I think I blinked and landed in February!  The past few months have been crazy - holidays, graduating with a masters from UGA, getting snowed in with four extra people at our house!  I promise to do a topical post soon, but in the mean time, here's a taste of what we've been up to at Costa Creative:

Frosted Tulip, a new local bakery in Athens, GA, approached us about creating their branding, website and marketing materials. You can check out their nearly completed website here.

A good friend of mine in Charolotte, North Carolina, Starr Haigler, sent her husband my way when he wanted to create a business that would compliment his real estate venture.  The result was Smart Home Solutions of NC, a business focused on helping home owners maintain their homes and receive the repairs they need.  You can visit them on the web at www.MakeYourHomeSmart.com, a website by Costa Creative.

There are a few other projects that are nearing completion, and I'll update you on those soon.  In addition to the advertising and design work of Costa Creative, we were also busy delving into other areas of interest.

In late November/ early December, I conducted my first brand audit for charity: water, a non-profit that builds clean water wells in developing nations.  While this was completed for one of my last classes in grad school, I discovered I had a natural talent for helping brands assess and analyze how they're managing their brand and how they can improve.  You can download a PDF of the charity: water brand audit here. 

In addition, I started teaching as an adjunct instructor at the University of Georgia this semester.  I'm teaching Digital Advertising for the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.  I love teaching and working with the students, and I'll have more to share on that soon!

Whew!  Lots and lots going on, but we're excited about what the future holds for Costa Creative.  Welcome to February!
 
 
With graduation on the horizon, I've been contemplating my next steps for my career. Costa Creative will definitely be a cornerstone in what I plan to do next, but, as I am always the into more than just one thing, I've been weighing my options for my side project. Should I dabble in a side business, take on a charitable cause, or perhaps find a local adjunct position and teach a class or two. While studying for my Masters comprehensive exams, the answer came to me -- or rather fell in my lap. One of my professors from last fall contacted me to see if I would be interested in teaching a new class offered at UGA this spring, Digital Advertising. Well, of course my answer was yes! How often does a newly graduated masters student get the opportunity to teach at the University of Georgia, in a department ranked 10th in the nation for Advertising? While I don't know the answer to that question, I do know that I'm so excited to teach this course. I guess after doing a few papers on advertising on mobile devices, using social media for advertising, etc. the word got around that I was interested in all of these things that comprise digital advertising. 

So, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is digital advertising? Good question. There are several definitions floating around, but the one I like the best is from Madison Multimedia Ltd, based in the UK.  They define digital advertising as follows...
"Digital advertising refers to any advertising that is created and displayed using computer technology primarily based around the world wide web, such as digital radio, digital video and advertising online, which could involve branded computer games, sponsored or advertising on websites in a number of ways, and branded or targeted communication (email)."
Basically, digital advertising is changing and expanding every day, and my job is to help undergraduates (and myself) understand how to harness this beast and use it to help their clients. It's such a great challenge, and I'm looking forward to getting my syllabus together and diving in. 


If you know any Advertising or PR students at UGA, tell them to sign up for ADPR 5990 this spring!  It's going to be a great class!