly trolling the brand, demanding the return of Smokehouse on every single post. Jeremy Ortiz (@jortz90) spent two straight years dragging Church’s Texas Chicken with comments like “Y’all broke my heart”, “Bulls**t. I’ll never eat y’all’s chicken again. Only because you didn’t release the smokehouse this year” and “BOYCOTT CHURCHS for not bringing the smokehouse back.” We didn’t hit “mute.” We hit “record.”

The Solution

Instead of ignoring the “smoke,” we decided to give @jortz90 exactly what he asked for in the most unexpected way possible. We didn’t just bring the Smokehouse back—we brought him into the family.

We surprised jortz90 with a VIP experience fit for a legend, starting with a limo pickup at his front door. Over two days, we immersed him in the brand: he got the very first bite of the returning Smokehouse Chicken, cameoed in the national TV commercial, and even provided the voiceover for the spot.

  • First Bite

    of the returning Smokehouse Chicken

  • Cameoed

    in the national TV commercial

A person dressed in a top hat and white gloves lifts a silver cloche to reveal a box of Church's Chicken to a smiling seated man.
A close-up of an open takeout box filled with Church's Smokehouse Chicken and a biscuit resting on a silver platter.

We gave him the smoke he asked for, and he gave us the most authentic content we’ve ever produced. To celebrate his “dedication,” we rewarded him with Real Rewards loyalty points and printed his most infamous comments on t-shirts worn by the entire production crew.

A smiling man holds up one of the custom printed shirts on a hanger, featuring an all-over pattern of social media comments asking for Church's Smokehouse Chicken.
A man wearing a black cap points to his custom white long-sleeve shirt, which is completely covered in printed social media comments from a fan demanding the return of Church's Smokehouse Chicken.
18%
TikTok engagement rate

The Proof

We proved that when you respect the hustle of your fans, they’ll go ten toes down for the mission.

We captured every moment of this fan-first activation, turning his journey from troll to VIP into high-energy social content designed to light up the feed. We didn’t just “post content” — we ignited a movement. The results speak for themselves:

  1. Launch

    Successful LTO launch that leveraged authentic community interaction over traditional advertising. 

  2. Social Sentiment

    High-volume social sentiment shift as fans rallied around the "jortz90" narrative.

  3. Engagement

    In a world of "skip ad," the fans stayed for the whole story with an 18% TikTok engagement rate that outpaces industry benchmarks.

YellaWood SEO Case Study

YellaWood® SEO Grows Plan Downloads

Updated optimizations and strategic search architecture drove growth in site engagement and in-store purchases.

  • 58%

    YoY increase in plan downloads

At a Glance

Client
YellaWood®
Engagement
SEO & Content
Duration
6 months
Focus
Increase project plan downloads

Overview

YellaWood® needed more site traffic and more DIY project plan downloads. We rebuilt project plan landing pages around search intent and user value. Each new batch of optimized plans helped drive measurable YoY growth. 

YellaWood® DIY project plans already had a clear role in the purchase journey. When people downloaded a plan, they were showing intent that could lead to product use and, ultimately, a sale.  

The problem was simple: traffic was soft, and downloads had fallen. 

We responded with a search-first system that made the pages easier to find and more useful. When the content answers the question faster, users move faster too. 

The Proof

Ongoing SEO revisions drove new users to DIY project plans and increased downloads. Each new batch of revisions drove incremental traffic and engagement. 

  • +40%

    Month-one traffic growth, Batch 1

  • +194%

    YoY traffic growth in six months, Batch 2

  • +97%

    YoY traffic growth after two months, Batch 3

  • +35%

    YoY increase in plan downloads after just one month

The Goal

Increase traffic to YellaWood® DIY project plan pages and drive more plan downloads from Organic search.

  • Traffic

    Increased rankings for plans people wanted to complete would drive them to the site.

  • Downloads

    Helping people understand what was inside the gated content encouraged interaction. 

