Some say Spring is the season filled with inspiration and vision. That was certainly the case back in 1979 when Judi Herrmann founded Herrmann Advertising | Branding | Technology. As the agency marks its 40th Anniversary, there’s a lot to celebrate!
With just a few employees, a small office suite in Annapolis and a limited number of clients, Judi hit the ground running … and hasn’t looked back since. In the early days, her new company was known primarily as an advertising and design agency, producing everything from print ads and brochures to buying media to planning events. Within just a few years, its portfolio reflected a growing number of local, regional and national clients from a host of industry sectors, including professional services, legal, banking, telecommunications, education, real estate, retail, government agencies and nonprofits.
As technology expanded, so did the scope of work the Herrmann team produced. They were early adopters of technology, moving seamlessly from the drawing board to computer-assisted design with first-generation Macs. They saw websites, email and digital advertising as opportunities, quickly embracing these platforms as avenues to expand clients’ brands. They also learned that the back-end technology that allowed clients to manage their website content was – at best – cumbersome, hard-to learn and inflexible. That realization led to the development of the HerrmannEasyEdit content management system.
Over the years, Herrmann has won countless awards for websites, annual reports, ad campaigns and collateral. But perhaps most important is the fact the agency has served many individuals and clients for nearly as many years as it has been in business. Herrmann works with clients close to home, like Historic Annapolis, the City of Annapolis, Hospice of the Chesapeake and county health departments; regional entities like the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Vision Innovation Partners; law firms of all sizes from coast to coast; and several global associations and professional networks.
Herrmann’s hands-on service commitment and the value proposition it delivers to clients are two keys to its longevity in a market that constantly changing. But some things don’t change: Judi is still at the helm day in and day out; key account execs and members of the creative and technology teams have been with Herrmann for more than a decade, always striving to stay on the cutting edge; and the agency is still headquartered in Annapolis where it all started — albeit in much larger offices housed in a building on West Street purchased around the time Herrmann celebrated being in business for two decades.
“While it’s great to celebrate our 40th Anniversary, you can be assured we aren’t content with resting on our laurels,” promised Judi. “As we raise a glass, we’ll be asking the same questions we asked in 1979, ‘what’s next and how can we get it done?’, then we’ll turn our sights to making it happen.”
