Client:The Hutto Economic Development Corporation

The economic development entity for the city of Hutto, Texas.

The Business Goals

Give the city an updated, long-term brand identity.
Create an awareness of Hutto among site selection consultants, corporations and developers in Texas and the nation.
Attract new companies to expand, develop, and relocate in Hutto.
Capitalize on the city’s existing growth with new jobs, retail opportunities and entertainment

The Situation

Only a decade ago, Hutto was a small community of 600 people. According to state data, Hutto has experienced a 600% population growth over the past ten years and was named the fastest-growing city in Texas in 2007 and 2008. To attract new businesses to the city, Hutto Economic Development Corporation leaders chose Aha to help develop a more up-to-date reflection of the emerging  city’s brand identity and to help establish an industry-appropriate website to showcase community attributes.

Aha Insight

Hutto is conveniently connected.
We began our Intentional Branding process by reviewing the Hutto ECD’s extensive research findings and interviewing key investors and leaders in the city’s retail and commercial business sectors to identify what was unique about Hutto and how the city’s offering could align with what the target audience was looking for. We then probed the mindset of a narrow target audience: selection consultants, developers and a base of carefully selected industries to finely define their needs and selection criteria.

Our work identified not only the quality-of-life and business issues that are important to this audience, it also showed us first-hand how Hutto offers these attributes in full measure. Again and again we heard the target audience address the advantage of close proximity to major corporate headquarters in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, as well as easy access to the 35 colleges and universities within a 100-mile radius.

Aha Solution

Big-city advantages with a small-town heart.
Based on our insights, we began by developing a more sophisticated logo and a relevant tagline, “Conveniently Connected” that echoes the wants and needs of the target audience. Visually and through messaging, we focused on accurately reflecting the high level of understanding and support potential investors can expect from Hutto city officials. We knew they would respond to the city’s proximity to Austin, the educated workforce, and the city’s low tax rate and high-bond rating.

Based on the brand platform Aha established, an entire suite of marketing materials was created including a marketing brochure, tradeshow display and targeted industry advertisements. Once the planning and support materials were in place, we created a new website, designed to serve as a portal for potential investors, C-level targets and consultants.  

Outcome

Hutto remains the fastest-growing city in Texas and now has a brand positioning that is helping the city accomplish its goal of attracting investor interest over the next five years. Since the launch of the new website, traffic has increased greatly and there have been more than 20,000 website hits from all 50 states and Canada.

The marketing materials have also propelled the Hutto EDC to become the first economic development corporation in all of Central Texas to receive accreditation by the International Economic Development Council. A significant portion of the accreditation process is a review of your marketing materials, plan and process and with Aha’s partnership, the Hutto EDC was able to achieve this.

New business leads for Hutto have also grown significantly since the launch of the new marketing plan. Most significantly are: Hutto as a proposed location for Temple College’s new satellite campus; a new park project through Texas Parks and Wildlife; and several new mixed-use developments.

Materials Produced
Long-term marketing opportunity analysis
Brand positioning strategy
Logo
Paper system
Tagline
Website
Targeted print advertisements.
Collateral support, including trade show materials

Aha Services
Strategic planning
Customer research
Full creative services – concept, graphic design, copywriting, production
Interactive – website
Media planning and buying