The Challenge

Project plans encourage smaller scale, but more frequent in-store purchases. The client has seen a correlation between volume of downloads, dealer searches, and in-store foot traffic. But project plan traffic had fallen, and downloads were down in 2020.

adirondack chair
A corn hole set with yellow and blue bean bags

The pages need to rank better, answer search intent more clearly, and give users a stronger reason to download.

The Solution

We used keyword research to shape project ideas, optimizing the project plan landing page and six individual plan pages. Then, we expanded the effort across three additional batches of project plans.  

Outside deck with a love seat in the background with a close up of a coffee table with a plant on it

  1. Copy Edits

    Tightened page copy to help users get the more impactful information up front ― so they knew they wanted the plan ― and used keyword research to guide optimization based on what users were looking for in a plan. 

  2. Design Improvements

    Improved the design so users could see more of the project in the hero image, and more of the content before they got started – including adding a Plan Preview function so they knew what cuts and materials they would need, seeing the value before they committed to a download.

  3. New Plans

    Created new plans based on search intent. Keyword research identified a gap in the market – users wantaed plans they could build with YellaWood® that they weren’t offering yet. We worked with YellaWood® to build new plans that captured user interest, traffic and downloads.

The result was steady traffic gain, stronger download volume, and a clearer connection between search performance and user action. Data and creative worked as one system: search intent shaped the content, and the content and design updates made the pages more useful. Ongoing SEO revisions kept the momentum going.

Mitsubishi Electric Media Case Study

METUS Turned Data-Driven Media into Measurable Growth

HVAC isn’t a category people think about until they need it. A push/pull strategy built that brand and the business simultaneously and delivered from month one.

  • 30%

    Increased call and lead volumes in the first three months

  • 10%

    Increase in ranked keywords

At a Glance

Client
Mitsubishi Electric Trane US (METUS)
Product
Ductless & Ducted HVAC Solutions
Audiences
Contractors & Consumers
Channels
TV

Overview

Two problems. One strategy. The push/pull approach didn’t just move the needed. It moved it in ways we could actually measure.

Mitsubishi Electric Trane US had a real problem — two of them, actually. Brand awareness was low. And lead generation was essentially unmeasurable. For a company selling heating and cooling solutions across wildly different climates and geographies, that combination made growth harder than it needed to be.
 
The strategy had to do double duty.
 
Build the brand by introducing consumers to the idea of zoned comfort — a smarter, more personalized way to think about heating and cooling. Then build the business with regionally targeted campaigns and a contractor-facing app that made the sales process easier at the point of decision.

The Goal

METUS came to Brunner with a clear ambition — grow the brand and the business at the same time. That meant getting consumers to understand and want zoned comfort, while giving contractors the tools and support to close more sales. All of it measurable. All of it accountable to real results.

  • Brand Awareness

    Introduce consumer to METUS and the concept of zoned comfort 

  • Lead Generation

    Build a measurable pipeline across both consumer and contractor audiences

  • Regional Relevance

    Tailor the strategy to geographic and weather-related influences

The Challenge

The strategy had to account for more than just two audiences. METUS operates across regions where climate, geography, and seasonal weather patterns directly influence when and why someone considers a heating or cooling upgrade. A one-size-fits-all media approach wouldn’t cut it.

At the same time, the creative had to introduce an unfamiliar concept — zoned comfort — in a way that felt relevant and worth acting on.

The Solution

We developed a brand and business building strategy built around a single, powerful idea — zoned comfort. Breakthrough TV creative introduced consumers to a smarter way to think about heating and cooling, while regionally targeted campaigns made sure the message landed in the right market at the right time of year.

  • Zoned Comfort

    Breakthrough creative platform giving consumer a new way to think about HVAC

  • Regional Targeting

    Campaigns tailored to geographic and weather-related influences to maximize relevance and timing

The business side got its own dedicated support. A contractor-facing app gave METUS’s sales team a tool to guide customers through the decision at the most critical moment — the point of sale.

