H&D BRANDING EXPANDS DESIGN TEAM

SPARKS, MD - November 9, 2011 -H&D Branding (H&D), a leading shopper marketing, design-centric agency, today announced new hire, Greg Bennett, as the Design Director.

Bennett joins H&D as the new Design Director. He comes to H&D from Siquis where he held the Design Director position for nine years. He brings 12 years of industry experience with roles such as Graphic Designer, Interactive Designer, Environmental Designer, Art Director, Design Director, and Creative Director. As H&D's Design Director, Bennett will work primarily on Procter & Gamble and McCormick & Co. as well as other accounts.

His work has been recognized for excellence by The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CBS News, The Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, Graphis, AIGA, UCDA, Print Magazine, HOW Magazine, The American Advertising Federation, Adweek, The Dieline, and Lovely Package. Furthermore, his work has been exhibited in China, Milan, Moscow, and numerous cities throughout the United States.

Bennett actively participates in industry organizations. He is a member of the Professional Advisory Committee for the Art Institute of York, PA. Additionally, in an effort to maintain a global perspective on good design practice, Bennett attends workshops and lectures held by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), The Society of Design (SOD) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Design is the backbone of our business. "Creative and design are the key to our business. Therefore, it is vital that we grow our design team with industry professionals who bring expertise and a unique perspective to our current and future clients. Bennett is the next step in this direction for the agency", says Vetry Ramachandran, Creative Director at H&D.

H&D BRANDING EXPANDS ACCOUNT TEAM

SPARKS, MD - October 3, 2011 - H&D Branding (H&D), a leading shopper marketing, design-centric agency, today announced the expansion of its Account Services team with four new hires, including a new Account Supervisor. The new hires include:

• Sarah Quackenbush, Account Supervisor. Quackenbush's primary responsibilities will be to manage the operations of the agency's account staff and providing senior-level leadership and strategic guidance to all the agency's accounts, including Procter & Gamble and McCormick & Co. She will also contribute to business development efforts.

With more than a decade of experience in the industry, Quackenbush has worked with clients in the entertainment, sports, retail, real estate, non-profit, and consumer product categories as both an account executive and media planner/buyer. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communication from Towson University and is the current Vice President of the American Advertising Federation, Baltimore.

• Michele Plantamura, Assistant Account Manager. Plantamura will work primarily on the Procter & Gamble account and contribute to the account management team on various other clients.

Prior to joining H&D Branding, Plantamura served as Senior Media Planner/Account hybrid at TBC, Inc. in Baltimore MD, and as a Media Planner for Sawtooth Group in Central New Jersey. She graduated from Monmouth University with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

• Bill Ritson, Account Coordinator. Ritson will contribute to the day-to-day account management activities for accounts such as Procter & Gamble and Phillips Foods, among others.

Ritson comes to H&D with previous internship experience in public relations with Edie Brown & Associates, and in marketing and social media with Agora Publishing. Ritson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Communication from Stevenson University.

• Jackie Murk, Account Coordinator. Murk will manage H&D's social media initiatives, support new business efforts, and contribute to the account management team working with accounts such as McCormick & Co.

Murk comes to H&D from McCormick & Co., where she created and executed a social media platform for their foodservice department. Murk holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Emerson College.

In addition to growing its account staff, H&D is currently vetting new clients to add to its roster.  While package and POS design will remain the soul of the business, they are moving toward building a true 360- degree agency by including strategic planning, consumer research, and traditional media planning and buying to their list of services. Though important in this competitive marketplace, these new services are only a part of H&D's larger growth strategy.

"While we continuously work to innovate and expand on what we can offer our clients from a strategic and creative standpoint, we recognize that the relationship between our agency and clients is really the piece most critical to our success. By making these significant additions to our staff, we are better able to communicate, and deliver on our promises", says Rich Oprison, Partner at H&D. gional consumer package goods companies such as Procter & Gamble, McCormick & Co., Phillips Foods, Manischewitz, Black & Decker, H&S Bakery, U.S. Foodservice, and Turkey Hill.