JoyFest 2026
Client:
Zora's House
Role:
Marketing and Communications Manager
Service:
Strategy, Creative and Execution
Year:
2026
Overview
Zora's House has spent nearly eight years building transformative economic opportunities for women and gender-expansive entrepreneurs, creators, and artists of color in Columbus and Central Ohio. Their signature Women+ of Color Owned Markets became a cornerstone of that work, circulating over $50,000 in direct revenue to diverse businesses in a single day. As the event matured and its potential to scale became clear, the organization saw an opportunity to evolve the brand into something that honored its roots while expanding its reach and resonance. That evolution became JoyFest.
The Women+ of Color Owned Markets had proven their impact, but the brand identity wasn't built to scale. The name and framing centered the market format, which undersold the full cultural experience the event delivered and limited its ability to attract broader community participation. The challenge was threading a delicate needle: preserving the essential identity of the event as a space centered on women+ of color-led businesses, while repositioning it as a festival with the energy, visibility, and appeal to grow significantly. Any rebrand that diluted the mission would betray the community the event was built to serve. Any rebrand that played it too safe would leave real opportunity on the table.
As Marketing and Communications Manager, I led a multi-month collaborative rebrand process grounded in cultural, company, consumer, and category research. The team conducted competitive analysis across the landscape of local and national events — from Columbus staples like the Fat Babes Club Fat Flea and El Mercadito to national pace-setters like Essence Fest, Black on the Block, and Blavity Fest — alongside events that had successfully scaled locally like the Columbus Arts Festival. This research informed a naming and positioning process that went through many iterations before landing on JoyFest: a name that centers the emotion women+ of color generate for their communities, elevates the event beyond a transactional market experience, and creates a broad, inviting platform without compromising the core mission.
The launch campaign matched the ambition of the rebrand. To introduce JoyFest to Columbus and beyond, we built a multi-channel media strategy that included out-of-home advertising through partnerships with Orange Barrel Media, Heartland Bank, and Lamar Advertising; featured placements in the 614NOW newsletter by 614 Media Group; a video op-ed from Amelia Robinson at The Columbus Dispatch; support from Experience Columbus; podcast advertising; direct mail; and deep community partnership outreach.
JoyFest's inaugural event drew over a thousand attendees to Columbus Commons, supporting more than 50 women+ of color-led businesses — spanning food trucks, artisan vendors, and family programming — even in the face of rainy day conditions. The launch campaign generated over 5 million impressions across media channels, strategic partnerships, and organic community support, significantly expanding Zora's House's visibility and cultural footprint. Beyond the metrics, JoyFest demonstrated what a mission-driven rebrand can do when the strategy is rooted in community truth: it doesn't just attract new audiences, it finds the people who were always meant to be there.
