2332 Second Avenue North | Birmingham, AL 35203 | 205.458 ... · 2332 Second Avenue North |...

2332 Second Avenue North | Birmingham, AL 35203 | 205.458.9566 | HipBrandGroup.com

Experience You Can Bank On.Brand Focused Marketers

Whether you want to raise brand awareness, generate leads or drive revenue, you need a vibrant online and mobile presence in today’s marketplace. HipBrand Group builds customized marketing programs for the financial services industry: We create marketing strategies, digital tools, interactive campaigns and social business programs using the communications channels and creative strategies that work. We do this by tapping customer insights, tailoring the creative to each channel and employing the latest technology. The result is a seamless experience for users and full measurability for you.

Unlike some boutique shops our experience is firmly grounded in solid, traditional marketing principles. From local, regional and national Addy awards to an international “Gold” Mercom Award which featured competitors from 33 countries, our team members have worked extensively for financial institutions and financial companies over the last 25 years including AmSouth Bank, SouthTrust Bank, Regions Bank, BBVA Compass, Superior Bank, Cadence Bank, Bank Independent, Aliant Bank, USAmeriBank, Bank of Alabama, Collateral Mortgage, Southland National Bank, Honolulu Federal, Altus Bank, Visa Corporation and Porter Capital Corp.

We love what we do, and love getting it right. We find inspiration and success in working directly with accomplished people like you. We’ve learned a great deal more over the years and we’re pretty certain you can’t find a group as highly experienced and creatively talented anywhere. Especially not a team with such deep expertise in banking: branding, digital marketing and public relations. Oh, and did we mention we’re humble, too?

But don’t take our word for it. Peruse this agency overview and get to know us a bit through our bios and our work. Learn that we provide attentive service and strategic thinking. Then agree that together we’ll create results oriented communications that resonates deeply within each community you serve.

Experience You Can Bank On.The Team

Julie White For over two decades, Julie has provided public relations-focused branding and marketing services to companies across the Southeast. Julie is a content strategist who develops targeted, relevant and meaningful online and offline communications solutions.

She has served as national PR director for Bass Anglers Sportsman Society and as director of account services and public relations for leading Alabama marketing agencies.

Her key clients include Samford University, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, Superior Bank, Porter Capital Corp.,

Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, Grow Alabama, RealtySouth and Jones Walker.

Chris Elliott Chris has had a successful 16-year career as an online designer, using his broad experience in almost every medium as Creative Director for numerous companies in the advertising, software, usability and design industries.

Previously, Chris was a principle partner, and Creative Director for Triptych Design New Media and KickMail, as well as serving as Creative Director for Intermark Interactive.

Key clients have included Children’s Hospital, Toyota, Green Resource Center for Alabama, DAXKO, Big Oak Ranch,

Baptist Health System and Balch and Bingham.


Meg HolmesA graduate of the Portfolio Center, Meg is a senior level copywriter with a reputation for highly conceptual work that has appeared in The One Show, National and Regional Addys and Show South. Meg’s favorite concept is actually the business itself. Where else can you be paid to put Albert Einstein’s signature on a baseball, dress Icarus in a business suit, or have a farmer grow fields of talk?

Meg has worked on big name clients such as Little Debbie and Toyota, big hearted clients such as the Associated for Retarded Citizens, and one client, the Vulcan statue, that was just big.

She has been contracted by major agencies to develop work for such high-profile clients as Red Mountain Bank, Subway Restaurants, McWane Science Center, Southern Museum of Flight and the Birmingham Zoo, and such critical projects as pitches, rebranding campaigns and new product launches. She has worked with leading agencies such as Intermark Group, The Slaughter Group, BLR, Totalcom, Cayenne Creative and Luckie & Company.

Grant TatumLed by a passion for design and craftsmanship tempered by 18 years of experience, Grant is a creative designer with success advertising, design and publishing. He has worked with national, regional and local businesses (including finance, telecom, and healthcare) to develop brand messaging in all media.

Grant has worked with agencies such as Luckie & Company, Lewis Communications and BIG. Key account experience includes Regions Bank, AmSouth Bank, AT&T, Gulf Power, Tiffen Motorhomes and Little Debbie Snacks.


