The stories of these young people and their families in the face of all odds inspire us every year to continue our work with the Children’s Miracle Network on their annual bus tour fundraiser, The Torch Relay. We were introduced to the folks at Children’s Miracle Network eleven years ago through our client and CMN sponsor Marriott Resorts. The national non-profit was looking to grow the fundraising event and saw the need of the organization to refine and elevate the brand. When they saw our work for Marriott Resorts, they got on a plane to Hilton Head. That’s how it all started, but from our very first Torch Relay, it’s been all about the children. It’s always a blast to see our work rolling across the country helping to raise buckets of money for these incredible kids and their families.
WDM is not only the agency of record for Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, but through our many years of working together, the Community Foundation has identified situations where WDM’s branding, marketing, and fundraising expertise was needed. Over the years, we’ve helped 38 nonprofits throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry refine their story and refresh their brand by creating new marketing campaigns, printing collateral and brochures, building websites, producing videos telling one incredible story after another, and raising significant amounts of money for all. Our work with the Community Foundation has included rebranding the organization, developing and delivering fundraising campaigns that have raised millions of dollars, facilitating workshops, assisting with strategic planning, and providing public relations services and support for important events produced and sponsored by Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. It has been a partnership of generosity and giving to the greater good that has impacted WDM as much as it has the community.
The biennial Public Art Exhibition on Hilton Head Island has been bringing spectacular works of outdoor sculpture to the island from around the country and beyond for several years. This exhibition was designed to serve as a procurer of public art for Hilton Head Island. Each year, a purchase prize winner is selected, and a piece is installed somewhere around HHI by the town. The marketing of the event is critical in its success by bringing in spectators, attracting financial support, and drawing potential buyers to the exhibition. WDM developed the brand identity and has an active role in the public relations, promotion, and media relations surrounding the event. As the exhibition grows, so does WDM’s involvement, and we look forward to seeing who the winner is this year!
The Boys and Girls Club of Hilton Head Island has grown over the years to serve a diverse segment of our island community and is emerging as a leading advocate for youth in our area. The variety of high quality programs, the dedication of the staff and leadership, the facilities, and the generous support from our community all come together to change young lives in a way that will impact our community for generations to come. While many in our community were aware of the Boys and Girls Club, their understanding was limited and their perceptions differed from the club’s reality. One of the common misconceptions about the Boys and Girls Club was that they received most of their funding from the national organization when in reality the local club is responsible for raising a great deal of their own funds. Team WDM was engaged to develop a story that would accurately reflect the club and help tell its story in a way that would allow the club to serve more youth with more services. Successful fundraising has always been a mainstay of the club’s core competency, but there was an opportunity to increase financial support by expanding their reach. The message that we developed brought the story to life in a highly emotive and heartfelt way that encouraged community support and increased understanding about the needs of the Boys and Girls Club.
Senior Citizens Inc. was approaching a milestone anniversary in the history of their organization. This celebratory event presented a unique opportunity to rebrand and refine their message in a way that would increase visibility throughout the region. The challenge that was presented to WDM was to leverage the significant history of SCI in a way that would portray an image of forward thinking, growth, and excitement. The WDM brand process led to a fun, energetic, sincere, and meaningful new logo with accompanying website, ads, and video that brought their story to life in a powerful and engaging way, clearly defining the importance of this outstanding organization for the community.
Neighborhood Outreach Connection is a small non-profit education-directed organization with a big story. The story was so big, in fact, that both it and its intended audiences were losing something in the telling. To solve this problem, WDM created a new logo for the organization that garners praise, compliments, and smiles from people far and wide according to the director. WDM continues to support the important work of Neighborhood Outreach Connection as they transform communities from the inside out and continue to eradicate poverty in underserved neighborhoods throughout the region. With WDM’s help in telling their story, NOC is engaging those intended audiences like never before, and both the organization and the community it serves are flourishing.
The positive social and economic benefits of a well-educated community have been well documented. Research shows that a community’s culture toward education is one of the most important factors in determining educational outcomes. WDM was charged with developing a brand, a story, and a marketing campaign that would instill the idea that higher education is essential and attainable. Rather than focusing on the elements, curriculum, and policies within the education system, WDM endeavored to shift the cultural attitude of our community toward higher education. The KNOW2 brand message had to appeal to a very broad community base from kids to moms to corporate CEOs. Today, thanks to our message and the people who heard and responded to it, hundreds of South Carolina high school seniors graduate and apply for the annual KNOW2 Scholarship, which funds a two-year degree at a local technical college.
Hilton Head Christian Academy had a new headmaster who came from the Lone Star State of Texas – where everything is bigger – with a big idea of his own. He wanted to grow the school. He understood the value of a brand and knew the ultimate benefits that come with progressive marketing. He wanted all of the above, so he called us. WDM was hired to develop a professional campaign that elevated the HHCA brand and highlighted the fact that although the school graduated more than its share of National Honor Society seniors and fielded some really strong ball teams, its most fundamental differentiator was Jesus. The challenge: to tell the HHCA story in a manner that wasn’t preachy.
