The phrase was, “content is king.” Content was key for search engine optimization and played a huge role to position your company as an industry resource. Then came social and the need for pushing consistent communication and creative tactics emerged through micro-sites and social media popularity exploding, driving brands to compete with the thought-leaders or become obsolete in the marketplace.

Now, with the internet becoming increasingly personalized in our multi-polarized world, content marketing is more important than ever. Budgets are increasing to develop deeper, thought-provoking messaging and strategy (evolving from, “Look at us” and “Wow, our product and services are fantastic,” to a storytelling technique that taps into the customer experience).

So what exactly is content marketing? Entrepreneur Magazine’s concise definition is: “The creation and publication of original content — including blog posts, case studies, white papers, videos and photos — for the purpose of generating leads, enhancing a brand’s visibility, and putting the company’s subject matter expertise on display.”

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HMG Creative recently developed a trade show video for CliniComp, Intl., a clinical documentations company out of San Diego. The 2 minute video, created for the HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Annual Show and Conference in Las Vegas, displayed at CliniComp’s booth on an over 110″ screen, showcasing the company, it’s services that support MIG welder reviews but also over 100 hospitals globally and the launching of CliniComp’s mobile application.

HMG Creative was recently hired for a complete business card redesign for Austin based Shango, an Integration-as-a-Service Platform Provider that unifies the way Telecom Operators access and manage their ever expanding number of 3rd party technologies through GSM or USIM protocols.  Although their brand remains in tact, a creative twist to the composition’s layout yields a fresh new feel.  Black satin cards with rounded corners and spot UV treatment gives Shango a sophisticated look that matches the company’s distinguished image.

In February an international business magazine came to HMG Creative seeking expertise in branding. The publication, Bazargan Magazine, is relaunching in the United States later this year and desired a new image to stay relevant in a very competitive industry.

See the transformation of the magazine’s old image, the new logos presented created by HMG Creative and of course, the final logo selected to represent the magazine.

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As many of you probably already know, South by Southwest (SXSW) recently wrapped up in Austin, and despite a few rainy days in the beginning, turned out to be a great event.  If you’re not familiar with SXSW, Google it; you’re missing out.  This was my first time attending, as I recently moved to Austin from Montana, and I doubt I’ll ever miss it again.  With multi-faceted themes including music, film and interactive, SXSW is not only entertaining, but it becomes a breeding ground for creativity.  Most importantly though, it is THE place to be in terms of networking.

Some of the most creative and brilliant minds from around the world converge in Austin for SXSW.  The challenge is trying to meet them, but more importantly, that they remember you.  Personally, I enjoy networking events and meeting new people.  I guess I fall into that category, “people person” and typically don’t have too much trouble introducing myself to complete strangers.  It’s a bit of an art, but really just requires the ability to muster up enough courage to walk up to someone and say, “Hi, my name is……..”  Easier said than done, I know.  Could there be an easier way?

Well as a serial networker looking for ways to meet new people, my colleague and I stumbled across what could quite possibly be one of the best icebreakers known to mankind; the fake mustache. On the first night of SXSW, a representative from the American Mustache Institute (who was dressed like Elvis) was handing out fake mustaches. For the rest of the night, everybody wanted to be our friend. We met so many interesting people that we made a trip to Party City the next morning and bought more mustaches. That night the mustaches came out and were all gone within 5 minutes. Again, we were the life of the party and had met everyone by the end of the night.

I think the real power of the fake mustache lies with its ability to serve as an icebreaker and how it prompts complete strangers to initiate conversation with the person in “stache”. What I found amazing though, was the number of people I ran into several nights later that said, “Hey, you’re the mustache guy!” From now on, I will always carry mustaches in my wallet; you never know when they could come in handy!  Anyway, I encourage you to give it a try; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Taylor Linens, a retail and wholesale provider of linens, quilts, duvets, curtains and more, came to us with the need to rebuild and revitalize their online store. We helped them design and build a beautiful fully-functional eCommerce website with:

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We’ve officially moved into our new diggs in Austin, TX at 2705 Bee Cave Road. We’re currently getting the new studio up and running and we’re really looking forward to branching out into this creative community. Below are a few photos from our new space. Feel free to drop by any time.

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We’ve officially launched the new HMG Creative blog! Subscribe to our feed and stay up to date on everything were doing. Stay tuned…

A new blog, a new office and now a new member of the HMG Creative team. We’ve just brought on Amy Kauffman as a Business Consultant in Austin (catch Amy while you can as she will be relocating to San DIego at the end of this month). Amy, a University of Texas alum, comes to HMG with an extensive communications background and agency experience. She previously headed up a boutique public relations firm in Dallas and has worked for clients and companies in a variety of industries, ranging from the from nonprofit, real estate investing in technology space.

We’re excited to introduce you to the newest member of our team, Anna Clendennen! Anna, a St. Edward’s University alum, joins HMG Creative as a Business Consultant. Formerly she was a project manager, copy writer and social media star for another firm. Apart from her creative endeavors she is also perusing a Master’s degree in Global Policy Studies. Check her out on Twitter @hmgcreative