Freida PierceFreida has extensive experience providing media planning and buying services to a well-established client base. With over 20 years experience in the advertising industry, Freida has handled multi-media campaigns including television, cable, radio, outdoor magazine, newspaper and internet.

For 13 years Freida was Director of Media Buying for O2 Ideas and SlaughterHanson Advertising in Birmingham, Alabama.

Key clients have included Talladega Superspeedway, Visionland, Bruno’s Memorial Golf Classic, Alabama Tourism & Travel Department, Golden Flake, Alabama Power Company, AmSouth Bank and Superior Bank.

Evan KellerEvan has never met a programming challenge that he couldn’t conquer. His 15 years experience developing rich internet applications doesn’t begin to describe the high level of problem solving and innovation that he brings to each application he works on.

As the senior application developer at Luckie & Company for 12 years Evan has engineered powerful online tools designed for the end user in mind.

Key clients include Regions Bank, Balch & Bingham, Alabama Tourism & Travel Department, Bayer Advanced, Little Debbie and AT&T.


Michael AlfanoMichael’s work as senior art director and creative director at leading agencies and his own design studio with over 120 clients has won numerous regional, national and international awards. He is an industry professional who has worked with just about every type of business from small upstarts to Fortune 500 Companies.

This wide range of experience and a multi-disciplined skill set enables Michael to help clients communicate their brand effectively to key target audiences across a full range of media.

Although he is best known for his engaging graphic design and illustration, Michael produces innovative work which effectively communicates his client’s brands and business culture helping them achieve goals and new benchmarks of success in the marketplace. Key clients have included SouthTrust Bank, the Helen Keller Foundation, Collateral Mortgage, Superior Bank, Pepper Place Saturday Market, Sloss Real Estate Group, Regions Bank and Retina Specialists of Alabama.

Experience You Can Bank On.The Services

HipBrand Group professionals have a 25-year history of creating successful brands, strategic messaging and effective positioning within the marketplace. We also have solid expertise in the competitive banking environment in the Southeast. There is opportunity in the banking landscape to develop powerful and meaningfully relevant brands that are a driver of differentiation, long-term loyalty and competitive advantage. Consumers perceive little difference among banking institutions and believe that banking brands are interchangeable—with each delivering identical brand benefits. As a result, consumers choose aimlessly among look-alike banking brands.

HipBrand Group is uniquely qualified to distill the essence of your brand’s benefits and develop a meaningful brand presence that drives home your unique selling points across traditional and emerging digital marketing channels.

Unlike traditional agencies, our flexible organizational structure encourages collaborating with a company’s internal executive and marketing teams as well as with external agencies or consultants already in place. Our experience in banking ranges from community banks to regional banks and other financial institutions.

Experience You Can Bank On.The Services

HipBrand Group can work with your in-house marketing team and with your existing agency on specific project needs; or we are available to serve as an agency of record to provide turnkey communications solutions and management.

Specialized Services• Retail and Business Product Development, Branding and Launch • Online Presentation Builder (creates custom presentations instantly using pre-approved content)• iPad/Tablet Applications (enterprise & customer-facing application development/deployment)• Mobile Apps (iPhone, Android and Smartphone applications)• Brand & Reputation Monitoring (listening and evaluating the online conversation and sentiment)• Ad Builder (online system for selecting & creating custom ads and flyers for field use)• Digital Channel Development (Search Optimization / Social Media / New Media PR)• Customer Experience Management (improving the online and in-branch experience)

Online Services• Web Site Development• Blog Design and Management• Social Media Customization• Social Media Management• Search Engine Optimization• Search Engine Marketing (Pay Per Click)

Public Relations Services• Media Spokesperson• Media Kits• Press Releases• Online Newsroom• PR Planning and Editorial Calendar• Executive Speaking Program• Community Building & Management

Advertising Services• Print Campaigns• Television or Radio Campaigns• Outdoor Campaigns• Online or Digital Campaigns• B to B Ad Campaigns

General Services• Branding (logo or positioning)• Print Collateral (product brochures/other)• Direct Mail Campaigns• Credit Card Design• External Signage Design• Retail Branch Merchandising• Annual Reports• Program Advertising• Media Buying

Experience You Can Bank On.The Work

Cadence Bank

Cadence Bank is a growing regional bank with more than $5.4 billion in assets and over 100 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. Cadence is committed to providing innovative new methods and product solutions that keep pace with their customers’ lives using the latest technologies available. In 2012, working side by side with the Cadence retail marketing team, we developed of a suite of technology products set to roll out in 2013. Rather than marketing the individual mobile and online products separately, we developed a strategy to create a brand umbrella, allowing the technology offerings to be grouped together.

