Q&A with Brandon Zeek, Web Developer at HMG

Here at HMG, we’ve found that it’s important to evolve over time in order to achieve longevity. Trends change so rapidly, and so we’ve always emphasized the importance of staying relevant.

Whether it be about our personal or professional lives, we are constantly learning new things from each other by asking for advice and information. After all, ‘everybody knows something you don’t’.

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Introducing Sarah, Newest Member of the HMG Team

Following a scintillating Austin summer of endless sunshine, late nights, and outdoor adventures, I’m excited to be kicking off my newest adventure as Marketing Coordinator with HMG Creative!

Originally a Phoenix native, I bravely ventured into the unknown territory of Texas for college in 2006 and never looked back. After a 12 year expedition of all things Dallas, my insatiable curiosity lured me off to the rolling hills of central Texas and landed me in our state’s exploding capital – Austin.

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Apps On The Rise: Keeping Up in The 21st Century

With the rise of the iPhone, our society has quickly shifted in many respects. The ways we interact, the ways we find information, the ways we work and the ways we occupy our time have all been impacted by not only the advancement of mobile technology but the introduction of apps into our everyday routines. Now entire businesses revolve around the model of customer interaction via phone applications. Mobile traffic has given the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of companies to reach their audiences with more ease and efficiency, making transactions, and communication in general much more streamlined. By 2020, the predicted number of apps to exist will be 5 million (Perez, 2017), and the possibilities don’t stop there.

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5G: What to Expect and How It Will Change the Digital Sphere

So you’ve heard about it and have seen the hype about its revolutionary developments for the technology sphere, but do you actually know what 5G is? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Short for fifth-generation wireless systems, 5G is the latest iteration of cellular technology that your devices will run its system programs off of. These developments allow for network splicing, which enables multiple channels to run on a singular network. As a result, many benefits will be brought to your use of all those devices our lives revolve around.

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Social Media: Back To The Basics & The Latest Trends

It’s hard to ignore just how much social media has taken the advertising and marketing world by storm. From the beginnings of a millennial-led movement to a full-blown industry changer, social media has transformed how we choose the products we buy, and more importantly how we connect with others to create communities around brands and people alike. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are only some of the many content-centered sites that aim to reach their audiences directly through personalized targeted visual and written messaging.

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The Skippable Era: 5,4,3,2,1 Go…

As a student at UT’s Moody College of Communication, I am exposed to many amazing opportunities and professionals with vast experience in the industries of journalism, media and public relations just to name a few. This past week, I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Christopher Ferrel, the Director of Digital Strategy at The Richards Group for one of my courses, Technology, Marketing, and Advertising. After listening to his presentation, I was mesmerized by his concept of a new era that is bound to change the course of digital advertising. The Skippable Era, as he classifies it, is characterized by a feature we all love and embrace; the skip button. To better understand how marketing trends and consumer engagement have shaped digital practices of our current era, Chris poses three essential questions for advertising gurus to consider.

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Popular Instagram Spots in Austin

In town for SXSW? Planning a visit soon? Or just an Austin native looking for some weekend inspiration? You’ve come to the right place, as here we’ve rounded up a mix of some of the most popular Instagram Spots in Austin.

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Home is Where Amazon’s Heart Is: Is the Lone Star State the One?

Amazon. The company making big headlines last August when it officially acquired Whole Foods and made many customers question, what isn’t influenced by this all-encompassing tech and commerce business? Ranging from the invention of the Echo and Alexa to selling groceries in a cashier-less brick and mortar store coined Amazon Go, the future of our everyday experiences may sit in the hands of this company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with over 40,000 employees, Amazon is the largest employer in the city providing its economy with immeasurable value and its environment with multiple treasured amenities. So, what’s the next step for this booming business? Growth has brought CEO Jeff Bezos and the team to search for a second headquarters location amongst some of the most alluring spots in the US.

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SXSW 2018 Recap: What We Couldn’t Have Expected

As we look back on SXSW 2018, it is hard to ignore some of the most innovative and unique happenings brought to our backyard this March. Activations, celebrities and creators alike flocked to Austin for a week full of events surrounding the industries of technology, music, film, media, marketing and advertising, journalism and much more. Our very own Founder and Managing Partner, James Trumbly, was lucky enough to attend many of these sessions and could not help but gush about the amazing times he had this year. Can you blame him? Below are some of HMG’s favorite picks for SXSW’s most interesting and even impromptu events.

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Blockchain Technology: The Next Internet?

As technology develops and its applications and features increasingly grow in the age of the internet, it is hard to imagine a new platform that could change it all. Currently, we live in a world built upon intermediaries for many of our industries. Originally created for the digital currency, Bitcoin and Bitcoin trader login option, blockchain was developed as a way to bypass this system and directly connect consumers to their value. Similar to the platform of GoogleDocs, imagine this technology as a shared server where instead of saving a document in Word then sending it to another individual via email or fax, the document is already shared and updated with the other party.

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