Blog Posts - Author: Ashley Landers

A place where we discuss the communication industry and give our insights on advertising, website development, graphic design and strategic planning.

Negotiating NIL Sponsorship Deals with College Athletes: Part Two

Negotiating NIL Sponsorship Deals with College Athletes: Part Two

By Ashley Landers

Striking an effective NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal can be a smart play for a client. NIL deals allow college athletes to earn money from endorsements, sponsorships, social media, autographs and other commercial opportunities. And in turn, the deals are a creative way to help a brand connect more authentically with an athlete’s audience by increasing brand exposure to the fanbase. But, of course, no deal is completely without risk. The key is to first understand the potential pitfalls as
Art of Negotiating an NIL Deal: Part One

Negotiating NIL Sponsorship Deals with College Athletes: Part One

By Ashley Landers

Texas Creative recently helped our clients at Davis Law Firm secure a big win by negotiating an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal with the University of Texas’s star quarterback, Quinn Ewers. Negotiating NIL sponsorship deals with college athletes not only requires a true understanding of the athlete's value, but it involves relationship building with sponsors and navigating the unique landscape of collegiate athletics. Here are five smart plays to make: Understand the Rules and Regs. 
A city park with a community gathering to clean up litter

Launching a Successful Community Improvement Initiative

By Ashley Landers

Recently we helped our partners, the San Antonio River Authority, launch their anti-litter initiative. A year in the making, it started when residents received a bad report on the amount of litter that ends up in area creeks and rivers. Reflecting on how much work went into making this trash outreach initiative a success, below are a few tips that could apply to any public service effort. 1. Elicit Emotion: Give people a reason to care. Focus on how the issue collectively impacts the community.
Brand Voice

Brand Voice

By Ashley Landers

A client approached us recently to get involved in their Brand Identity work about mid-way into their internal process. It isn’t ideal to start mid-stream and work backwards, but we were happy to step in and provide value. They initially hired us to help with their web design and development as well as copywriting. After a few discovery sessions with them, we all agreed we needed to pause on the executional work and spend more time on the brand foundational work. Namely, Brand Voice.  Our
Tech Tok: Big Tech and Capitol Hill.

Tech Tok: Big Tech and Capitol Hill.

By Ashley Landers

Their past few weeks together have been eventful. Here’s two big reasons it matters to marketers. With it being a Presidential election year, you might expect I’d be focusing on Facebook. That is certainly important to note. We have noticed their flagging paid ads as “political” or “social issues” in nature to be much more prevalent. Make sure you have a partner that can be quick with a plan to divert those dollars into other tactics, or find ways to address any creative concerns tha
New Year, New Knowledge!

New Year, New Knowledge!

By Ashley Landers

To kickoff 2020, here are 10 things you might not have known about Texas Creative. 1. We’re turning 35. We were founded by our current President, Brian Eickhoff, in 1985 as a graphic design studio. Over the years, Brian has touched many brands throughout Texas and beyond. For some of his proudest, give us a call to schedule a visit – we’ll gladly walk you through our “walls of fame.” 2. We’re a full-service marketing and advertising firm. While our DNA is rooted in graphic design, we
Brand Advocacy

Find Your Purpose. Build Your Advocates.

By Ashley Landers

What is brand advocacy? Why is it important to turn customers into advocates? Where do I begin? When what you’re selling is no longer “bought,” but “bought into.” When your company moves from a Brand to a Stand, people can stand with you. This blog shares 3 tips for helping companies create brand advocates by starting with a purpose. I’ll start by referencing a book that inspired most of what I’m writing. I was able to see Joey Reiman speak when I worked with General Mills a f
A New Year, An Old Spirit.

A New Year, An Old Spirit.

By Ashley Landers

As we’re all getting settled into January with big hopes and dreams for what 2019 will bring, I’m reminded of the phrase “out with the old, in with the new”. There’s one area in business that statement tends to ring most true come January -- focusing on financials. Companies can get fixated with a new calendar year. Once their financial year closes, they can be quick to forget what we were all reveling in just a few weeks ago: the spirit of the holidays—a spirit of giving and of serv
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Facebook's 3 Customers

By Ashley Landers

So much talk about Facebook these days – in the news, in the office, on the playground. Like it or not, it’s become ubiquitous. In a single day two weeks ago, I went from watching Congress grill Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg on a live-stream from my office, to learning just a few hours later from my social team that one of our client’s Facebook accounts had been put on hold due to a “suspicious credit card on file” (an account with the same corporate credit card in use for over a ye
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The Case for Creativity

By Ashley Landers

It’s June, which means the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is underway. This is the time of year I always find a renewed sense of creative inspiration from reviewing all the great collective work the world is producing. It’s too early to call out key themes or trends from the winner's circle that we can all admire and learn from; so instead, I’ve curated a list of some of my favorites this year, as well as some classics worth paying homage to that continually craft t