# High Reason

> High Reason is a privately held Jacksonville marketing communications agency, founded in 1996 as Burdette Ketchum, that combines research, brand strategy, creative, digital marketing, media, and public relations. Its differentiator is less a secret creative formula than a disciplined sequence: define the business outcome, study the audience and competitive white space, build a distinctive idea, measure the economics, and keep adjusting. The firm serves organizations ranging from healthcare technology and vision care to consumer retail, transportation, real estate, manufacturing, and place marketing.

- **Founded:** 1996
- **Headquarters:** Jacksonville, United States
- **Founders:** Karen Burdette (Founder and Chair)
- **Products:** Research, Strategy & Planning, Digital Marketing, Brand & Creative, Public Relations, Content & Social, Place Branding & Marketing
- **Notable:** Rebranded Burdette Ketchum as High Reason in February 2022; the agency reported 10% growth that year., Reported 24% growth in its place-branding practice in 2022 while supporting 21 communities., Named agency of record for CarlisleIT, Forcura, and itel in 2023.

## Products & services

- **Research, Strategy & Planning** — Primary research, marketing strategy, activation planning, brand positioning, account planning, and media planning and buying.
- **Digital Marketing** — Digital strategy and program management, web design and development, SEO, SEM, social, email, display, content, and analytics.
- **Brand & Creative** — Brand DNA and identity, advertising, video, performance creative, packaging, collateral, trade-show, environmental, and point-of-purchase work.
- **Public Relations, Content & Social** — Media relations, executive communications, crisis and reputation work, internal communications, social management, measurement, and reporting.
- **Place Branding & Marketing** — Research-led identity and marketing programs for cities, counties, regions, downtowns, and states, delivered through the agency's place-branding practice.

## Achievements

- Rebranded Burdette Ketchum as High Reason in February 2022; the agency reported 10% growth that year.
- Reported 24% growth in its place-branding practice in 2022 while supporting 21 communities.
- Named agency of record for CarlisleIT, Forcura, and itel in 2023.
- A Neurolens case study reports 130 new practices, more than 15,000 digital tests, and 8x revenue growth after recommendations were implemented.
- An Advanced Disposal case study reports a 37% increase in new driver hires and a 41% decrease in distracted-driver events.
- Daily's added more than 35 Florida locations after launch; the Dash campaign produced a reported 16% year-over-year increase in same-store foodservice sales.
- Led the 2025 pro bono renaming and rebrand of First Coast No More Homeless Pets as EveryPet.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Published guidance on earning visibility in AI-generated answers, extending its measurement-first philosophy into generative-engine optimization.
- **2026-03** — Published work for Mosai, the combined brand created for post-acute healthcare technology companies Medalogix and Forcura.
- **2025-10** — Completed a pro bono research, naming, identity, website, and launch program that turned First Coast No More Homeless Pets into EveryPet.
- **2025-07** — Recruiting materials described the agency as growing, with nearly 30 years of operating history.
- **2023-06** — CEO Will Ketchum discussed the communications industry and marketing Jacksonville with the Jacksonville Business Journal.

## Links

- Website: https://highreason.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-reason
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BurdetteKetchum
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/high.reason/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highreasonagency

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/high-reason
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-21