2023 was a year of growth and innovation for PriceWeber. We began 2023 by announcing five new shareholders, were named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” for the fourth consecutive year, expanded our presence with the addition of a Lexington-based office, and became Canopy certified, reaffirming our commitment to making a positive social and environmental impact in Kentucky.
From Twitter becoming X to keeping up with the latest AI installments, 2023 kept us on our toes. Throughout the year, we added to our client roster, increased our skills, welcomed new faces and expanded our global reach. The one thing that kept us going through it all was our teams’ dedication to the work. And we have to say, they’re pretty good at it. Before we look into what 2024 has to offer as we kick off this new year, we want to reflect on a few of our favorite projects that tugged at our heartstrings, challenged our creativity, and reminded us why we are one of the greatest places to work (with the best clients)!
Blessings in a Backpack – Unbridled Afternoon
To play off the Unbridled Eve Gala, the Derby Eve event where Blessings in a Backpack is the primary beneficiary, Blessings created “Unbridled Afternoon” in partnership with the Unbridled Eve Foundation. This is a kid-friendly version of the gala that allowed students to experience their own Derby events – many of them for the first time.
“Unbridled Afternoon” has been held annually at a different elementary school in Louisville, and in 2023, it was at Hawthorne Elementary, where nearly 50% of students depend on Blessings for food every weekend. The event had many Derby-related activities, including the official Churchill Downs bugler performing the “Call to Post” over the intercom, a meet-and-greet with the KDF Royal Court and other local celebrities, a real horse, a hot air balloon up, a teacher stick-horse race, and more.
To support this event, PriceWeber assisted with event planning, public relations efforts and creative materials (the one-of-a-kind event tickets that students received). We had a great time kicking off the Kentucky Derby season with this special event! Check it out in this WAVE News story.
Canopy Kentucky – Portal Development
In 2023, we completed the development of Canopy’s online portal, which certifies Kentucky-based businesses for achieving measurable social and environmental good and operating at high ethical standards. This secure portal and corresponding database contain an array of custom features and functionality that was necessitated by the truly unique model that Canopy uses to accomplish its mission to grow Kentucky businesses to positively impact people, our planet and our future. As of the end of 2023, 35 Kentucky-based companies with a combined annual revenue of almost $1 billion became Canopy certified through the online portal.
The Center for Women and Families – Speak Their Names
In October, The Center for Women and Families held its annual Speak Their Names ceremony in Jefferson Square Park. This powerful event is dedicated to remembering and honoring local victims of domestic violence, and our team helped reach out to families with loved ones being remembered at the event. There were 11 people remembered during the impactful ceremony. Additionally, PriceWeber’s Dan Dry captured the event as the official photographer – take a look at some of his powerful images.
CHI Saint Joseph Health – Virtually Integrated Care Launch
Earlier in 2023, our team helped CHI Saint Joseph Health with the announcement of their new virtually integrated care model to help address staffing challenges while enhancing patient care. This new model adds a virtual registered nurse (RN) to the care team, which includes a bedside nurse and a patient care assistant. The virtual RN also works with physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists and the nursing team for patient care. The technology makes the virtual nurse easily available to patients and families through the tap of a screen and allows the bedside team to focus on other responsibilities. Our team assisted with public relations efforts for the event at Saint Joseph Hospital, part of CHI Saint Joseph Health, to help announce this groundbreaking technology. To learn more, check out this LEX 18 News story.
Donate Life Kentucky – Save My Human
“Save My Human” was a campaign that came out of a brainstorming session with our team and our client, and what transpired next was simply “pawsome.” This all-agency effort included creating an animated commercial, outdoor boards and digital ads, public relations and social media efforts, and a splash page called SaveMyHuman.com, where supporters can download signs to share their own photos/stories on social media and even purchase branded merchandise, like T-shirts and pet bandanas (that our creative team also designed).
From paid media campaigns to share the mission of organ donation in a fun and light-hearted way to teaming up with social media influencers (and their adorable pets) statewide to help spread Donate Life Kentucky’s message, it was all paws on deck for this campaign.
However, the most important part of this award-winning project is that we’re helping to grow the organ donor registry to help Donate Life KY and the over 1,000 people across Kentucky who are awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant. You’ll continue seeing Save My Human across the Commonwealth throughout 2024. Let us know what you think, and if you haven’t already, consider joining the organ donor registry today!
Grote Industries – 4SEE
In 2022, we helped our client, Grote Industries, with the launch of their new smart trailer technology, 4SEE, even helping them come up with the name! In 2023, we worked with Grote Industries to take 4SEE to the next level. We designed a high-impact, interactive booth display for the annual Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition in Orlando. We also attended the show to support them with public relations and social media efforts. To top it off, 4SEE was also awarded as one of the Top 20 Products of the Year. We 4SEE great things to come for this technology in 2024!
