HipBrand Banking Services

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 fea-

tured competitors from 33 countries, our team members have worked extensively for financial institu-

tions 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 mean-

ingful 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.

Scott Schablow

Scott creates smart online marketing ideas for successful brands to grow revenue & profits. As a web

strategist he helps brands understand how to integrate digital technology, social media and traditional

marketing.

Prior to Hip Brand Group, Scott served as VP Interactive for 10 years at Luckie & Company, which in

1998 merged with Scott’s interactive agency, Schablow/Beaumont. Scott was also a Capitol Hill TV news

correspondent in Washington, D.C.

His key brand accounts include Regions Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T, Little Debbie Snacks,

Moore’s Marinade, LouAna Cooking Oil, Bonnie Plants, Alabama Public Television and McWane Science

Center.


Michael Alfano

Michael’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 communi-

cate 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 innova-

tive 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.

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 Holmes

A 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 Tatum

Led 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 Pierce

Freida 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 Keller

Evan has never met a programming challenge that he couldn’t conquer. His 15 years experience develop-

ing 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.

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 bank-

ing 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 bank-

ing 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 mean-

ingful brand presence that drives home your unique selling points across traditional and emerging digi-

tal marketing channels.

Unlike traditional agencies, our flexible organizational structure encourages collaborating with a com-

pany’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 ServicesRetail 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 ServicesWeb Site DevelopmentBlog Design and ManagementSocial Media CustomizationSocial Media ManagementSearch Engine OptimizationSearch Engine Marketing (Pay Per Click)

Public Relations ServicesMedia SpokespersonMedia KitsPress ReleasesOnline NewsroomPR Planning and Editorial CalendarExecutive Speaking ProgramCommunity Building & Management

Advertising ServicesPrint CampaignsTelevision or Radio CampaignsOutdoor CampaignsOnline or Digital CampaignsB to B Ad Campaigns

General ServicesBranding (logo or positioning)Print Collateral (product brochures/other)Direct Mail CampaignsCredit Card DesignExternal Signage DesignRetail Branch MerchandisingAnnual ReportsProgram AdvertisingMedia Buying

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

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 cus-

tomers 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:

lifestyle vs technology approach)


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 pur-

chased by Bank Independent in August 2009.

Most recently, we are working with the bank on developing search marketing strategies and implemen-

tation, 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:

getting animated banner ads and campaign landing page.

the landing page.


Superior Bank

Superior Bank, is a southeastern community bank headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, with $4 bil-

lion 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 Ala-

bama, 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 devel-

opment and implementation of all corporate communications and consumer advertising, B2B market-

ing and public relations. The account was headed by Julie White, who produced an extensive array of

strategic marketing initiatives including:

-

er relations, public relations and in sales collateral materials.

hands-on attention to detail.

revenues.

(print and broadcast).

system; annual reports and event collateral.

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 pro-

viders 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.

Scott Schablow provided leadership for nearly 8 years as part of Luckie & Company’s management team

responsible for Regions Financial Corporation and Regions Bank. Scott was instrumental in creating

technology and workflow methodologies to speed the integration of personnel and marketing functions

during Regions merger with Union Planters Corp. Scott was also intimately involved in the rebrand-

ing process for Regions during the merger with AmSouth Bancorporation. Scott had an active role in

all phases of the brand transformation process from research to the development of color, typeface,

and graphic mark to assisting with creating standards for implementing across all marketing mediums.

Scott’s accomplishments also include:

yielded $6 million in new loans.

also created a high ROI.

time. Client ad production time decreased from 10 days to as little as 24 hours saving over $200K in

production costs.

Work We Have Done: Regions Bank

Work 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’s15-

branch network.

Launched a completely new and optimized web site that introduces Aliant’s new brand in a fresh,

new way.

Designed new exterior signage and managed installation throughout Aliant’s branch network.

Produced new product collateral (personal and business brochures).


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, Ari-

zona, California, Florida, Colorado and New Mexico.

BBVA Compass hired Hip beginning in the Fall of 2012 to provide creative development and produc-

tion 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 attention getting envelope, a direct mail letter and a com-

pelling insert.

After a successful first project, we have since developed direct mail creative packages for the following

financial products: 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.