Named “Fluent by Cadence” the brand is designed to communicate that Cadence Mobile, Cadence FlashDeposit and Cadence TotalMoney are banking products that flow with the moment, allowing customers to interact with their money in ways that let them better interact with the unexpected. To ensure brand integrity and consistency, we guided the bank’s development of the actual mobile apps, not only in the apps’ look and feel, but also making recommendations in usability and functionality. Our work included:

• Conception and creation of Fluent by Cadence brand and logo (appealing color grid design and lifestyle vs technology approach)• Design and development of fluentbycadence.com microsite for mobile and product launch• Development of positioning statement (Bank in the Moment).• Naming of individual products• Creation of branded concepts that can be applied to each communications channel.• In-branch print collateral (distinctive gatefold brochure, counter cards, statement stuffers)• Fluent mobile app design• Launch of the Fluent brand

Work We Have Done: Cadence Bank


The Citizens Bank

The Citizens Bank is a Philadelphia, Miss., based community bank founded in 1908 with 22 branches serving Mississippi. Over the past several years, The Citizens Bank has been acknowledged nationally for their financial strength and performance. The bank is consistently named one of the country’s top 200 performing community banks by American Banker magazine.

We started working with The Citizens Bank in the Fall of 2013 to create and develop a new web site that launched in early February, 2014. Our work began with a discovery phase where we conducted in depth interviews of key management and employees so we could create brand positioning and key messaging that would be communicated throughout the site and resonate with current and prospective customers. We also set out to bring the bank’s current brand (logo) to life in a stronger way and to create a real brand foundation that is distinctive and memorable.

The theme “What It Takes To Be Citizens” positions the bank as one that goes above and beyond fulfilling its duties as a bank, while being a true community advocate.

The features of the new site are: • The site is responsive, optimized for search engines and displays across devices. The mobile menu is fresh and easy to use. • A series of videos (Citizens Stories) are used to communicate the bank’s differentiating factors. • The sites features a blog where new content can be added easily. • The site features a content management system where bank personnel can make updates to the site as needed. • Visitors to the site can apply online for credit and debit cards. • Hip developed the full navigation plan and complete site content.

www.thecitizensbankphila.com

Work We Have Done: Citizens Bank


Bank Independent

Bank Independent is an Alabama based community bank founded in 1947 with over $1 billion in assets. The bank’s roots run deep in the Northwest Alabama area with over 27 locations. HipBrand is working with the bank on a number of initiatives including providing strategic marketing services for Interstate Billing Service, Inc. (IBS), a national corporate billing service based in Decatur, Alabama. that was purchased by Bank Independent in August 2009.

Most recently, we are working with the bank on developing search marketing strategies and implementation, including an eight-week mortgage campaign. The Fall 2013 campaign was launched on Google AdWords and the Google Display Network as well as online in a regional segment of al.com and on the Tennessee Valley Print Company digital network.

For this campaign, our services have included:• Search marketing plan development including keywords strategy, media schedule and budgeting.• Display ad creative including creation of the “dream mortgage” concept and a series of attention getting animated banner ads and campaign landing page.• Campaign management including daily adjusting to increase impressions and clicks through to the landing page.

Work We Have Done: Bank Independent


Superior Bank

Superior Bank, is a southeastern community bank headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with $4 billion in assets. The bank’s assets were acquired by Community Bancorp, and has recently been renamed Cadence Bank. The company stands as the second-largest community bank holding company in Alabama, behind Regions Financial Corporation, HipBrand Group served nearly six years, until November 2011, as an extension of the bank’s marketing and executive team, exclusively responsible for the development and implementation of all corporate communications and consumer advertising, B2B marketing and public relations. The account was headed by Julie White, who produced an extensive array of strategic marketing initiatives including:

• Developed retail and commercial core messaging and positioning used in advertising, shareholder relations, public relations and in sales collateral materials.

