Jarrard Burch Foundation
Starting in 2001, a group of civic-minded entertainers and north Georgia community leaders banded together to simultaneously honor their friend – hit country music songwriter John Jarrard – and support nonprofit organizations that John, who had passed away from complications of diabetes, had championed. Led by close friend, and fellow country music writer Bruce Burch, the group hosted a series of concerts, which grew into the John Jarrard Foundation. These concerts were special, as they featured people like Jarrard and Bruce: songwriters performing their hit songs instead of just being behind the scenes. So it was that the John Jarrard Foundation concerts became a mainstay of the entertainment and nonprofit fundraising calendar in Jarrard and Burch’s hometown of Gainesville, Ga. The events – which grew from one annual performance to a revolving concert series – drew huge crowds and some of the biggest names in the songwriting and music industry.
However, when Burch also passed away following a long battle with leukemia, the John Jarrard Foundation wanted to honor him for all he had done to spark its creation and turn it into a roaring success. That’s why the Foundation board decided to add Burch’s name to the organization. Thus, it became the Jarrard Burch Foundation. This new name did not change the mission of the organization, but rather it reflected the enormous contributions of both men to improving the lives of others through their gifts as entertainers.
THE CHALLENGE
After working so hard to establish an identity, members of the John Jarrard Foundation board wanted to ensure that the name change would not hinder the success of its concert series or mission. So, the Foundation turned to Forum Communications to help develop a sweeping marketing plan. This included a rebranding campaign that would explain the name change, revamp their online presence, and design a new logo to encompass all that the foundation stood for and exemplified.
Due to the Jarrard Burch Foundation’s success as both a nonprofit/fundraising entity and an entertainment beacon in north Georgia, the organization deserved a high-visibility campaign. The campaign would need to make clear that the Foundation was still the same entity, with the same mission. Fans of the concerts, nonprofit partners, and even performers needed to understand that things would remain the same, although the organization now had a slightly different name. The Jarrard Burch Foundation also deserved a modern, efficient website that elevated the organization, fully described its mission and history, promoted concerts, and acted as a fundraising portal for interested donors.
HOW WE HELPED
Forum Communications undertook a re-branding campaign that expertly described the renaming process of the Jarrard Burch Foundation. Focusing on the tagline of “New name. Same song,” Forum ensured that all audiences could clearly and simply understand the history of the Jarrard Burch Foundation, why the name changed, and what it meant for the future of the organization. Using targeted press releases, we addressed regional media sources in north Georgia, as well as in the Nashville (Tennessee) market, where many of Jarrard’s and Burch’s acquaintances and fellow performers lived.
Forum Communications also created two new logos for the Jarrard Burch Foundation to use across its marketing efforts. These logos offer flexibility – one is horizontal, the other square – and help further link the new name of the organization with its longstanding mission of entertainment for helping others.
Forum Communications also constructed an exciting and innovative website for the Jarrard Burch Foundation. It is a multi-faceted website that is both intuitive and thorough. It offers visitors an immediate understanding of the organization’s mission – via the header, “Live the song, Love the music, Lead the cause.” Meanwhile, immediate navigation features guide users on how to learn about Jarrard Burch’s mission, obtain details about upcoming show dates and lineups, how to contact the organization, and how to donate to the nonprofit. The site represents an online presence that effortlessly moves visitors through all aspects of the foundation’s mission and history (including personal histories of John and Bruce), while providing a virtual anchor for this prestigious yet fun organization, which does much to aid the local community.
ALL IN THE DETAILS
When it comes to logos, a simple design can do a lot of work. In this case, two designs make a big impression. One logo encompasses the name “Jarrard Burch Foundation,” with the “U” in Burch resembling the headstock of a guitar and tuning pegs. The colors of the logos – including “Fields of Gold” lettering on a field of “Johnnie Walker Red” in one logo – bring to mind a “western” feel, which is often present in country music. The other logo utilizes multiple aspects of a guitar, with the name “Jarrard Burch Foundation” framed and shaped in the style of a guitar pick. Inside the pick is the headstock and tuning pegs of a guitar. The “guitar pick” logo includes the color Muddy Waters Blue (who, while a blues musician, shares many of the same aspects of entertainment and songwriting tradition as many of the writer/performers who have graced the Jarrard Burch Foundation stage).
Meanwhile, the new website uses design and art to display something that the Jarrard Burch Foundation has always represented: fun for a for great cause. To achieve this, Forum Communications included myriad photos of performers in action on the Jarrard Burch stage. These types of photos, along with other imagery, impart a sense of the organization’s unique and ultimate value: live entertainment. Few concerts in north Georgia can offer the atmosphere of a Jarrard Burch Foundation show, and Forum Communications wanted to deliver a taste of that experience. By doing so, we hope to entice visitors to attend the next show and/or encourage them to help support the organization’s mission of supporting a wide range of nonprofits.
What We Accomplished
Re-branding Campaign
media marketing and press relations
LOGO DESIGN
COLLATERAL DESIGN
promotional assets
website design and development
online content creation
Awards
Hermes Creative Awards 2023 Gold Winner