The Hershey Company’s Licensing Team – Marketing/Public Relations Support
Talk about a sweet deal! In addition to corporate communications support, PriceWeber provides ongoing support to The Hershey Company Licensing team with multiple marketing and public relations projects. These include trade media public relations efforts, strategic email outreach to business partners, video compilations, sales materials, trade show graphics and strategic placement of a paid B2B media plan. Through its licensing deals, The Hershey Company leverages iconic and powerful brands to win in confection, other food categories and general merchandising. Take a look at one of the trade show graphics we designed in 2023.
Louisville Water Company – New Website
A refreshing website project? We can get on board! Our team helped Louisville Water Company revamp its website to elevate the customer experience, introduce modern self-service solutions and humanize Louisville Water’s brand to complement its trademarked tap water. This work earned national and regional recognition, including a Gold dotCOMM Award, a Silver W3 Award by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and an Award of Merit during the Public Relations Society of America – Bluegrass Chapter’s Landmarks of Excellence Awards. Way to go, team!
Louisville Zoo – Wild Lights
Since 2020, the Louisville Zoo has held a three-month-long event each year called Wild Lights at the Louisville Zoo. Featuring thousands of enormous, handcrafted, silk-covered lanterns with more than 50,000 LED light bulbs, Wild Lights is the largest lantern festival in the region.
To help amplify the 2023 event, we created a Wild Lights logo to be used throughout the years and a fun TV commercial to showcase the newest lanterns. We took the creative work to the next level by putting together a paid media campaign that included digital ads, TV commercial spots, billboards, social media and more. Our research and strategy team also helped the Zoo understand its online ticket sales process and how visitors experience their website. To top it off, our team created Wild Lights TikToks, helped with media outreach to markets outside of Kentucky, and coordinated various influencers to help promote the event.
This event’s campaign was truly an all-hands-on-deck project for our team! Check out the final television spot below.
Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs – “Believe Me – Help and Hope for Sexual Assault Survivors”
PriceWeber had the honor to team up with the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs team to create a powerful statewide documentary, “Believe Me – Help and Hope for Sexual Assault Survivors,” which premiered on KET in April 2023. In addition to the documentary, our agency helped with creative, social media and earned media efforts to help amplify awareness of the documentary, which featured powerful stories from Kentucky sexual assault survivors and information about local resources for those with similar experiences.
The overall campaign resulted in a 6% surge in crisis calls during the quarter when the documentary was promoted and aired, underscoring the impactful response and increased engagement with survivors. The project has gone on to win national and local accolades for these efforts, including clinching the top spot in the “Public Health” category during PR Daily’s 2023 Media Relations Awards at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. in December “Public Health” category and receiving an Honorable Mention in the “Media Relations Campaign of the Year: Over $50,000” category. Additionally, the project is also a finalist in the 2024 PRWeek Awards in New York City! To view the documentary, click here.
Hughes & Coleman – SEO Support
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be one of the most vital tools you implement for your business. Take a look at the homepage revamp our team designed for our client Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers. Our goal was to not only create an eye-catching design but also increase Google search rankings to boost their online visibility and case sign-ups. The updated Hughes & Coleman site features a mobile-first approach, technical SEO best practices, and a new global navigation that spans the entire site. The result was increased visibility and accessibility for individuals seeking legal guidance in their time of need. Check out the new Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers homepage at www.hughesandcoleman.com.
PriceWeber – Pride in Louisville
This past Pride Month, our Director of PriceWeber’s Content Creation Studio, Dan Dry, went to the Waterfront in Louisville to capture some of the Pride festivities. Having been a presence in Louisville for more than 50 years, our agency is proud to show our support for our community and remain involved in our diverse and growing city. Check out more of his powerful images here.
Wild Eggs – Marketing/Public Relations Support
A new and egg-citing client was recently added to the PriceWeber roster – Wild Eggs! Our agency has been partnering with the Wild Eggs team to support them through multiple marketing and public relations projects, including consumer-focused and B2B public relations efforts, consumer research, SEO improvement and website management. Check out this clip from a recent segment on WAVE Country we helped secure for the Wild Eggs team to talk about its festive brunch menu and how viewers can make brunch at home during the holidays.
Bring It On, 2024!
While the projects we’ve highlighted here only scratch the surface of our extensive work in 2023, conveying the transformative impact of each task we took on would turn into a lengthy article, and quite frankly, we’re not trying to brag. As we begin this new year, there’s an electric sense of anticipation within our agency. We’re not just optimistic; we’re downright excited about the possibilities that 2024 holds for us. It’s more than just turning the page on the calendar; it’s about embracing the potential for new projects that will fuel our creativity and challenge our skills, making us a stronger team of professionals. So, goodbye, 2023, and hello, 2024. We’re ready.