TEDx
Breckenridge
Brand Strategy, Sales + Marketing
TEDxBreckenridge Case Study
When TEDxBreckenridge launched in 2020 to bring “ideas worth spreading” to the heart of Summit County, they turned to Aspen Alley to build their brand and entire digital ecosystem from the ground up. From naming and logo development to a fully integrated content and marketing strategy, we’ve been TEDxBreckenridge’s creative partner every step of the way. Together, we built a lasting brand identity—anchored by themes developed in collaboration with local artists—and rolled out everything from sponsorship decks to event graphics, business cards, and a high-performing Squarespace site. We also managed year-round marketing across email, social, and paid channels to keep the TEDx message top of mind in the community and drive momentum toward annual events.
The Challenge
Share the mission of TEDxBreckenridge’s concept of ideas and elevating local community to a global stage through promoting and selling tickets for yearly event, creating their entire digital marketing presence, communicating effectively with email marketing and social media, along with making strategic advertising decisions and developing a strategy to garner year-round recognition, and grow an engaged community.
Results
We fully integrated the content strategy, advertising, and PR with social media, creating a smooth and efficient cross-channel storytelling campaign strategically blending traditional and cutting-edge marketing techniques, along with grassroots marketing campaigns to fully optimize their budget.
Branding
In collaboration with local artist Andrew Dengate, we strategically identified annual themes aligned with current cultural trends and global conversations. These themes served as a foundation for developing comprehensive communication strategies and a diverse suite of creative materials designed to boost interest and engagement across both print and digital channels. Our efforts supported TEDxBreckenridge’s growth by elevating its visibility and resonance, leading up to the main event and extending beyond. This suite included brand guidelines, sponsorship decks, business cards, event screen graphics, and additional assets, all crafted to reinforce the brand and enhance audience connection.
We developed a timeless, versatile TEDxBreckenridge logo through comprehensive market research and active audience engagement. To foster a sense of ownership and community, we invited our audience to participate in the logo development process by voting for their favorite design. This approach not only strengthened brand identity but also enhanced audience connection and support for TEDxBreckenridge’s continued growth.
E-Mail Marketing
Since its inception, the Aspen Alley team has effectively managed the TEDxBreckenridge email list and newsletter strategy, achieving a 52% open rate and strong engagement levels. By establishing a distinctive and consistent voice across various communication channels, we have significantly increased email click-through rates and audience interaction. Additionally, through strategic list segmentation, we have ensured that targeted messages reach the right audiences at optimal times, resulting in higher ticket sales and increased revenue for TEDxBreckenridge.
Social Media Management + Video Views
Using strategic sprints focused on each year's theme, events, and speakers, the Aspen Alley team increased audience engagement and size on all social platforms.
With title optimization and keyword research, the Aspen Alley team enabled over 400,000 views for 44 published talks, with 11 more coming out soon.
Advertising
In order to stay within the limited budget, Aspen Alley negotiated contracts and eliminated marketing strategies that didn’t fit TEDxBreckenridge’s main objective of ticket sales.
We also collaborated with them to secure feature coverage in local publications, supported their local events, and achieved press features both in radio and print/online.
Digital Accolades
From the creation of their Squarespace website to ongoing maintenance and SEO work, we have grown visits 17% YOY with 17% new visitors, along with garnering over 400+ applications each year.
Ticket Sales
Over the past 5 years, through 4 main events, Aspen Alley has helped TEDxBreckenridge sell over 1,500 tickets.
Each year, ticket sales have increased, including in 2025, when ticket sales went up 31% from the previous year’s event.
All this has been done on a shoestring budget through social media, meta advertising, PR, digital marketing, community engagement, and grassroots campaigns.
Local Gone Global
Over the past five years, that strategy has paid off: ticket sales have increased each year, with a 31% year-over-year spike in 2025 alone—reaching over 1,500 total.
Through lean but effective campaigns powered by social media, meta ads, community partnerships, and PR, we’ve built a highly engaged local following while driving over 400,000 video views of TEDx talks. Our email campaigns average a 52% open rate, and our SEO and content work has grown site traffic by 17% year over year.
From vision to execution, TEDxBreckenridge is proof that smart, strategic storytelling can spark real community impact—even on a nonprofit budget.