All successful brands have one core element in common, consistency. Would we all have memorized the Nike slogan (“Just do it.”) if their marketing team used a new slogan for every product? Would we be able to see a yellow “M” and instantly think of McDonalds if the color changed every week? Brand recognition is difficult to achieve. However, once it is acquired, that brand can then work its way into the consumer’s evoked set. This essentially means that your brand is then stuck in their head, for quick recollection when needed, which is exactly where we want it.

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Whenever there are extra cookies in the office, we know exactly who’s desk to put them on. She may be the youngest in the office, but her dreams and aspirations are huge. We would like to introduce our summer and fall intern, Kate Gothing. Continue…

Retargeting has proven to be one of the most cost-effective online marketing strategies in the digital world. This concept allows advertisers to target consumers who have previously interacted with a certain website. By using cookies, you are anonymously tracking visitors on your site and seeing where they go next, what other websites they are visiting, etc. to help better understand their target market.

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HMG is proud to play an integral role in the partnership between the acclaimed rock band, Blue October, and the award-winning song game, Spontuneous, in helping to draw consumers in to enter the ticket giveaway to attend a free Blue October concert!

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It’s really hard to believe that my time at HMG is already coming to an end. Time sure does fly by when you are learning as much as I am! Serving as an intern at HMG has proven to be a smart decision and a very valuable experience. Since I am pursuing a degree in public relations as UT Austin, I was looking to gain as much experience in the realm of communications and marketing as possible. Working as a social media and marketing intern has taught me a great deal of knowledge in the professional communications industry.

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Hi! I’m Jenna Meltzer, the 2016 Social Media and Marketing intern, and I am so excited to kick off the new year as the newest member of the HMG Creative team. I am currently a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in public relations and pursuing a business certificate from the McCombs School of Business. Born and raised in a small suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I knew I wanted to get out of the tiny bubble in which I had lived my entire life, and experience a new culture during my college years. After visiting Austin for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the young vibe of the city, the amazing food, and of course, that southern hospitality that you don’t see as much in Philadelphia. Even though I had to adjust my ears to not cringe when I hear the word “y’all” instead of “youz guys,” I can wholeheartedly say that attending the University of Texas at Austin was one of the best decisions I have ever made. You must be crazy to not love the Live Music Capital of the World — am I right?

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When people think of a brand often the first image that comes to mind is the logo. Companies like Nike, Apple, and Starbucks can be identified if you only see the logo – the name is not even necessary. In today’s digital world, branding is way more than just a logo. A consistent identity must go very deep within company collateral. It needs to communicate not only the values of the company, but also the careful precision and attention to detail.

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Hello! My name is Tanner Hertzog and I am the new intern here at HMG Creative. I am about to begin my senior year at The University of Texas at Austin where I am studying Public Relations and Business. I have a huge passion for digital branding, and specifically interested in learning how to handle a crisis via social media. I am so excited to be here at HMG Creative. I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn even more skills on how to manage a brand online and how to connect with potential new clients. Aside from social media work, this is a great opportunity for me to learn the ins and outs of the marketing/business side of operations in the “real world.” I have learned so much in the classroom, but it’s a completely different situation when you are actually using what you have learned in the workplace.

Prior to beginning this internship, I was running all of the Moody College of Communication’s social media channels. I was responsible for overseeing all the distribution of content, as well as the promotion of our account to current and prospective students as well as alumni. This internship provided me with my first opportunity to manage a brand’s social media network, and I learned a great deal about how to effectively grow a brand online.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending my free time exploring all that Austin has to offer. I am a self-taught guitar player, and was a competitive swimmer for 17 years. I have the competitive attitude in everything that I do, especially in the classroom. I am also an avid fitness guru. I spend a great deal of time working out in the gym, and focusing on a healthy diet.

I am looking forward to providing you guys with some great insight into this industry, and hopefully we both grow together over the next 5-6 months. Please follow me on Twitter @tannerhertzog, and if you have any questions for me please feel free to reach out!

Branding is often discussed everyday by individuals in the marketing, advertising and design industries, but rarely is it defined with a simple answer. In brief, branding is one of the most important tools a company can utilize to reach their target market, build recognition and develop customer relationships. It includes a wide range of factors such as logos, colors, patterns, typefaces, imagery, packaging, taglines, wording and more, all of which combine to create your company’s image.

Why Do Consumers Need Consistency?

In order to build a strong brand, you must stay consistent throughout all of your selected mediums. This strategy creates the opportunity to gain brand recognition among your target audience when done correctly. On top of that, consistency brings clarity and purpose that consumers then buy into. In turn, consumers become loyal to a brand. However, building this kind of trust takes time and effort.

Most consumers have to be exposed to a brand many times before they are loyal to it. So a consistent brand message has to be established so that consumers will immediately distinguish it from a competing brand. This means a business potentially loses customers, and may even help its competitors, if a consistent “look” and tone is not achieved. Continue…

We’ve all heard that a sleek, well designed website is vital for a business, but why exactly is good web design so important? Well, HubSpot breaks it down via Red Website Design’s data and infographic. It dictates exactly what impacts Internet users the most, including Load Time, Color Scheme, Layout, Trust, and HTML 5. If the primary load time is less than one second, 4.6% percent traffic growth is achieved, while four seconds or more results in negative traffic growth. For color, green has 3.0% traffic growth, while red comes at a 1.35% growth loss. For layout, the first two paragraphs are very important, users look in an F-shaped pattern, and 70% of people look at lists with bullet points. 94% of people cite design as a reason they do not trust certain websites. Finally, 27% of sites use HTML 5 – those sites account for 49% of pageviews. For all of the data laid out in a very clear manner, check out the full infographic.

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