New Name, Same Organization

Background.

Located in the heart of Austin, Texas, the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail along Lady Bird Lake has long been a cherished urban oasis. When The Trail Foundation sought to expand its impact and visibility, it recognized the need for a transformative rebranding that would more accurately reflect its comprehensive conservation efforts. With a completely redesigned website, an innovative virtual tour experience, and a strategic partnership with GDS&M, the rebranding campaign breathed new life into the organization’s mission to protect and celebrate this iconic urban trail.

Challenge.

Our first challenge with the rebranding was that the old website was limited in functionality. Typically, The TTC website was the first thing people saw before visiting the trails. This made the number of hits reach about 2.5 million yearly.

However, the existing website struggled to keep up with the daily traffic due to its cheaper, international hosting provider. We knew from then on that the whole website needed to be redone with a local, trusted hosting provider that could handle the increased demand.

We also had to make sure that the website we developed was modern and provided scalability that would allow any TTC member to update it on their own, with ease.

Lastly, the website also had to be done relatively quickly. The organization was now going through a full transition period, as multiple positions were being moved around to prepare for the new rebranding launch. Therefore, we had to prepare ourselves for working in a bustling atmosphere.

Campaign.

The Trail Conservancy (TTC) faced a critical digital transformation challenge. Its existing website struggled to meet the demands of 2.5 million annual visitors, with limited functionality and an unreliable hosting infrastructure that threatened to undermine its digital presence. The organization needed more than just a cosmetic update, it required an easy to navigate, scalable website that could handle significant traffic while providing easy content management for team members.

The rebranding process was complex, occurring simultaneously with internal organizational changes. The team needed an agile digital solution that could be developed quickly and effectively, without disrupting ongoing operations and transition.

The campaign aimed to create a user-centric website that would go beyond traditional nonprofit digital experiences. By partnering with GDS&M and leveraging WordPress Engine for hosting, the team developed a custom, interactive virtual tour that would not just inform, but truly engage visitors with the trail’s unique ecosystem and conservation efforts.

The redesigned website incorporated TTC’s new branding, featuring a modern, intuitive interface that highlighted the trail’s ecological significance. A standout feature was the custom Google 360-inspired virtual tour, which allowed users to explore the trail interactively, discovering ecological points of interest and trail amenities in an immersive digital experience.

The team dramatically expanded the site’s information architecture from 25 to over 100 pages, adding comprehensive sections on trail ecology, conservation efforts, and upcoming events. They implemented features like Eventbrite integration and mobile-responsive design to enhance user experience and accessibility.

Results.

The digital transformation delivered significant outcomes:

• Website traffic increased to approximately 2.7 million annual users, maintaining its impressive visitor base.
• Average session duration increased by 44%, indicating deeper user engagement.
• Conversion rates grew by 15% year-over-year, demonstrating the campaign’s effectiveness.
• The interactive virtual tour became the second most viewed page on the site, proving to be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining visitors.

By reimagining its digital presence, The Trail Conservancy successfully repositioned itself as a forward-thinking conservation organization, creating a powerful platform to share its mission of preserving and celebrating one of Austin’s most beloved urban trails.

FIVE

Our ultimate goal was to make a website that would entice people to keep coming back to the trails. We examined TTC’s old website and found that it was a major conversion funnel point. With over hundreds of thousands of visitors a month and well over 2.5 million annually, we immediately knew that we had many opportunities to convert people right there.

But while anyone can make a new website, our team needed to make a website centered around one unique feature that would generate more users and keep them on the site for longer. That answer came in the form of an online tour.

ONE

Our team looked to Google 360 to create an interactive VR experience. Visitors could choose any available trail and immediately be given a 360-degree tour of the area. They could also click on designated points on the screen to see information on a particular feature on the trail.

The experience was completely optimized for mobile and desktop users. To make it more special, we made sure not to rely on Google maps. Instead, we built a custom virtual feature that made touring the trails fun and intuitive.

We also entirely renovated the information architecture on the site. Where the old website only had 25 pages, we grew it to 100 plus web pages intending to give people new information. We added an amenities and ecology section to educate people on the newly added trail features and local ecosystems. We also created sections where we informed visitors about the latest conservation efforts, projects, and newly added ecological and amenity items.

Finally, we even implemented a way for users to keep track of upcoming events by allowing them to synch events and tickets with their Eventbrite app.

TWO

Due to the improved user experience and the interactive VR experience became the second most viewed webpage on the site, just behind the homepage. Because of that, we could convert these users into more donations, committees, and memberships.

TTC’s website was special because we set it apart from any other conservancy website in the US. Thanks to our unlimited budget, we were able to experiment with the new features and ultimately made a fantastic, unique experience that fits right into The Trail Conservancy’s new branding.

Over the course of the campaign, Jägermeister earned millions in engagement from tracked mobile devices across social, web, and ad networks.

But that’s only where it begins. Through earned loyalty and referred demand, brand engagement at retail locations was riding an exponential curve. Each person to interact with the advertising and AR experience would involve their group of friends and, on average, recruit three additional people to engage with the campaign at the POS and social media. A 1:4 investment ratio.

Our ultimate goal was to make a website that would entice people to keep coming back to the trails. We examined TTC’s old website and found that it was a major conversion funnel point. With over hundreds of thousands of visitors a month and well over 2.5 million annually, we immediately knew that we had many opportunities to convert people right there.

But while anyone can make a new website, our team needed to make a website centered around one unique feature that would generate more users and keep them on the site for longer. That answer came in the form of an online tour.