Reston Masters Client Spotlight

Brand Strides values the clients we work with and are passionate about bringing our clients new successes. Our client spotlight focuses on the Jim McDonnell Lake Swim hosted by the Reston Masters team. We prioritize building relationships with our clients and are proud to support them throughout every event and decision they make to grow their event year-over-year. 

Who are Reston Masters?

The Reston Masters is an adult swim team based in Reston, VA.  This team puts on an event titled Jim McDonnell Lake Swim each year to honor one of the founders of Reston Masters, Jim McDonnell. The event has expanded to include both a one-mile swim and a two-mile swim based on competitor preference. Reston Masters has hosted this event for over 34 years. The Reston Masters team has hosted the U.S. Masters National Swimming Championships three times, with the most recent being in 2018.

HOW BRAND STRIDES HELPED

A primary goal for Reston Masters was to increase the number of sign-ups they received for their Jim McDonnell Lake Swim event. The year-over-year sign-up dropped significantly due to covid, and the team has been struggling to get their event sign-ups back to the pre covid numbers. 

Brand Strides wanted to help them reach this goal and revamp the event for the 2023 season. 

We worked with Reston Masters to build out their digital presence. We created new graphics, a brand guide document and helped them develop their brand identity. Delivering consistent brand messaging to their target audience to increase the number of sign-ups they received for their event. 

Something new we incorporated into Reston Masters’ campaign plan was the use of paid advertisements. Reston Masters has not used this method before, and we wanted to test out the advertisements and see if they could increase the number of sign-ups for the lake swim. The results were immediate, as these advertisements not only increased the number of sign-ups by more than 35% but also increased social media engagement across all platforms. 

With this new method, reach of Reston Masters’ advertisements increased by 3.2K% on Facebook and 683% on Instagram when compared to the previous period with no paid advertising. These paid advertisements brought more recognition and awareness to the Jim McDonnell Lake Swim. We are so proud to have been a part of this event and what it provides to the community.

WHAT BRAND STRIDES PROVIDED RESTON MASTERS

Our initial focus was on the logo refresh for Reston Masters, which included establishing a brand identity outlining the brand colors, typography, theme, messaging, and social media presence. Beyond creating the campaign collateral, we supported the team with organic and paid social to boost the event. 

We are proud to have worked alongside Reston Masters for their annual Jim McDonnell Lake Swim event. The event was a huge success, and we are looking forward to the growth of this event for years to come.