What’s your branding? That is a question brands and individuals face today if they want to make it big in their respective industries. The internet may have helped bring everyone closer, but it also opened an arena where calling everyone’s attention is not as easy as it sounds. Today’s digital scene is highly competitive, and that’s why many seek help in making their brand stand out in a sea full of content creators and labels that produces one grand campaign after another.
The thing is, to become an internet success requires more than just a good brand story. It also involves working with other digital tools to your advantage. Lucky for them, there are numerous creative agencies out there that can help them thrive. The latest to enter the game is Hartman Communications and Creative Agency.
Harry Hartman
Established in 2022, Hartman Communications and Creative Agency is led by Harry Hartman. Once an apprentice to noted fashion designer Francis Libiran marketing guru Arsi Baltazar, Advertising and Public Relations graduate is spreading his wings as he braves the industry with his own PR firm, bringing with him the lessons and experience he gained after witnessing how the industry works in the past decade.
“While studying, I was working part-time for the brand and was already exposed to events in my first month with the company. Upon starting with them, I remember that social media was gaining momentum already, particularly Instagram,” Harry says. “I noticed that while the brand is already somehow established, there was a need for them to have a strong digital presence to broaden its market reach, so I took it upon myself to do a creative strategy for the brand and incorporated identity systems suggestions as well. That’s when I realized my deep inclination to marketing, communications, and creative direction.”
He was motivated to create a brand’s story and connect with other people through real, human emotions. After a year, the brand absorbed him, and eventually became its marketing director and general manager. Up to this day, he remains as its creative consultant and marketing director with his agency spearheading all of its events and content creation.
To know more about branding today, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle chats with Harry as he shares key elements brands should know in order to be a branding success and how his agency can help them in achieving it.
First off, what’s your goal in establishing Hartman Communications and Creative Agency?
My goal is to build a community of thought leaders and creatives who share my desire of revamping people’s definition of public relations. I always try to challenge the traditional ways of marketing and storytelling. I believe that every brand has its own persona and that it could translate its stories into unique, creative outputs. I want Hartman Communications to take the framework of intentional branding and emerge as an unconventional medium of integrated marketing communications. We invest in people and talent while adapting to the rise of the artificial intelligence era. Hartman is about connecting and collaborating with a team of prolific storytellers in bringing a sound and solid market presence for our clients and their brands.
This is not your first time working in the industry. So what pushed you to build your own agency?
Spending about nine years in the fashion industry opened a lot of doors for me to work and collaborate with different industries such as entertainment, hospitality, travel, and lifestyle, among others. But almost after a decade of working full-time in sales and marketing, I felt the urge to step outside my comfort zone and fulfill a greater purpose to serve different brands that share the same value of the community that we are building through Hartman Communications. In the middle of the pandemic, I started talking with key people who I wanted to involve in my venture. By February 2022, we officially launched Hartman Communications, Inc.
What do you find challenging and fulfilling when it comes to helping brands?
Challenge and fulfillment come hand in hand. We work with brands by first identifying the problems that need to be addressed, and the challenges that need to be tackled in order for them to reach optimum leverage for their digital presence. After this, we brainstorm into coming up with brilliant ideas to market their concepts through outstanding visual assets and communication materials. We treat our brands as one person. We get to know them through in-depth relationships—what is their persona, what they offer, how their sectors help the community, and how they engage with their customers. It’s a constant learning phase, but the support from my team and our clients make it a fulfilling journey.
What sets Hartman Communications and Creative Agency apart from other agencies in the industry?
“We make future-proof identities, remarkable experiences, and meaningful connections.” That is our manifesto. It means that we make and execute purposeful branding strategies for our clients through meaningful, experiential content. It makes our clients connect with their respective customers in the most natural and efficient ways. We want everything we do to be people-centric and for them to have a good and worry-free time working with us as we tell their stories through result-driven campaigns and content.
Do you have future projects our readers should know about?
We are currently organizing events and activations for the brands that we are working with on top of our brand management services. This year, Hartman will have a series of talks and training sessions in different schools and universities across the country. This is to train young creatives in communicating effectively with clients and audiences and will also tackle content creation and creative direction. We are also teaming up with non-government organizations to further extend our help and expertise, as well as provide free services to small and medium start-up entities. The past year has been generous to us and we are excited for what’s to come.
What do you think are the key elements brands should know in order to be a success today? How can Hartman Communications and Creative Agency help them in achieving that?
More than having an established branding in the market, it’s important to remember these three Cs: customers, consistency, and connection. Brands must remember who they are doing their work for, which is their customers. Brands should get to know them, what they like best and which they like least. Understand their audience, and make sure that their brand presents the personality, ideals, and goals of the customers.
The brands should be consistent in what they are offering. Consistency in brand design and identity systems is essential because it leads to recognition. You are making a mark on your audience’s mind, and when they recognize your brand, and would so far have positive associations toward them, they are more guaranteed to commit to your brand in the long run and support it.
Lastly, I think, connection is the most important aspect of branding. I feel that if you as a brand do not think in your audience’s shoes, then who are you doing all this hard work for? This is why proper utilization of digital platforms is important because that is where you see how people interact, what they like, and what piques their interests. Let your brand personality be memorable and interesting, and leave clients wanting more of you and what your brand has to offer.
This is exactly what we do for our clients at Hartman Communications. We foster a strong connection with each of our clients to fully understand their brand’s persona and seamlessly translate them into visual arts and communication masterpieces.