• Opened 30 branches in Alabama and Florida with an aggressive schedule while main taining hands-on attention to detail.• Campaigns helped drive impressive growth in customer numbers and a $2 billion boost in revenues.• Managed all local marketing public relations.• Managed million dollar media buy in two states and production of all consumer advertising (print and broadcast).• Established executive speaking bureau to reach commercial clients.• Served as creative development team for ongoing project needs including program advertising system; annual reports and event collateral.• Helped transition to the new holding corporation in April 2011 including leading media relations and assisting

Houston, Texas ad agency and New York public relations firm.

Work We Have Done: Superior Bank


Regions Bank

Regions Financial Corporation, with $130 billion in assets, is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, trust, securities brokerage, asset management, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and operates approximately 1,800 banking offices.

Several Hip Brand associates and team members have provided leadership for Regions Bank as a part of Luckie & Company’s management team responsible for Regions Financial Corporation and Regions Bank. From the creation of technology and workflow methodologies to speed the integration of personnel and marketing functions during Regions merger with Union Plant-ers Corp to the rebranding process for Regions during the merger with AmSouth Bancorporation, initiatives have included:

• Developed an $8,000 Google AdWords search marketing campaign for commercial banking that yielded $6 million in new loans.• Created similar online campaigns for $100,000+ investments for personal banking products that also created a high ROI.• Created an online ad management workflow system that saved 1000s of hours/year in production time. Client ad production time decreased from 10 days to as little as 24 hours saving over $200K in production costs.• Worked with Regions E-commerce team to develop branded mini-sites and digital promotions.• Enabled collaboration between multiple functional divisions within Regions and the agency.• Implemented creative concepts throughout channels including in branch, print and digital.

Work We Have Done: Regions Bank

Work We Have Done: Regions BankWork We Have Done: Regions Bank


Aliant Bank

Aliant Bank is an Alabama based community bank with over $1 billion in assets. The bank merged with USAmriBank in 2012 which drove a complete rebranding effort. As one of Alabama’s oldest banks founded in Alexander City, Alabama in 1900, we tapped into the bank’s history to rediscover its brand essence. Following an in depth brand audit that incorporated competitive research and interviews, we launched a new logo icon and typeface for Aliant as well as a new positioning statement: A Century of Banking On Alabama. In addition, our rebranding efforts have included:

• Developed a brand guidelines manual to maintain a consistent identity throughout Aliant’s 15-branch network.• Launched a completely new and optimized web site that introduces Aliant’s new brand in a fresh, new way.

www.aliantbank.com• Designed new exterior signage and managed installation throughout Aliant’s branch network.• Produced new product collateral (personal and business brochures).

Work We Have Done: Aliant Bank


BBVA Compass Bank

BBVA Compass is a leading U.S. banking franchise located in the Sunbelt region. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 20 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks as the third largest bank in Alabama, fourth largest bank in Texas and fifth largest bank in Arizona. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., BBVA Compass operates more than 716 branches throughout Texas, Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Colorado and New Mexico.

BBVA Compass hired Hip beginning in the Fall of 2012 to provide creative development and production management in the area of direct mail. Following an in depth review of their over 500 page brand manual, we began work on the first project: to create and produce a direct mail package for the BBVA Compass Clear Points credit card including an atten-tion getting envelope, a direct mail letter and a compelling insert.

After a successful first project, we have since developed direct mail creative packages for the following financial prod-ucts: a pre-approved personal loan offering, a pre-approved mortgage refinance offer, and a preferred client offering.

While we have worked hard to assimilate the work to their international brand flavor, we have also given it our own creative touch while staying on point with their brand standards. The result has been direct mail that grabs attention

and new customers.

Work We Have Done: BBVA Compass

2332 Second Avenue North | Birmingham, AL 35203 | 205.458 ... · 2332 Second Avenue North |...

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