  • Contractor App

    Purpose-built sales tool that extended the strategy to the point of decision

The Proof

  • 30%

    Increased call and lead volume in the first three months 

  • 10%

    Increase in ranked keywords 

  • 6 Years

    YoY lead generation growth

The data-driven approach delivered from the start. In the first three months alone, call and lead volume climbed 30%. And the results kept compounding — six years of year-over-year lead generation that proved the strategy wasn’t a one-time win.

We love working with the team… we see you as an extension of our team. We trust your opinions and rely on your help to service our internal customers.

Michelle Rob

Sr. Director of Marketing

WesBanco

WesBanco Found its Voice in a Category Built on Sameness

With 150 years of experience and a target audience that barely knew they existed, WesBanco needed a brand built to break through.

  • 17 Year

    Client/agency relationship

  • $YoY

    Account growth

At a Glance

Client
WesBanco
Campaign
Let’s Talk Life
Channels
OTT, Social & OOH
Client Relationship
17 Years

Overview

They know what makes our company unique in a commoditized industry — our incredible people and our genuine relationships with our customers.

WesBanco EVP & CMO

Banking has a sameness problem. The products blur together, the messaging sounds identical, and most consumers couldn’t tell one institution from another without the logo. WesBanco knew this — and knew they had something most banks don’t. A hundred and fifty years of genuine relationships and a real point of view on what it means to show up for a customer.

The problem wasn’t the story. It was that not enough people knew WesBanco well enough to hear it. So we went looking for the white space. We found it in a feeling. And that feeling changed everything. 

Recognition

PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Awards

Award of Merit Winner (Audience-Centric Content Campaign)

Pittsburgh American Advertising Awards

Silver (Film, Video & Sound category)

The Goal

WesBanco had the history, the products, and the people. What they needed was a brand that reflected all of it and an audience that knew it existed. The ambition was clear: close the gap between who WesBanco actually is and how many people could find their way to them.

  • Awareness

    Grow recognition of WesBanco as a leading financial institution across target markets

  • Brand Position

    Establish a clear, ownable point of different in a crowded category 

  • Growth

    Drive measurable year-over-year account growth tied to brand investment  

The Challenge

The target audience didn’t just have low awareness of WesBanco. In some cases, they weren’t sure WesBanco was a financial institution at all. Standard banking messaging wasn’t going to close that gap. It would only disappear into the noise. Research pointed somewhere the category wasn’t looking.

Consumers feel vulnerable and overwhelmed when making big financial decisions. That was the real opening. And it required a campaign willing to meet people there — honestly, directly, and in a way that felt nothing like a bank.

“Let’s Talk Life” didn’t sound like a bank campaign. That was the point. Built on the insight that people feel vulnerable and overwhelmed when facing big financial decisions, the campaign positioned WesBanco as the partner who shows up for life’s biggest moments, not just the transactions that follow.

  • OTT

    Long-form storytelling that gave the campaign room to connect emotionally at scale

  • Social & OOH

    Extended the platform into everyday moments across channels where the audience lives

The idea traveled across OTT, social, and OOH — meeting audiences where they actually spend their time, with a message warm enough to earn their attention and specific enough to earn their trust focused on advice, retirement, and building a good credit score.

  • Let’s Talk Life

    A brand platform built around life's biggest financial moments, not products

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

  • WesBanco

The Proof

  • 17 Year

    Client/agency relationship

  • $YoY

    Account growth

Seventeen years isn’t a contract. It’s a track record. WesBanco’s partnership with Brunner has driven consistent year-over-year account growth and a brand evolution that’s kept pace with every market they’ve entered.

WesBanco has enjoyed a long-term partnership with Brunner that has helped propel our bank's growth and our brand's evolution! When we told them how we financially empower our customers every day and we wanted to spread the word, they were all in — because they 'get us'. And they know what makes our company unique in a commoditized industry — our incredible people and our genuine relationships with our customers.

WesBanco

EVP & CMO